What About an All-White Wedding?

What About an All-White Wedding?

The white wedding gown is a tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria in the early 1800's. She could not have known that she would be a trend setter for a tradition that would live on long after she was gone. The tradition of the white wedding gown survives to this day as the favorite of modern-day bride, a tradition that some, as Chef Emeril puts it "kick it up a notch" to an all-white wedding. It takes a creative bride, one who is willing to put some extra thought into the details, in order to pull off such a wedding without her disappearing in the crowd. Let's get the "rules" straight first. Typically, at such a wedding, the bridesmaids and flower girls wear white and the flowers, tablecloths and candles, are white. The only place that there should not be any white is in the attire of the guests and it is for that reason that it's important to include that information in the invitation. The words "All white wedding" may not be sufficient, so No white attire, please" may be a better choice for wording. There are many ways that a bride can make herself stand out in the sea of white. These are a few suggestions. As to her gown, the bride might select a shade of white other than "pure white." Believe it, or not, there actually are hundreds of shades of white, including bluish diamond white, creamy, yellowed eggshell, "natural" pearl, champagne, and ivory. Another way in which she can set herself apart is by embellishments on her dress of pearls, crystal, or heavy beading. In order to avoid a monotone overload, some hint of contrast color can be added to the mix. The white flowers that are used can be ones with their green stems showing. The use of different fabrics, particularly ones with interesting textures will add a dimension of depth. In the bouquets, a mix of white flowers, as opposed to flowers all of the same variety. Orchids, for example, have a very different "presence" than daisies, or dahlias and, if a satin ribbon, or lace is thrown into the mix, the mission is accomplished! Adding metallic can be said as not adding another color, but they will add some interest and add interest to, for example, a white tablecloth with a white centerpiece. Even the menu items carry through the white theme. A creative caterer can make suggestions that might include things like hors d'oeuvres made scallops, yellowtail or crabmeat, vegetables like cauliflower and parsnips and dessert of vanilla ice cream and even white cotton candy. For party favors, boxes of white chocolates can be wrapped in white lace. Yes, it will take some extra planning and yes, there will probably be a bridesmaid or two who "look terrible" in white, but an all-white wedding can be done and will quite probably be better remembered than most others.   For answers to most of your wedding etiquette questions, please visit HudsonValleyWeddings.com's Wedding Guide at http://www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com/guide/!index.htm