Top Seven Unique Thanksgiving Wedding Ideas

Thanksgiving is a time to gather together with family and friends and celebrate the things we are most thankful for. Oh, and, of course, stuff ourselves silly with delicious food! It makes complete sense then that so many couples are deciding to get married around Thanksgiving. These top seven tips will ensure that your wedding day is classy and beautiful, and not something that resembles an elementary Thanksgiving Day pageant parade. No Pilgrim hats and feathered headbands, please!

Invites and Save the Dates

One of the most important things to keep in mind when planning a holiday-centric wedding is that many friends will want to spend the holiday with their own families. The way to overcome this is to send our your Save the Dates as soon as you possibly can! Thanksgiving weddings, though, do offer the additional bonus of most of your guests already having time off of work for the holiday.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nmiphotocreations

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nmiphotocreations

Location

Thanksgiving is the epitome of autumnal beauty, so choosing either an outside venue—or a venue that can give you plenty of gorgeous fall landscapes—is the way to go. The rich fall colors, the bounty of fallen leaves, and the forgiving temperatures of fall, all make for a perfect outdoor wedding.

http://www.weddingomania.com/

http://www.weddingomania.com/

Décor

Let nature dictate the décor for your ceremony and reception! Think of woodsy and rustic themes, allowing yourself to be inspired by trees, feathers, bird’s nests, and fallen leaves. Stay away from cheap Thanksgiving decorations: no miniature cornucopias or turkey designs cut out of construction paper. Evoke the meaning of the season by placing decorative and rustic chalkboards around the venue, allowing people to write down what they are most thankful for. If you are opting for an outdoor wedding, have the chalkboards perched in the middle of the tables. You want your ceremony and reception to look easeful and natural, almost as if it’s an enchanted autumnal forest. Having an elaborately decorated and stuffy reception just doesn’t suit the meaning of Thanksgiving.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/RoxyHeartVintage?ref=exp_listing

https://www.etsy.com/shop/RoxyHeartVintage?ref=exp_listing

Food

Food is the highlight of Thanksgiving, so make sure that your food is the highlight of your reception! You can always choose a more traditional Thanksgiving meal to serve your guests, or, if you’re concerned that your guests will already have had their fill of turkey from their own Thanksgiving celebrations, you can always serve traditional family dishes with a twist—Gruyere mac and cheese with bacon, apple stuffed pork chops, bourbon chocolate pecan pie, etc. Garnish your wedding cake with a few autumnal touches, and place it atop a tree stump cake stand.

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69857611/medium-8-inch-rustic-wood-cake-stand

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69857611/medium-8-inch-rustic-wood-cake-stand

Flowers

Don’t be afraid to branch out (pun intended) from using exclusively flowers in your bouquet or centerpieces. Acorns, branches, and fall leaves can all make gorgeous additions to any flower arrangement.

 

http://www.weddingomania.com/

http://www.weddingomania.com/

Dress

Keep your dress classic and easeful. Thanksgiving is about the comfort of being with family, friends, and food! An overly embroidered and corseted gown will clash with your themes of nature and ease.

jcrew.com

jcrew.com

 

Favors

Favors should always be edible or useful, and since it is Thanksgiving, edible is the way to go! Miniature pies, bottles of maple syrup, maple candy, and miniature bottles of pumpkin ale all make for festive favors that your guests will surely appreciate.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/VanillaRetro?ref=l2-shopheader-name

https://www.etsy.com/shop/VanillaRetro?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Top Seven Unique Wedding Halloween Ideas

Boo! Halloween is nigh, bringing a season of candy, costumes, and creepy crawly horrors that send chills up your spine. Nothing though, might seem as scary or as daunting as incorporating Halloween themes into your wedding or reception. But have no fear! We have the top seven unique ways you can add some spooky flair to your special day, whether you choose to go all-out with a costume themed wedding or low key with a few Halloween touches here and there.

Invites

Immediately let your guests know the theme and style of the wedding by choosing an eerie, yet classy, invitation design. Something as simple as writing “Till Death Do Us Part” is a spooky spin on a classic wedding line. Allow your invites to reflect the type of Halloween wedding you are having—Quirky? Modern? Victorian?

Cary Pennington Photography

Cary Pennington Photography

Location

Location can prove to be very important when planning a themed wedding and can quickly and easily establish the atmosphere you are looking for—think: gothic churches, creepy mansions, or rustic and autumnal outdoor settings. Choosing a traditional setting and trying to coat it with cobwebs crosses the line into cheesiness, so picking an inherently spooky location can save you a lot of decorating heartache.

