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black and white wedding theme ideas

Black and White Wedding Theme

2008 was the time for black and white wedding themes and in 2009 the theme will continue to be popular because it is a classic.  Remember, this theme is so versatile and will suit a modern wedding in a chic modern venue, as well as a venue with old world charm.

Black and white weddings in France may include a black tie ceremony and reception or the simple, yet elegant, look of black and white combined with briliant reds, royal blues or glistening silver creating a striking effect with an aristocratic atomosphere especially at a french wedding.  Avoid green it looks dull combined with black and white.  You want a brilliant colour or a metalic colour for accent.

The theme particularly works for winter, spring and autumn weddings in France. It is one wedding theme where less is more and minimalist decorations work.  If you are pushed for your wedding budget you should pick a mid-week winter wedding in a destination heritage wedding in France with minimalist black and white decoration.  Let your french wedding venue carry your “wow” factor and highlight it with carefully chosen decorations and bulk classic flowers like roses, tulips or lillies.   

For a typical color combination the bridesmaids can deck up in black gowns and groomsmen can come in black tuxedos while the bride can dress up in white gown or may be an ivory shade or pearl white shade.

For decorations the simplest concept is to start with a white table cloth and add black accents to it. A Black satin table runner will work wonders as it’s the highlight of black you want, with a soft sheen. To add warmth to your colour add lots and lots of tea lights. You could have a fish bowl for the centrepiece filled with black and white floating candles or add candle votives around an existing centrepiece.  For a trendy twist select black table linen and scatterthe tables with white feathers. A splash of silver is a lovely added accent.

In case you want vibrant background colors like the walls or carpets especially in the evening of the reception, then you have to remember that the colors of the dresses and other decorative centerpieces should be light in contrast to the main background.

Feathers in tall centrepieces look great in heritage wedding venues with tall ceilings because they emphasise the height.  Also the centrepiece does not obstruct your guests vision and flow of conversation around your tables.  You could add some battery powered tealights in your vase.  This looks particularly nice if coupled with mirror bases.

The black and white theme colors can be used in the invitation cards and other wedding related articles. But on the whole, the color of the background shouldn’t clash with the rest of the surroundings.
 
Regarding spring and summer collections, pearl or sleek jewelry embellished with turquoise or sapphire stone which offers a very soft and mellowed touch to the whole concept of the color scheme, can be chosen. In case of a gorgeous color combination, a gorgeous jewelry set embellished with ruby or blue diamond is more advisable.

Regarding flowers, if you select light colors then white rose bouquets with pearly and silvery decorative accessories and beads for the bride and the bridesmaids and maid of honor are perfect for that sophisticated and soothing visual impact.

One should try to avoid too much of black and drab colors in the collection and too much of black and white may seem monotonous and dull instead of rendering a sophisticated look even at french wedding castle.

With the growing influence of modernism and fashion, it’s not necessary anymore to wear a white gown for a wedding. Let’s hope, these bright wedding color ideas like red, scarlet red, coffee, violet, mauve, blue, pink add the hues of romance in one’s life in love and union.

As before, start at the invitation stage. One simple black and one white feather entwined on the front of an invitation would look classical, elegant and oh so en vogue. Bridesmaids can continue the feather theme with headpieces and floral arrangements that are heavy laiden with feathers.

Wedding cakes for a black and white theme are an easy choice.  You can select your traditional three tier cake with black ribbons with some embellishments or cupcakes on a multi-layer stand. Or you can go for something very different and personal.  You supply your favorite snap shots and Maisie Fantasie will transfer them to edible sugar paper and without much ado, your own personalized wedding cake! A 3-tier cake will cost you 850 pounds. Not cheap but definitely unique and very cool!  If you are opting for cupcakes you can have lovely laser cut paper lace cups these are fine and romantic and compliment any wrought ironwork and candelabras at a heritage wedding venue.

Canon in D like you have never heard it before

Choosing music for wedding ceremonies is a very personal process. There are many types of music to choose for your wedding.

The music you select to precede, underscore and follow your wedding ceremony is perhaps the most immediate and effective way you can create the mood or establish the tone for your event. 

Many couples select music that will enhance a special theme that they have chosen for their wedding such as Baroque, New Age, Classical, Jazz, 1920s etc.    Often chateau wedding brides chose baroque music and sometimes to carry the theme through they have the musicians dress in baroque costume.  It is a very nice touch and incredibly romantic. 

Brides getting married not for the first time often select a less formal musical selection.  The music you choose can, depending on the formality of your wedding, be an additional means of expressing your feelings for each other.

If you’re like most brides and grooms, the wedding music that will be used during your marriage ceremony is very important to you – but you may not have a clue how to go about selecting your wedding songs!

An important factor in choosing your wedding music is the setting for your ceremony. The music you choose will be determined by the nature of your event (religious or civil; formal or casual), your own musical tastes, the attitude of your officiator and the abilities of your musicians.

