Choosing the Style of Your Wedding
DECIDING THE FORMALITY
In choosing the style of your wedding, many considerations must be addressed. The first decision is to decide how formal or informal your wedding will be. Formality can be determined by considering the location of the ceremony and reception, number of guests, size of the wedding party and time of day. There are three types of weddings: Formal, Informal and Semiformal. Below are some guidelines to help you determine which is most suitable for your affair:
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| Image by Photography by Anne |
Formal Weddings
- Ceremony – Typically take place in a house of worship or in a large home
- Wedding Party Size – The wedding party usually consists of 8-20 attendants
- Wedding Party Attire – The bridesmaids wear floor-length dresses and the groom and his groomsmen wear suits or tuxedos
- Guest Attire – Female guests wear street-length dresses for a daytime wedding and floor-length or cocktail dresses for evening weddings. Male guests wear either suits and ties for a daytime wedding or tuxedos for an evening wedding. “White Tie” is the most formal wedding
- Reception Location – The reception usually involves a sit-down dinner, elaborate decorations, music and dancing in an elegant location
Semiformal Weddings
- Ceremony – Typically take place in a house of worship, a hotel, a club, a home or a garden
- Wedding Party Size – The wedding party usually consists of 4-12 attendants
- Wedding Party Attire – The bride and her attendants wear long, ballerina or tea-length dresses. The groom and his attendants wear a formal suit for daytime or evening weddings.
- Guest Attire – Female guests wear street-length tailored or semi0dressy dresses for daytime weddings and cocktail dresses for evening weddings. Men wear dark suits for either daytime or evening weddings.
- Reception Location – The reception can involve a plated meal or stationed buffet and music provided by a small band or DJ.
Informal Weddings
- Ceremony – Can take place in a house of worship, a home or a garden and may be presided over by a notary or justice of the peace.
- Wedding Party Size – The wedding party usually consists of 2-6 attendants
- Wedding Party Attire – The bride and her attendants usually wear simple white or pastel floor-length gowns or ballerina, tea-length or street-length dresses. The groom and his attendants wear sports coats and slacks or suits.
- Guest Attire – Female guests wear something appropriate for the location. Men wear sport jackets and slacks.
- Reception Location – The reception can take place in a home or at a restaurant. It may even involve a brunch or lunch int he mid-morning or an early afternoon wedding with hand-passed hors d’oeuvres or a simple buffet. Music may be provided by a single musician or even a jazz duo. Music could even be played in the background from a playlist on your iPod.
DECIDING ON A COLOR SCHEME
Next, you’ll want to decide on a color scheme for your wedding! Many brides let this decision be one of the hardest to settle on and with so many options out there, it’s no wonder!! Here are some things to consider to help you narrow down your colors:
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| Image by Verve Studio |
- Time of Year – Think about the colors you associate with each season (i.e. pastels for spring, bright pops of color in summer and darker shades for fall and winter)
- Seasonal Flowers – Research which flowers are in season during the time of year your wedding will take place. Which ones are your favorites? What colors do they come in? Let this steer you in a certain direction.
- Bridesmaids Dresses – Consider the skin tone of your bridesmaids and the colors that will look good on them. If you have many types of skin tones, you may just opt for a neutral color and bring in your color scheme with their jewelry, shoes and flowers.
- Location of the Wedding – Look closely at the surroundings of where your wedding will take place. Are there certain colors that you notice in the decor that you like and might be able to complement? Build off of what you have around you if you can.
- Personal Style – Consider your clothing, accessories, household decor, even your favorite catalogues to see what colors you’re naturally drawn to.
For more tips and advise on wedding planning, become a fan of our Facebook page! To inquire about hiring Embellished Events for your upcoming wedding, please contact us!
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Embellished Events
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Phone: (843) 757-7762
Email: Info@EmbellishedWeddings.com