Attire

No one in your wedding party will speak to you again if you force them wear black and orange outfits that make them resemble pumpkins and gourds. However, where you can add some Halloween excitement is with the youngest members of your party; outfit your flower girls and ring bearers in costumes that illicit oohs and ahhs, instead of screams of fear. If you want to add some spooky touches to your wedding dresses, go for an eerie Victorian look, with plenty of lace and vintage touches. Skull cufflinks give a traditional male tuxedo some festive flair.

Ace Photography

Ace Photography

Food

Your food and beverage choices are where you can really have fun! Set up your bar as a mad scientist lab and serve drinks out of vials and beakers. Don’t be afraid to use dry ice or food coloring—a big punch bowl full of a green alcoholic beverage, labeled biohazard, is sure to draw some attention. Nothing says Halloween like a candy buffet! You can opt out of having a wedding cake and choose to do a candy buffet or creepy crawly cupcake tower, but if you do choose to have a wedding cake, feel free to make your wedding cake a festive and spooky affair as well!

 

Ace Photography

Ace Photography

Flowers

There are so many gorgeous fall colors to choose from when picking your flower arrangements. Think plum, orange, burgundy, gold, and go with lilies, roses, and orchids. Work with your florist on creating some fabulously spooky, yet beautiful, flower arrangements. Sometimes just adding some black branches is all you need to give it that Halloween flair.

Cary Pennington Photography

Cary Pennington Photography

Décor

The last thing you want is for your reception to look like a haunted house, so steer clear of cobwebs, black gauze, and fake skeletons. Victorian wedding photos, plenty of candles, and rich autumnal colors give a general eerie quality while the small details, such as the name card-holders and table trinkets, can have some quirky Halloween appeal: fake vampire teeth, miniature pumpkins, witch’s hats—the possibilities are endless!

 

Ace Photography

Ace Photography

Cary Pennington Photography

Cary Pennington Photography

Favors

Halloween is the season of treats, so edible treats are the way to go! You can opt to make your candy buffet part of your wedding favors by giving your guests personalized candy bags. Masquerade masks, bottles of red wine labeled “Vampire blood,” or miniature pumpkin pies are also festive favors.

 

Ace Photography

Ace Photography

Five Tips on Accessorizing Your Bridal Gown

1. The Look: Weddings are all about picking a theme and going all out with it. So first of all, think about the feel and the look that you are going for. Do you want a 1920’s vintage feel? Then try incorporating a bird cage veil, or a feathery headpiece with a lace applique. Are you looking for a Spanish feel? Then try a big flower headpiece, or a Mantilla veil that will drape beyond the edge of your train. Or are you going for classic elegance? Then try and keep your accessories to a minimum. Pick your accessories and gown that go with the feeling that you are going for, and that feeling will be conveyed to your friends and family.

2. Match: It is also important to match accessories to your gown in order to bring out its’ beauty in the right light. For example, if your gown has a belt that has some pearls and beads on it, then find earrings or a veil that has both of those items. It is best to keep the accessories in unison to have them flow right into your dress. If your gown has chunky beads on it, don’t accessorize with pearl earrings. Try and match the items as closely as possible.

Veil & Belt

3. Compliment: Take a good look at your gown and see if it is simple or busy on its own, as they both have their pros and cons. Simple dresses allow for more accessories and chunky jewelry or statement pieces. Try on beaded belts, big earrings, or thick bracelets. Sometimes a simple belt can dress up the gown to a whole other level, and give it a unique look. If your dress is very busy with lace or bling, refrain from using thick laced veils or chunky jewelry. Less is more with these gowns, and simple accessories add to its beauty without detracting any attention from it. Otherwise your audience will be too busy trying to figure out where to look instead of looking at you. Also, if you are wearing a bracelet, be sure to wear it on the opposite hand as your engagement ring. It will compliment and even out your bridal look.

4. Try On: It is really hard to match accessories without having your gown around, or without even having it on! So be sure to try on different veils, head pieces, and jewelry while you have the gown on your body. A good time to do that is usually once the dress comes in and you go in for your try on appointment. It can be a bit overwhelming to try and pick everything on the same day as you picked your gown, so wait until your dress comes in to do so.

Earrings & Belt

5. Ask: Be sure to ask your consultant for any accessory suggestions. They have a pretty good eye in finding the appropriate accessories since they are around the gowns constantly and know what goes well with what. Be open to their suggestions and have fun with it! They will enjoy dressing you up until your look is completed to perfection.

