Wednesday, February 29, 2012

not your ordinary valentines: cliches minus the cheese

We're on the final stretch of February. Despite my internet absence, I managed to squeeze in one last valentines post. Yay!

Like I said in my introductory valentines post, valentines is such a popular and universal concept that is perhaps why it is riddled with so many cliches. This is precisely why it sometimes becomes a challenge to think outside the box when it comes to valentines wedding. So I thought, why not work with the common valentines cliches right? As saying that goes, if you can't beat them, join them! You don't have to paint your wedding red and fill it with heart shapes and cupids all over. Just use the cliches in cute, witty, and unique ways. 

Here's what I'm thinking:
clockwise: red Toms wedding shoes, couple with red Chuck Taylors, Cupid's arrow head table number,  personalized Kisses, Cupid's arrow cocktail, kissing booth, almost heart shaped pretzels, chocolate dipped strawberries, matchstick favors, cupcake placecard holder, Coke crate
center image: "LOVE" couple photograph

Use the color red wisely and wittingly. Purposley use red items to serve as your pops of red. For instance, wearing glittery red Toms as your bridal shoes and red Chucks for the groom's shoes add a cute and unexpected pop of red to your attire. (Personal note: Though I love the classic and cool vibe of Chucks, I'd go with Toms shoes anytime. Aside from their fashionable and undeniably comfortable footwear, I've always been an advocate of their One for One movement. Read more about it here.)

As your guests enter the reception hall, ask them to "follow cupid's arrow" to find their designated tables and seats. Use cupid's arrow head cutouts as your table number signs. Then place cupcakes (red velevet would probabaly be most fitting) with cupid's arrow ends as your place card holders. This turns the cupid cliche as a cute and useful element in your wedding. 

Treat your guests to refreshments such as the ubiquitous Coca Cola (or perhaps Dr. Pepper, whichever is available in your area). Put them in vintage crates and not only do you have an instant pop of red, you can also give your wedding a quirky, vintage pop culture vibe. 

For dessert, why not have a chocolate fondant with strawberries. Red, heart shaped, chocolates - all these valentines cliches turned into one yummy and sweet treat. If you're not much of a sweets person, serve some pretzels in their demi-heart shaped goodness dipped in yummy cheese fondant. Still romantic enough but not too much. 

In a lot of weddings I've been to, I notice that a lot of guests enjoy hamming it up for the photo booths, playing around with the fun props available. Take a more valentines-y approach by having a kissing photo booth instead. Set up your photo booth like a kissing booth and have your guests pucker up for the camera. Throw in some props like cupid's wings, giant lips, and the like and your photo booth will surely be a hit!

For your photography memento, have your photographer take photos of your guests spell out the word LOVE using their hands and body. Compile it like a scrapbook and you'll have a creative way to remember your wedding day by. You can also have you and your spouse's photo taken spelling out the word LOVE and use this photograph in your thank you cards. 

As the evening winds down and the party mood hypes up, serve up some cocktails to keep the party going. I found out that there is a specific cocktail mix called cupid's arrow. How perfect is that. You can make this your signature mix for your wedding. 

Lastly, before your guests leave, gift them with some wedding favors. I found this really cute DIY favor. Find some scratch anywhere matches, preferrably the red ones. Put them into mason jars. Stick some sanding paper on the jar cover. On the sides of the jar, add a label saying "Lisa + Jacob. It's a match!" How cute and witty is that? 
Or if you want a more kid friendly (and less diy required) favor. How about some personalized chocolates. Kisses, I think are most appropriate, this being a valentines wedding after all. If you want to continue with the puns, these kissing Kisses label are cute and adorable don't you think?

And that's about it! I hope you enjoyed my valentines wedding series despite the multiple delays and such. If you have other unique valentines ideas, share them on the comment box or shoot me an email

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