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Give your wedding a personal touch
 (ARA) - If you are like most brides-to-be, you have been dreaming about your
wedding day since you were a young girl. Whether it is a lavish gala or an
intimate affair, it will be one of the most important days in your life. To the
tiniest detail, it must be perfect. If your big day is looming on the horizon,
consider personal touches to make your dream wedding a reality. Start when
considering the décor for the location of the wedding as well as the reception
or party to be held afterwards.
“Instead of hiring someone to do the decorating for you, do it yourself. It will
mean more and you’ll be amazed at what you can do,” suggests Laura Byrne of
Michaels Arts and Crafts stores, one of the nation’s leading suppliers of
wedding accessories.
Wedding designs are as varied as the brides themselves. Some plan around a color
palette. For others, the season or location may provide the inspiration. Still
others may opt for a theme, such as a beach party or celestial heavens. Whatever
your choice, there are a variety of ways to bring it to life.
If you cannot take the wedding party to the beach, bring the beach to your
wedding. Make large bows in coral and sand colored ribbon and attach a starfish
or flat shell to the center. Use them as pew markers or above doorways. (Most
craft supply stores sell bow-making machines or have the store’s resident
bow-maker give you a lesson). Rent potted palm trees or purchase faux ones and
place them at the entrance to the church and around the reception hall. Drape
reception tables with fishnets. For tabletop centerpieces, fill goldfish bowls
with blue-tinted water and floating candles. For real authenticity, surround
them with play sand.
A “match made in heaven” can be celebrated with a celestial wedding. Drape
twinkle lights in lengths of dark blue tulle and drape from ceiling to floor.
Sprinkle gold and silver star confetti on tables covered in midnight blue
cloths. Make candlescape centerpieces by placing pillar candles of different
heights on a round mirror and dust with iridescent glitter.
Even if you do not live in a snowy climate, you can make guests at your winter
wedding shiver with delight. Bunch shimmery white tulle around the altar or
buffet tables to replicate snowdrifts. Attach sparkling snowflake ornaments
randomly to the tulle. For centerpieces, place large pillar candles with
multiple wicks in shallow glass bowls and surround with loose imitation snow.
Blue and white icicle lights will add the feel of starlight on a cold winter
night to your party.
Extend your personal signature to invitations as well as the décor. You can find
all the materials you need to bring your vision to life -- papers of all kinds,
envelopes, stamps, stencils and other embellishments -- at your local arts and
crafts store. Michaels, in fact, carries a large selection of invitation papers,
ranging from every day cardstock to handmade papers and vellum. You can buy them
individually or in packages. Then, use your home computer to create the same
professional look you would get if you ordered them from a printer. Just choose
a layout, font style, size, color in your home office program and start
printing.
The real fun comes after they are printed. Part of the beauty of making your own
invitations is that they do not have to be alike. You can create borders, add
trinkets, your imagination is the only limit. Take a stroll down the aisles of
your local arts and craft store for inspiration. For beach themed invitations,
you might stamp the cards with palm trees or seashells or stencil on starfish.
Or punch a hole near the top and tie beach-themed cutouts or small charms to the
card with thin satin ribbon. For heavenly cards, choose blue or silver paper and
use star and moon stamps. Drop a few loose silver stars in the card before
putting it in the envelope. For a beautiful white on white invitation for a
winter wedding, place a snowflake stencil on top of a white card and “paint”
with thinned glue. Remove the stencil and sprinkle with white iridescent
glitter. When it’s dry, shake off the excess and voila! A miniature winter
wonderland to send to your friends and family.
Now that you’ve gotten into the excitement of doing it yourself, don’t forget
the smaller details. Flower girl baskets, ring bearer cushions, guest books all
add to the unity of your wedding theme and provide the finishing touches.
Many brides like to give favors to their guests. Three or four star shaped tea
candles wrapped in tulle and tied with curling ribbon make useful gifts for
guests at a heavenly wedding. Blow-up beach balls and plastic pail and shovel
sets add a touch of whimsy to a sand and surf theme. Or print thank you notes on
parchment paper, roll them up and tuck into the necks of small glass bottles.
Small snow globes make charming mementos of winter nuptials.
Whatever style you choose for your wedding, your guests are sure to appreciate
the time and thought you have put into it and you will create memories for you
and your family that will last a lifetime.
For more ideas that will help create the personalized wedding of the
bride-to-be’s dreams, log on to
www.michaels.com/weddings.
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