Remembrance

Recently, a bridal couple came to me with a touching question; how to incorporate some sort of tribute to the groom's late mother without hurting the feelings of his step-mother?
After much discussion, it was decided that the wedding day would be on the anniversary of his mother's birthday. This will be shared with the guests by adding a brief note in the wedding bulletin. To further pay tribute, a single rose, similar to the corsages for the bride's mother and the groom's step-mother, will occupy a special place on the church altar. This too, will be noted in the bulletin.

Weddings tend to bring out the sentimentality in people; this can be a lovely thing. Sensitivity to special circumstances in a hallmark of a gracious host or hostess.

"We're Registered At..."

Once upon a time, it was considered just plain tacky to mention gifts or registries in invitations. Just like modesty and good taste, this seems to be going by the wayside. One recent bridal couple this planner had the task of organizing actually wanted to include a note to guests that read "We have everything we want or need, just give us money or gas cards." - REALLY!?

The correct, and polite, way to let guests know where one is registered is still by word or mouth through a third party. With the prevalence of wedding web pages it is perfectly acceptable to include links to online registries.

In order to avoid the appearance of "tackiness" please refrain from including gift requests with invitations and holding "dollar-dances" at the reception. The exceptions being if you prefer a donation to a favorite charity or request no that no gifts be given.

Think Color!

Instead of the traditional, basic black for your groom and his men, consider color and pattern. The silk bow tie, pocket square and cuff links pictured above (from American Armadillo) bring color and whimsey to this special occasion.

The grooms men will sport button-down shirts in butter yellow and khaki trousers with navy blazers to complete the look.

Our bridal couple is using sprigs of fresh lavender tied with yellow ribbon for boutonnieres and in addition to a mix of other flowers in the corsages, bouquets and arrangements. The color scheme will be brought together with butter yellow table linens and napkins.

This soft color pallet lends itself to the bridesmaids' gowns as well. The maids wearing lavender and the maid of honor wearing butter yellow cocktail dresses by Calvin Klein.

When considering your bridal party attire, think color!