Ideas for Winter Wedding Reception Centerpieces

Ideas for Winter Wedding Reception Centerpieces

Wedding receptions in the winter can have winter-themed centerpieces with snow and white flowers. Make a snowy centerpiece with help from a professional wedding planner in this free video.

BROWSE WINTER WEDDING IDEAS, FAVORS, INVITATIONS, AND ACCESSORIES - CLICK HERE

Enjoy Some Winter Wedding Ideas Below:

(all images added by 3rd party provided embeddable code)









BROWSE WINTER WEDDING IDEAS, FAVORS, AND ACCESSORIES - CLICK HERE

What To Wear To A Winter Wedding

What To Wear To A Winter Wedding

by: Gertie Guide

Last January, Gord and I were invited to a formal wedding in snow country. My first reaction was, "I have nothing to wear," which made Gord burst out laughing. He knows my taste in clothes and always remarks how perfectly elegant I look, no matter what the occasion.

But this was different. It was a winter wedding. And I was at a loss for ideas. So I began to research for choices. I was surprised to find lots of information and opinions on what is best, both online and offline. Winter weddings have been steadily growing in polarity in recent years. The contrast between the snowy outdoors and cozy, elegant venues makes for an atmosphere of added romance.

Dress For Location

Cold winter weddings by their very nature require additional thought about what to wear. Of course if the wedding is formal, your choices are limited to tuxedos for men and evening gowns for women.

In our case, the wedding party was formal but the guests had no restrictions. Also, the wedding was indoors, except for a quick outdoor sleigh ride only for the wedding party photos. I was relieved. I didn't have to worry about extra 'woolies' and such. And, I already had an elegant black faux-fur mid-calf length winter coat that would go well with any dress.

Dress Styles

My research revealed that dresses should be knee-length to tea-length with no plunging necklines or high slits. Sleeves are better, but if the dress is strapless or has spaghetti straps, just add a wrap or bolero jacket.

The prevailing recommendations are to avoid bright colors such as yellow and orange, which are best suited for spring weddings. Instead, they suggested ladies dress in rich wintery colors such as burgundy, gold, deep plum, black if accented with bright accessories, and forest green, while reds should be deeper tones only. The focus was on single colors with lots of texture in the material itself.

Accents

The jewelry should be light and add a sparkling contrast to the dress. Diamond settings or gems like rubies and emeralds are appropriate. A simple necklace, earrings and/or a small jeweled handbag will add just the right sparkle. The overall effect is the glamor of elegant simplicity.

Thanks to some wonderful jewelry from Gord throughout the years, I have all the sparkle I need. I chose a rich black velvet fitted A-line dress falling just below the knees and accented it with my gorgeous ruby pendant on a gold chain with matching earrings given to me by Gord for our 40th wedding anniversary. My pump shoes glittered in the color of rubies to complete the outfit.

I could tell it turned out just perfect by the sparkle in Gord's eyes when he whispered to me that I was the most beautiful woman at the wedding.

I wish you all the best in your own search for the perfect dress for the Winter Wedding. Follow the heart of romance and you can't go wrong.

Scent-sational ideas for wedding favors

Scent-sational ideas for wedding favors

(ARA) - Hunting down the perfect wedding ensemble, negotiating seating arrangements with squabbling relatives, honeymoon flight reservations that change on a dime - how did something that should be so joyful become so stressful?

Planning a wedding can be a high-pressure time, even for couples with a clear vision of what they want and the budget to accomplish it. One aspect of your wedding that doesn't have to cause stress is choosing wedding favors. Go with something simple, elegant and timeless that will fit the lifestyle of virtually every guest - aromatherapy.

Scent is a mood-setting gift that can help establish the tone for your reception, and remind guests afterward how much they enjoyed sharing your big day. You don't have to give every guest a pricey personal essence or resort to costly scented candles to achieve the perfect aromatherapy wedding favor. Making your own favors not only saves you money, it puts your personal stamp on the mementoes your guests will keep long after the wedding day has passed.

What's more, says Tom Havran, an aromatherapy expert with the personal products company Aura Cacia, "making aromatherapy favors together can help a harried couple slow down, refocus and remember what's really important - that they're about to begin a wonderful life together and that the special guests they've assembled will bear witness to it all."

