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Wedding Styles: Victorian Weddings

Victorian Wedding Ceremony

Current day Victorian era inspired wedding ceremonies still incorporate old traditions of having the wedding at the bride’s church or home. With wedding decorations ranging anywhere from elaborate floral arrangements, garlands and swags to potted plants and flower blossoms.

Victorian wedding flowerswere not chosen for their beauty, they were chosen by what meaning or symbol the flower has.

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For example, white roses represent purity and virtue, daisies innocence and purity and orange blossoms which represented bounty, purity, innocence and fertility.

Bridal bouquets were in the style of a nosegay or tussie mussie featuring flowers and blooms symbolic of prosperity, fertility and fidelity.

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The romantic elegance of these celebrations was regarded as the most important function of the year with the bride wearing the finest silk hosiery and high heeled white slippers to flower blossoms or a tiara supporting her veil. Velvet, satin, a heavy silk, cotton, or woolen fabric with a raised design, often in metallic threads and huge quantities of embroidery, lace and tulle were often worn by the bride and were replaced with lighter weight satin’s and chiffons by the early 1900’s to a simpler fashion.

Ceremony Decoration

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Using tulle along with ribbon, silk or natural flowers to decorate is a cost effective decoration that will enhance church isles as well as dress up the chairs for an outdoor wedding ceremony. For example, drape chairs with tulle and tie with colored ribbons that match your wedding colors or strands of ribbon that drape behind the chair or use premade bows to accent arches, doors or gates. Floral and ivy garlands are also very cost effective wedding decorations and keeping it simple, you are sure to stay within your budget.

Spreading a carpet of flower petals or blossoms along the pathway the bride walks assures a happy path through life.

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Another wedding ceremony decoration is a good luck symbol that can be hung over the spot where the couple exchanges their vows. This could be a bell, dove, horseshoe, or any other good luck symbol.

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Reception Decoration

The right table setting for a reception entices friends to come, sit, and stay awhile. Your tables should match the mood of your reception and convey the formality of your special event. So look for ways to individualize your dinning and reception space and no matter how relaxed your reception is it should still feel special to you.

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Reception Decoration, according to your theme, is plentiful throughout the wedding reception adorning doorways, banisters, handrails, windows and fireplaces with colors in any combination.

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Table Decoration

Victorians loved fabrics and textures and often mixed various tablecloths covered with lace overlays, embroidered cloths and doilies, embellishing tables with vases and containers filled with flowers, china, teacups and saucers. You can borrow these items from relatives or find them in garage sales and flea markets.

Victorians saw ivy as a symbol of fidelity and ivy plants and vines sill grace many wedding tables, trailing from baskets and accenting buffet tables to tumbling down candelabrasto achieve a look of lavish abundance.

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Centerpieces not only enhance the spirit of a wedding reception, they also provide a unique way for a bride and groom to express their sense of style. Use flowers and/or other forms of decoration to help define your theme. During the Victorian era flowers conveyed messages and were a way for men and women to communicate with each other because various flowers hold different meanings.

It is entirely a matter of personal taste on how you decorate your reception tables and venue. Just remember, your decorations should blend with other elements of your reception such as the centerpieces and style of the venue setting.

Centerpiece Ideas: Decorating Buffet & Party Tables

Creating a Buffet Table

Presentation of the buffet table: Any caterer or hotel chef will tell you that the most important factor of a buffet table is the way the food appears to the guests. An effective buffet presentation will impress your guests and help create an atmosphere of splendor, even on a budget.

Remember, these tables are part of your event décor and theme.

Jefferson Street Mansion - Buffet Table - Jen's Foodie Blog

Basic Rules for Buffet & Party Tables

Here are some basic rules to follow to help you create interesting and enticing buffet tables for special events.

*Elevate the food dishes. Unless you are having a potluck you should NEVER serve your foods on flat trays across a table. This can be done in several ways:

* Use heavy books covered by a tablecloth or linen napkins, you may also want to make a staircase presentation with the books covering them with linen napkins and then placing your food items onto them simulating a staircase. Make sure the books you use are heavy enough to hold the items you are placing on top of them.

* Large and small bowls turned upside down and covered with tablecloths or linen napkins. Make sure the bowls you use are sturdy enough to hold the items placed onto them.

* Cake stands are also a great way to elevate foods and even use as centerpieces. Check with family and friends.

* Check around the house to see what you have readily available to use. Just remember, the items you decide to use MUSTbe sturdy and strong enough to hold the item/items you wish to place on top of them.

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* Layering adds depth and interest so when you are creating place shorter items in front of the taller items. Use odd numbers in groupings, for example: 2-3 décor items with 2-3 food items. This has been a long proven method for presentations.

* Fill the table with color for eye appeal. In addition to the foods being served place ribbons, pyramids of fresh fruit, greenery, flowers and/or candles, unique tabletop décor items and even small statuettes to add interest in and around the food trays to create an interesting and memorable buffet.

* Garnish the food trays. You don’t need to spend hours carving up radishes and apples but it is advisable to add something! Here are a few ideas:

*Frame each dish with a green leaf lettuce such as romaine.

* Add fresh flowers or even one

* Add melon slices to compliment and add eye appeal

* Add parsley

Buffet Table Collage - Lemon Tree Creations

* Add fresh strawberries, pineapple chunks or your favorite fruit

All these items are simple add-ons that will help you transform your buffet table into an amazing presentation of great tasting and great appealing foods for you and your guest!

Tips for Saving Money: Diy Centerpieces

Tips for Making Diy Centerpieces

If your budget does not allow you much for flowers and arrangements here are a few tips to help you create arrangements that are simple and elegant.

Concealing and Covering Flower Stems

Use floral foam to hold flowers at the right angle and at the right spacing and conceal the foam with plenty of foliage. You can also conceal the stems and floral foam using mystic crystal and several other vase fillers to cover the foam. Use floral wire on soft stem flowers, this allows you to bend and shape the flowers without damage to them. Practice on just one arrangement until you get the look you want for your special event. This will save you time and money.

Choosing the Right Floral Foam for Your Arrangements

**TIP – Be sure when choosing floral foam that you choose the correct type of foam. Wet foam is used for fresh flowers and can also be used for a combination of fresh and silk flower arrangements. Dry foam however is used for silk flower and dried flower arrangements.

How To Make a Pomander Ball (Kissing Ball) With Silk Flowers

Wedding Decoration Ideas on a Budget

Although many people do not think of it, party rental businesses can offer you BIG savings and lots of tips for coordinating and planning your special event and wedding and they are everywhere! Take a look at Sunshine Tent & Party ; they take great pride in helping their customers put on a great party and stay on budget and have been in business for 25 years. It is definitely worth your time to check out their website and the services and tips they offer to their customers!

Sunshine Tent & Party - Westminster, Massachusetts

Don’t forget to look for wedding and event rentals in your area for great savings!