How to theme your wedding

One of the most common questions I get asked is "How do I theme my wedding successfully?" The best advice I can give is once you decide on a theme, whether it be a colour, flower, a motif or a movie theme, you must commit 100% to your idea and run with it. Mistakes are made if you double guess your decision and only use your theme here and there.
Any venue will look amazing if you stick to a theme and decorate your little heart out. For an example of how to employ a theme here is a rundown of what you need to think of.

Theme - Purple and white

Invitations - Use a design with purple and white. You can also include a motif and carry it through the rest of the stationery - including the Thank You cards. Check out the Modern Wedding Shop for this stationery.
Flowers - Purple Lisianthus, Dendrobium orchids, roses and dusty miller foliage. Pic courtesy of Inlighten Photography


Table center - Using the Hyacinth theme in your bouquet you can create simple but effective table decorations for your guests to enjoy as they dine. Flowers by Yeng Tan Floral Designer


Bridesmaids - There are heaps of options for your bridesmaids - you could choose a completely purple dress such as the one shown here by Watters or you can look for a more subtle purple and white dress.


The rest of the table - The linen will usually be white so create purple and white menus to match the rest of your stationery. Also include luxurious white chair covers for your guests to sit on, you can add a purple sash to these to set off the whole look.

Bomboniere - A great idea is to have a lolly table for your guests to graze on through the night, and then fill a little box for themselves. This table will also double as an effective decoration for your reception venue. A few ideas of sweets you may include are:

Purple and white rock lollies - try Roc Candy
M&Ms with your names written on them. You can order any colour you wish! - My M&Ms
Everyone's favourite! Chocolate. Choose purple and silver - try Fardoulis Chocolates
Pic courtesy of Photography by Design.


Cake - Let your imagination run wild - talk to your cake decorator and tell them your chosen theme and see what they come up with. Some ideas to get you started are purple flowers (icing or real); white cake with purple icing strips; Cupcakes with silver cupcake papers. Pic courtesy of Iced Affair




Transport - There are some great options for transport now. You don't have to stick to the traditional vintage car, you can go for a hummer, helicopter, boat or horse and cart! You will also find some fantastic colours of cars if you look hard enough too! Pic courtesy of Natural Lights Photography


I hope this has given you some good ideas for theming. Remember to stick to your guns and do not change your mind! If you do this you wedding will look like a professionally designed event.

Valentine celebration

Valentine's Day is on our doorstop, love is in the air and questions are popping all around town. February is the month of candlelight dinners, whispered sweet nothings and best of all diamond rings! Men (and women!) around the country are knee deep in preparations for one of the biggest events in their life... the proposal!
To help celebrate all the new bride and grooms-to-be, we want to publish your proposal story. So tell us how you were proposed to, or how you proposed. Were you on a secluded island? On top of the Eiffel Tower? In your lounge room or out to dinner? However the question was asked we want to know.
For those of you who have recently had a sparkly rock slipped on your finger, you may now be down off cloud nine and faced with organising the party of a lifetime. Some of us aren't seasoned event planners and would have trouble organising a 5-year old's birthday party let-alone a wedding for over 100 people! But don't worry; there is help at hand. First things first, you need to grasp a few ideas. Check out www.modernwedding.com.au, we have stacks of photos, articles and even some clever little tools to help guide you. With our help you will be a planning professional by the time you walk down the aisle!
For some extra inspiration, grab a friend and check out the events below. You will have the chance to tour some venues, talk to event managers, sip on bubbly and even enter some great competitions.

NSW
Dockside Group Wedding Open Day
18th February
6.30 - 9.30pm
Dockside, Balcony level, Cockle Bay.
RSVP - weddings@docksidegroup.com.au
The Dockside Group has three beautiful wedding venues in and around Darling Harbour, one in Walsh Bay under the Harbour Bridge and three more in the heart of The Rocks. If you book your wedding at one of the Dockside venues you will have access to their wedding specialists who can help you with music, photography, flowers, cake, lighting and more.
Go along to their open day on February 18th and check out Dockside, L'Aqua and Star Room, you could also win a $10,000 wedding or a seven-night honeymoon in Fiji. Well worth the visit I'd say.

Doltone House Wedding Open Day - Complimentary bubbly and canapes.
28th February
11.30am - 4.30pm
Jones Bay Wharf & Darling Island Wharf
Registration - weddings@doltonehouse.com.au
Jones Bay Wharf and Darling Island Wharf are both part of the Doltone House Group's collection of venues, Darling Island having just opened late 2009. Head over to these beautiful Pyrmont venues and have a look at their wedding room displays, ceremony ideas, creative talent and partake in some bubbly and canapes on arrival.

QLD
Brisbane Marriott Wedding Showcase
27th February
10am - 3pm
www.brisbanemarriottweddings.com

VIC
Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne Wedding Open Day
27th February
11am - 4pm
www.vibehotels.com.au

Proposal entries
To be published on www.modernwedding.com.au send us your 100-word proposal story and the picture of you and your fiance to enquiries@modernwedding.com.au.