Havran offers some tips for using aromatherapy to combat wedding-planning jitters and create memorable favors:

Surround yourself with scents that soothe. A potpourri that features real lavender flowers is a wonderful way to bring comforting, peaceful aroma into your home. Sprinkle the flowers with lavender essential oil and tuck a sachet of the mixture in with your bed linens. Place a bowl on the dining room table. Store some in a mesh bag inside the luggage you'll be using for your honeymoon. Make the same lavender-based scent the centerpiece of your aromatherapy favors by placing it in small, handmade sachets that guests can carry home.

Planning a holiday wedding? Create a "wise men's favor" by recycling an empty tea tin. Paint it with your wedding colors or cover it with festive gold paper. Fill the tin with coarse salt and sprinkle with 16 drops of eucalyptus essential oil, 16 drops of lemon essential oil, 16 drops of frankincense and/or myrrh essential oils, and replace the lid. Include instructions to release this ancient sacred scent by removing the lid and placing the tin in a warm location.

Another idea that's good year-round is a soul-warming spa kit. Create a home spa kit with a mineral bath and a body and massage oil. These gifts have a green, lemony-balsamic aroma that revitalizes the body and chases away the blues. Wrap these items in a small basket, adding a loofah or other bath items. Or present them in a personalized mini-tote that features the wedding couple's name and marriage date.

Here's the essential oil blend you'll create to add to the mineral bath and massage products:

16 drops peppermint essential oil
16 drops sweet orange essential oil
16 drops lavender essential oil

To make the mineral bath, combine the essential oils with these ingredients (readily available at a drugstore or pharmacy):

1 cup sea salt
1 cup Epsom salt
1 cup sodium bicarbonate

To create the spa kit body and massage oil, combine the essential oil drops with:

2 cups sweet almond oil
1 cup grape seed oil

For a fizzy foot soak, mix the essential oils with the ingredients below (available at a drugstore or pharmacy):

1 1/2 cups sea salt
1 cup Epsom salt
1/4 cup sodium bicarbonate
1/4 cup citric acid granules

Use 1 to 2 tablespoons in a basin of warm water for a revitalizing foot soak.

For an exfoliating foot scrub, mix the essential oils with:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup sweet almond oil

Gently massage 1 tablespoon of mixture into feet and toes, then rinse away granules.

For more aromatherapy wedding favor ideas, visit the aromatherapy experts at www.auracacia.com.

Having A Winter Wedding?

There are many couples who choose to have a winter wedding. There are also some very good reasons to plan a wedding in the winter. The number one reason being - "It's often cheaper!"

When I think of a winter wedding, I think cool colors like blues, silvers and whites. Of course a winter wedding can be any theme or colors you wish. I'm just a dreamer and love a real-life fairy tale every now and then. Notice the photo above for example: Gorgeous! The golden light and tones creates a sense of comfort and warmth. Just imagine your guests sitting in a room decorated like that. They'll talk about your wedding reception for the rest of the year! Wouldn't that be great? Notice that each guest table has a golden tree decorated with hanging crystals, and hanging votive candles. Takes your breath away doesn't it?

If you have a cool fairy tale winter wedding in mind - I thought I'd share some possible ideas.

1. Think lots of lights (white lights), and blue lights - EVERYWHERE!

The photo above is not even a good enough example (it's a bit too simple), but I do like the usage of the Japanese Paper Lanterns in the ceiling. Granted this would be a lot of hanging work, but worth the time.

All I can say about the photo above with the usage of blue or violet lighting is that it screams "winter wonderland" - Wow! I think that however your budget (if not large) might be better off with the golden tree idea (as seen in the very first photo above). Flowers are much more expensive than golden painted trees, and candles.

2. Don't forget about the power of candle light.

Candles always create a relaxing, warm mood for the atmosphere. I imagine white candles of all heights and widths centered in various locations and tables (not necessarily as the centerpieces), but an accent to the overall decor. You can have floating candles placed in water with blue food coloring in it. The blue water will cast wonderful blue beams of enchanting light.

3. The wedding cake should be a center of attention!


4. What is a winter wedding - without a winter wedding dress?

Source: google.com via Renee on Pinterest

5. The Wedding Flowers.
A popular flower to go with during the winter seems to be white cala lilies, however it would be nice to accent them with another complimentary color from your wedding color theme. You can do this easily with some colored ribbon, or bouquet jewels from your local florist shop.