If your ceremony will not be in a religious setting, you can choose just about any kind of music you like — although you will want to stay within the bounds of good taste! Popular songs can date very quickly.  So ask yourself: Will the music I choose from my wedding today be the memory I want in the years to come?

On the other hand, if your ceremony will be in a church or synagogue, or conducted by a clergy person at another location, you will probably need to stay within guidelines set by the clergy person or the church. Because some churches limit music choices, so before you start choosing music, check with your clergy about any restrictions that may be in place.  Most religious denominations consider a wedding ceremony to be a form of worship service.

For this reason, churches generally do not allow “secular” music (non-religious popular music) during a wedding. Some will allow secular music while the guests are being seated, but not during the ceremony itself. Check with the church where your wedding will be held for its specific guidelines.

We recommend before you begin searching for the best wedding musicians to first develop a storyboard of any wedding music that you feel will capture the right mood of each step of your wedding as it happens, and make a list of those songs you want to play during each phase of the wedding.

What about the instrumental-only music for your wedding ceremony? Your choices here may include the church organist or pianist, a string quartet, a harpist, or other instrumentalists.

A string quartet is a popular choice for larger weddings, and with good reason. A beauty of a quartet is that they have a very wide repertoire ranging from classical to jazz and, requiring no electricity, can easily be moved from place to place – useful if the weather turns!  For something different you could ask for them to be dressed in baroque costume which would be stunning if you are hiring a heritage property like a wedding chateau.

You may be allowed to select some pieces for the prelude, one piece for the processional where the bridal party enters, another for the bride’s processional, and another for the recessional.

Prelude:
This is the music played while the guests are being seated and  sets the mood as people arrive, and is usually soft background music.

Processional:
The processional music is played while the wedding party and bride walk down the aisle.  If the wedding party is large, some brides opt to have 2 pieces–one for the wedding party, and one for the entrance of the bride (such as the traditional ‘Here Comes the Bride’). The first notes of the processional music announce the arrival of the Bride and inform the guests to stand! Music for the entrance of the Bridesmaids is usually more formal, and presented at a higher volume than the pre-ceremony music.

The best processionals are pieces that can be performed at a comfortable walking tempo and that can be easily ended at various points during the performance.  This allows for different sized wedding parties,  the length of the distance they have to travel, and the speed at which they walk.

Here is a tip.Try walking to the music before your wedding day.  Measure the distance from the back of the aisle to the altar and practice walking the length with the music playing.  This way you will know if your selected song is a bit too short or way too long.  You don’t want to find yourself standing at the altar waiting and waiting for the number to finish any more than you want to have the music run out while the bridesmaids are still making their entrance.

Some of the most famous of wedding repertoire include such pieces as Mendelssohn’s Wedding March, Handel’s joyful Arrival of the Queen of Sheba and Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel.  These all sounds great on the harp, or a string quartet or violin and cello duet and can be easily tailored any length necessary. They are gently flowing.

Here Comes the Bride by Wagner is a traditional wedding march best used for the entrance of the bride only.  Its mood is majestic.

Wedding March by Mendelssohn is the another traditional wedding march.  It also works on the harp and can be used solely as the bride’s music. Its mood is grand and majestic.

Processional by McDonald As its name implies, this piece was specifically written to be played as a wedding processional and is an upbeat and joyous processional.

Others couples prefer to choose popular music that is meaningful to them. You don’t have to include a march as your wedding processional, you can walk down the aisle to your favorite song if permitted by your church. 

Recessional:
The recessional music is played as the bride and groom, wedding party, and wedding officiate walk back out down the aisle.  The music is usually upbeat and celebratory, and does not have to be very long.  It is often accompanied with the ringing of church bells or chimes.

Mendelssohn’s Wedding March and Processional by McDonald also work fantastically as recessionals and not just as processionals.  Recessionals give the ceremony that traditional feel.

You may also have solos during your wedding ceremony.  The musical version of the Lord’s Prayer by Albert Hay Malotte can take the place of the congregation reciting the prayer aloud, and can be played solo or as a duet with a singer.  Ava Maria is a popular choice when signing the register.

Postlude music is a nice touch if the wedding couple are meeting the guests in a reception line as they leave the church.

Now you have selected what you would like played at your ceremony you need to find the musician/musicians.

Consider:

- their familiarity with the church, chapel and their music protocol and also that at your selected wedding venue,  or wedding chateau .  If they have never played their before do not be too concerned as all of this can be established with a site visit and a phone call or two.

- what will they wear?  Elegant suits for the gentlemen and long gowns are the traditional attire and make them pleasing to the eye as the music is to the ear.

- can you have a recording of their music to sample their style. Some quartets may even provide you with a CD of your chosen wedding music, giving you a wonderful keepsake that can act as a personalized wedding favor or help you relive those romantic special moments.

