Wedding Traditions: Chuppah

Chuppahs are a big part of Jewish weddings. The chuppah is a canopy that the couple stands under during their wedding ceremony.  It is used to represent the home that the newlywed couple will build together.  A traditional chuppah is usually a cloth or a sheet that is stretched over 4 standing poles, but nowadays, they are growing more and more ornate and elaborate. From lights to flowers, couples are striving to decorate the chuppah to be much more than just a piece of fabric supported over 4 poles.

I love the way this couple arranged the fabric to look more like a gazebo.

A great way to get more use out of the chuppah after the ceremony is to move it over the couple's sweetheart table during the reception.

This suspended chuppah is great for a modern wedding.

We've Found Our Venue!

I'm so excited to announce that we've found our venue! We will be getting married at the National Museum of American Jewish History here in Philadelphia. The venue is gorgeous and overlooks Independence Mall. Since we're both Jewish, the museum is a very special place for us. 

The room can fit up to 600 people, but since we won't have that many, we are turning a part of the room into a lounge where people can sit and relax when their feet hurt. The room is pretty bare, so the sky is the limit as far as decorating goes. There's also an outdoor terrace where guests can go outside and look at Independence Mall. Since it will be winter, we'll be renting space heaters so that guests won't be freezing out there. I'm so happy and excited to start planning for our big day!

Here are some pictures:

I Went to __ and __'s Wedding and All I Got Was...

If a Save the Date is the first impression guests have of your wedding day, favors are definitely the last. Favors are not a requirement, but they are a way for the couple to thank guests for sharing their special day with them. If giving favors is meaningful to you, go ahead. If if it's not in your budget, no worries, I doubt your guests will even notice. There are ways to supplement favors so that your guests can still go home with something to remember your big day; programs, place cards, and photos, are all favors on their own.

BUT.....if you're dead set on having favors at your wedding, I've found some cool, unique favors that will definitely leave a lasting impression on your guests.

For a bride or groom with a sweet tooth,
a candy buffet with personalized treat bags would be a cute idea.

Cute play on words.

Awesome idea for an Asian-themed wedding

Being from Philadelphia, these LOVE glass coasters are so fitting.

Personalized lip balm

My fiancé likes to collect matchboxes, so these would be pretty
appropriate for our wedding.

Tea leaf favors.

(Photos from Beau Coup and Pinterest)

Does it Really Matter Where You Sit?

From what I've heard and read, doing a seating chart for your reception is a lot harder than it seems. That aunt can't stand that uncle, so they can't sit together. Those cousins don't get along with each other so they have to be sat at different tables. That's where the seating chart and place cards come in. Place cards have evolved from folded pieces of paper to creative favors that guests don't want to discard at the end of the night. I've found some awesome place card inspiration from Martha Stewart Weddings and Oh So Beautiful Paper.

Skeleton keys with satin ribbon

Seating assignment in a bottle.
I like this idea for a beach-themed wedding.

Pinwheel place cards. Cute for a spring wedding.

Vintage typewriter keys. I love this idea for a vintage wedding.

My favorite idea I found. Lucite place cards hung to look like a mobile.
Guests can take their cards as a favor.

Find old pictures of each guest and use it as their place card.
This idea would take a lot of time and effort,
so it may be best for a smaller wedding.

Greet guests with a cocktail and their seating assignment.

Themed Tuesdays

This week's Themed Tuesday is post is about travel-themed weddings. This theme is great for couples who have jobs that require them to travel, or for couples who just enjoy jet-setting around the world. 

Invitation and RSVP card

Adorable boarding pass Save the Dates

Luggage tag Save the Dates

Seating chart map of the world

Suitcase wedding cake!

Cute idea. Paper airplane place cards.

Passport wedding programs.

(images from Pinterest)

Reception Fun

I always thought that when you went to a wedding reception you had dinner, danced a lot, took advantage of the open bar, signed the guest book, and listened to a bunch of drunken toasts. Apparently there are a ton of other things that you can have at your reception to make sure your guests have fun. Pinterest, Style Me Pretty, and DIY Bride have posted some awesome ideas for receptions.

Put these coloring kits at tables where kids are sitting.
Ask them to make a card for the bride and groom.
This is a good idea to keep them from getting
bored during the toasts and speeches.

A s'mores bar for a winter wedding, of course.

Photobooths are the most popular trend at weddings today.

Who Wears the Cake?
Whoever has more money in their glass gets a face full of cake.
You can use the money as extra cash for your honeymoon,
or if you're feeling philanthropic,
you can donate the money to a charity of your choice.

Cute photo idea that guests can do throughout the night.

Each bottle represents a year.
Guests write notes and slip them in whichever bottle they want.
The couple opens the bottle for that anniversary.

If you're an Instagram addict like me, this is an awesome idea.

A Wish Jar.
Guests write and sign wishes and give advice to the couple.

Wedding Do or Don't: Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses

I love this trend. Gone are the days where all of your bridesmaids have to wear the same dress, color, cut, shoes, jewelry, and hairstyle. Bridesmaids have the freedom to accessorize their dresses to show off their own personal style (with the approval of the bride, obviously). 

Not all of your bridesmaids are going to have the same body type, so why assume that one style is going to look good on all of them? A flat-chested girl is going to feel more comfortable in one style, while a girl with a larger chest will feel more comfortable in a different one. To me, a bride should want her bridesmaids to feel as comfortable in their dresses as possible. A comfy bridesmaid = a happy, confident bridesmaid.

Of course there are guidelines that a bride can follow to ensure that her bridesmaids look coordinated, without looking too random:

1. Same color, different styles

This is good for a bride who wants to embrace the trend, without straying too far from tradition. 

2. Same color, different shades

This is a great way to showcase the trend. 

You can go from each end of the color spectrum, or stick to a few key shades.

3. Same dress, mismatched accessories

This is a good way to let your bridesmaids express their individual styles, while still looking uniform.

4. Complementary color palette

Whether it's jewel tones or pastels, make sure the colors really complement each other, or else you run the risk of looking like your bridesmaids picked random colors.

 

The rules are pretty limitless when it comes to your bridesmaids. It's really just up to the bride to keep communicating with her girls to make sure that they like their dresses. Whether you choose to keep them in the same dress or mismatched, the most important thing is that they're happy. The last thing you want is for your bridesmaids to be trash talking the color or style choice to anyone who will listen (and trust me, they will).

(images from Belle the Magazine)