Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
Wedding

December Brides And Grooms Embrace The Holiday Season With Christmas Touches At Their Nuptials

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 15 Dec, 2015 12:32 PM
  • December Brides And Grooms Embrace The Holiday Season With Christmas Touches At Their Nuptials
NEW YORK — From red marzipan bows on the cake to holiday wreaths on tables, December brides and grooms have found many ways to incorporate Christmas into their weddings.
 
December nuptials remain a small minority — 2 per cent of couples surveyed last year by the bridal site TheKnot.com — and not all are looking to take on the holiday in a big way, but embracing readily available festive decor makes it easy to incorporate the spirit of the season. And it saves money in the process.
 
"But couples should keep in mind that there may be competition for venues thanks to holiday parties," said Lauren Kay, senior style editor for TheKnot.
 
Brighid Molway and David Burns plan to take photos in front of a huge Christmas tree inside the 900 North Michigan Shops when they tie the knot the evening of Dec. 19 at a downtown Chicago hotel. Their DJ has a play list of holiday songs, including Elvis singing "Blue Christmas" and two versions of "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby and The Drifters.
 
Molway and Burns will take to the floor at their reception for their first dance as a married couple to Judy Garland singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Clips from "It's a Wonderful Life" will roll on a screen as they dance, Molway said.
 
"That was my mom's favourite Christmas movie and she is no longer with us, so we're going to dedicate the dance to her," Molway said. "We decided to get married around this time because it's my favourite time of year. It's also a time that screams family to me."
 
The two will hand out ornaments at their rehearsal dinner and also plan outside photos taking advantage of the plentiful holiday decorations around town.
 
For Suzanne McCullough's Dec. 4 wedding five years ago, it started with her dress. She wanted velvet.
 
 
 
"We needed a time of the year when velvet would be appropriate so we decided on Christmas, which I think is the most romantic time of the year anyway," said McCullough, of Burlington, New Jersey.
 
"We were married in a 300-year-old bed-and-breakfast that was beautifully decorated for Christmas. We served a hot wine punch with hors d'oeuvres and a croquembouche for dessert," she said.
 
Their centerpieces were wreaths with frosted red berries tucked in and a mirror and a votive candle at the centre. McCullough's bouquet featured red and white flowers, and a flower girl wore a sparkly, Christmas red dress.
 
"The town's Christmas parade was going on while we were being married," she recalled.
 
Kellee Khalil, founder and chief executive of the wedding site Lover.ly, said incorporating holiday touches can span the wedding experience, Khalil said.
 
Try serving up some seasonal favourites, for instance, such as roast turkey or ham. Embrace modern mixology with cocktails like a peppermint bark martini or a bourbon-cranberry blizzard.
 
 
"If you're not about those flavours, opt for more festive accoutrements like red and white or metallic-stripe straws and swizzle sticks with candy cane stirrers," Khalil suggests.
 
Couples can orchestrate holiday decor without falling prey to a played-out colour palette, she said.
 
"I love mixing metallics like gold, silver, bronze, rose gold, platinum and pearl into tablescapes.
 
"Or get a little bit more literal with mistletoe. Hang it at the altar or use it as the muse for your photo booth," Khalil said.
 
For couples willing to go over the top, treat guests to a performance by carolers, she said. Maybe have Santa make an appearance for little guests. Set up a hot cocoa and cookie station with frosting to keep them occupied.
 
Susan Colby was married Dec. 14, 2013, at a Chicago hotel that was beautifully decorated for the season. Her white, four-tier cake had an edible bow at the top, with ribbons cascading down to the red tablecloth at the cake station. Her groom wore a red bow tie and vest with his tuxedo and Colby's bouquet was red roses.
 
 
For photos, they draped themselves in a string of twinkling snowflake lights that matched a snowflake bauble in her hair.
 
"I love Christmas," she said, "and couldn't imagine getting married any other time of the year."

MORE Wedding ARTICLES

How to Sync with Your In-laws

How to Sync with Your In-laws
 “Did you realize that when you married your Prince or Princess Charming, you inherited the king, the queen and the whole court?” Shedding light on the ground rules for a South Asian family, we notice that marriage holds a significant aspect in the community. Moreover it is considered an extended merging of a relationship going beyond just the couple and stretching out further to the families.

How to Sync with Your In-laws

East Meets West: An Introspective Look at Fusion Weddings

East Meets West: An Introspective Look at Fusion Weddings
Organizing a wedding can be an overwhelming task for most brides. However for the modern day South Asian bride, it can be an even more daunting task as she has to decide whether or not to opt for a wedding that is more lavish and exuberant, simple and elegant, traditional or modern or the increasingly popular ‘Fusion style’ wedding.

East Meets West: An Introspective Look at Fusion Weddings

Diamonds & Crystals: A South Asian Bride’s Must Haves

Diamonds & Crystals: A South Asian Bride’s Must Haves
Bling is a girl’s best friend, especially when it comes to tying the knot. A little sparkle is needed all over and not just on the conventional left-hand. All that is shiny is important for this wedding season, since gold is yesterday’s news. Diamonds or crystals set in a silver look are the latest trend.

Diamonds & Crystals: A South Asian Bride’s Must Haves

Indian Wedding Rituals An Overall Perspective

Indian Wedding Rituals An Overall Perspective
Marriage is a sacred bond that unites two souls into one. There are many shades to this special occasion, like a kaleidoscope reflecting different patterns of color. Two people profess their love and start their journey together. The engagement brings together not only the bride and groom, but their families.

Indian Wedding Rituals An Overall Perspective

What Makes A Marriage Successful?

What Makes A Marriage Successful?
Some good advice for couples that are thinking of getting married would be to understand that marriage is sacred and that it is a lifelong commitment. All marriages have their highs and lows. Healthy couples fall in and out of love and they accept there will be difficulties to face; they count on the strong bond and friendship between each other to support them through those difficult times.

What Makes A Marriage Successful?

Is it a Bollywood Fantasy?

Is it a  Bollywood Fantasy?
Single men and women in North America face a lot of challenges in relationships. Guilt for pre-marital relations combined with an acute focus on marriage and pressure to find a mate from the right religion, family and caste causes many people, especially women, to struggle intensely in the dating scene.

Is it a Bollywood Fantasy?