- how loud will the music be.  It should be loud enough to be heard, whilst not being so loud as to intrude upon the conversation of your guests. The “right” choice will depend on your own taste and the number of guests.

- ask for references. First hand knowledge of how an ensemble, looked, played and behaved is the best way to guarantee that your choice is the right one

- ask about their price and how many hours that entails

- ask if you will be charged travelling and their valet parking

- ask about cancellation policy

After the ceremony it is nice to have music continuing for cocktails and canapes and for the wedding dinner. 

You may want to have an ipod wedding reception.  You or an appointed guest can put together a play list and you need to have an amplifier and speakers.  Just watch out for those cables though.

Remember it is the music that sets the mood and creates the atmosphere.

1920s wedding

If you are looking for fun wedding that your guests aren’t likely to forget soon, maybe you should consider a 1920s wedding theme at a wedding in France?

Jazz was all the rage at this time so if your budget permits hire a jazz band.  Women threw away their corsets, cut their hair, wore trousers, smoked cigarettes and drove fast cars To emphasize their new found freedom. Life was for living.  Sounds like a perfect wedding theme for a wedding in France.

Think about The Great Gatsby (remember all those gangsters in Wing Tip shoes?). Ostrich feathers, dresses shorter in the front and longer in the back. But be warned—this type of wedding party is not for the faint-at-heart!  The 1920’s girls wore provocative make-up, showed their knees and abandoned themselves to the wild rhythms of Jazz, Charleston and the Black Bottom. They listened to the songs of Duke Ellington, Al Jolson and Fanny Brice and marvelled at the dancing of Isadora Duncan.

Prohibition began in the 1920s. A Speakeasy was the only place to get a decent drink, and no respectable Flapper would be seen without her flask neatly tied to her leg. Most cocktails only masked the taste of inferior booze. Fruit was added to the standard Old Fashioned at this time just for this purpose.   You could have your bar set up as a speakeasy and leave translation hints on your tables so guests no what passwords to use to order drinks.

[First, you’ll need to think about your invitations. These will set the theme for the party, so you’ll want to make sure that they are eye-catching. ~You could look for a vintage invitation, or you could be really unique and include a homemade CD with a selection of 1920s jazz to get your guests in the mood for the event.]

You might want to add “1920s dress encouraged” on your invitations.  It is the best way to liven up your party would be to ask your guests to dress as one would in the 1920’s. If you do opt for guests in costume give a best costume prize on the night. 

With decorations, you should be able to transform just about any building into a jazz nightclub. Think silver, red and streaming ribbons!

You’ll need to organize certain events that will set the mood for your event. Swing dancing and the Charleston were popular forms of dance in the 1920’s. In addition, you could have a dance contest at the end of the evening to see who learned the most number of moves!

- Set up an old-fashioned, deep-claw bathtub near the bar. Fill with ice and add bottles of “hootch”, “bathtub gin”, “red ink” (homemade wine),  “bootleg”, “moonshine”. (The bottles won’t hold real liquor, just water and printed labels created on a computer. Find the appropriate types of bottles for “moonshine”, etc.)

 Have a photographer set up an old-time-photo studio where guests can have 1920’s snap-shots taken.

 Some famous faces are: Jimmy Cagney, Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Laurel & Hardy, WC Fields, Mae West, Rudolph Valentino, and Buster Keaton.

The brides dress and groom’s suit are other important factors for a 1920’s theme wedding party. The bride could wear a dress that is short in the front and long in the back—a style common to this era. Instead of a veil, you could wear a headband, complete with ostrich feather. Coco Chanel, Sir Norman Hartnell, Jean Patou, Madeleine et Madeleine and Worth were all famous designers of the era.

A zoot suit with ascot tie, and a felt, roll-brimmed fedora hat or zoot suit hat really hits the spot. Another option is to wear a double-breasted 4 button jacket with wide-lapels, cuffed trousers, ascot tie or white scarf, white gloves, spats (shoes), black top hat and a walking stick.

Pinstripes were also popular during this time if the groom wasn’t that brave.

For your photographs, you should think about having some of them done in black and white so that they will go well with the vintage dress and decor of the wedding hall.

If all or part of your wedding is being held outside, play croquet.

A citroen traction 1920s vintage car is a nice touch and looks very gangsterish.  If you check around, you should be able to find one of these for rent. Hire a driver dressed in vintage costume for that final effect. 

Black and white theme can play nicely with a 1920s wedding theme.

If you have short hair a 1920s theme will look fabulous – forget up dos.  Think a classic short, neat bob cut or the shorter Shingle, which showed the back hairline and was curled at the sides – think french chic and Coco Chanel.

French cuisine was popular.  By having a 1920s theme wedding party for your wedding in France, your guests will likely be talking about it for years to come!