Sustainable Event Furniture from Girari

Summer is definitely  here, as it is a HOT one today! I am staying in my office today where it is nice and cool. You probably know by now that I love searching for wedding details that are really unique and amazing. So you can imagine the excitement when I received something pretty spectacular in my inbox today.  I am talking earth friendly, comfortable and stylish furniture. Yes, all those details represent Girari, a rental furniture company that specializes in durable and gorgeous tables and chairs. What so is so amazing about Girari is that all you need for your wedding day are their fabulous tables which require no linens. Yes, I said no linens. They have glass tables which add sophistication and class to your wedding decor, and can really “wow” your guests. Perfect for the modern bride who wants a unique, modern look with a touch of elegance. I can go on and on about this fabulous rental company, however I really want to bring your attention to their one of a kind table for ten. Yes, I said ten.  If you do not believe me, then have seat, grab a nice cold lemonade and take a look.

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T55 dressed opt

Girari’s signature glass table is the Penta.  There is no other table in the event industry like the Penta. What is so amazing is that this table seats ten, and has a “table within a table”. The seating is designed so couples can sit together, with table legs spaced for comfort.

altachair

 The Alta banquet chair is the most comfortable chair in the event industry as it has a build in lumbar support, and changeable seat cushions.

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About Girari

Girari Sustainable Event Rentals provides tables, chairs and stools to the wedding industry.  A 15 year old company, Girari’s rental furniture is designed and manufactured in Los Angeles of a majority recycled content.

Girari’s Award Winning designs have been featured in events from Vancouver, Canada at the recent Winter Olympics to Pebble Beach in CA, to all the museums in L.A.County.

Girari rents “to the trade” (wedding, event and meeting planners).

We offer a unique, edgy and elegant line of glass topped tables and acrylic chairs and stools for wedding banquets and hospitality functions.  We are the “linenless” option when a bride wishes to host a sustainable event.

BHL Vendor Hot Pick: Found Vintage Rentals

bridal-hot-list-vendor-hot-pickI know sometimes when Monday’s roll around, it is really hard to get going and start the week off. I mean, you have to say goodbye to the weekend, and hello to a work week. But when you have a fabulous new vendor added to our “Vendor Hot Picks”, Monday just became my favorite day of the week. I am talking about a vendor who seriously knows how to impress. One that has me swooning over all the amazing details they have to offer. All courtesy of Found Vintage Rentals. I had the pleasure of visiting the fantastic warehouse where all the magical genius happens. I was so enraptured by all the charming and inspiring details, I could not turn my eyes away.  I did not want to miss one single item. But I know I did…there was THAT many fabulous things that had my vintage loving heart swooning the whole time. I have to admit…I kind of wanted to sneak and hide behind one of the lovely couches and live there. If I could. Yep, that is how much I am in love with Found Vintage Rentals.

I have always been a huge fan of vintage, but after today, I will forever be a fan of Found Vintage Rentals.  Oh, you will see why in a second when you browse through all the gorgeousness.

 

RyanRay3

RyanRay1

RyanRay

Photography: Ryan Ray Photography

MichaelCosta9

MichaelCosta9

Photography: Michael Costa Photography

radandinlove

Photography: Rad+In Love

OnelovePhotography

Photography: One Love Photography

MikeRadford

Photography: Mike Radford Photography

KirstenEllis

Photography: Kirsten Ellis Photography

JoseVilla

JoseVilla1

JoseVilla13

Photography: Jose Villa

StephanieWilliams

Photography: Stephanie Williams

ErinHeartsCourt

Photography: Erin Hearts Court

CarolineTran

Photography: Caroline Tran

AnnieMcElwain

Photography: Annie McElwain

StudioEMP4

Photography: Studio EMP 

 

About Found Vintage Rentals

For over 15 years, Jeni Maus has discovered and collected pieces to give her own home the character and warmth of a truly personal space. In February of 2010, Jeni began offering her unique style to others in her curated collection of furniture and accessories at Found Vintage Rentals. Well-loved vintage pieces reveal where they have been. Suitcases with destination stickers, crates with original markings, and textiles with hand-sewn initials bely their former lives. Re-imagined masterpieces like couches freshly upholstered in European homespun fabric marry the old and new. Each piece in the Found Vintage Rentals collection is hand-picked for its charm and history. The collection at Found has been rented for special events such as weddings, birthday parties, and corporate meetings as well as church retreats and trade shows. The curated objects add personality and a one-of-a-kind look to photo shoots, pop-up shops, family portrait sessions, and film sets. As the pioneer in vintage rentals, Jeni’s unique style, unlimited creativity, and impeccable taste continue to lead the industry. Whether renting a single statement piece or roomfuls of furniture and accessories, Found’s clients seek distinctive pieces to add warmth and personality to their celebrations and sets. They’ve developed a love for the curated collection and they trust the Found team to create an unforgettable environment.

 

StudioEmp

StudioEmp1

StudioEMP2

Photography: Studio EMP