Welcome to Real Etsy Weddings!

The Real Etsy Weddings blog will share stories and tips from real brides, newly weds and wedding vendors on how to incorporate vintage and handmade finds into your wedding so that your day will be  as truly unique as you are.

The wedding reception is the time to celebrate the wedding vows. It is a chance for the new couple to share their joy with family and friends. To make the reception a unique celebration, plan it with your guests in mind to provide them with the time of their lives.

Avoid making the reception a stiff, formal affair. Make a point of planning a fun event to entertain everyone so they will have a great time. Depending on the location of the reception you have many options for planning a reception that everyone will always remember.

The setup of the reception should be easy and simple. If you are going to have decorations make them in places out of the way of the guests and their views of the room or area. It is frustrating for a guest to miss a special moment like the cutting of the cake or a decoration or a pillar in the reception hall blocks the wedding toast since their view.

To make your reception truly unique, select a location that will be different from other receptions. This then creates the memorable time for the guests and the bridal party.
If you are having a country theme or a beach wedding, have the reception in the areas of the farm for the country wedding and for the beach wedding have it on the beachfront. Have a corn roast or pig roast for a better effect and fun for the reception.

Remember to change into a different dress so you will not ruin your wedding gown. By changing your dress, you will tell your friends and family you are ready to have a good time. There are plenty of nice white dresses that will still allow you to wear white but not ruin the beautiful dress of your dreams.
Think about different locations such as a park where the guests can play horseshoes, volleyball, and maybe a game of baseball. Let your guests know before the wedding to bring a change of clothes so they will be dressed appropriately.

For the sports fan, add sports party favors to the theme of the reception. Have a baseball or football shaped punch bowl or small cakes or party treats. Golf is a sport many enjoy, use a golf tee for the poker on the treats.

A skyscraper is another unique location for the reception. This is a nice place especially at night with the lights of city under the feet of the guests resembling fireflies. That location screams “romance” and will be a very impressive place for your reception.

Have your reception in the local gardens for a nice daytime reception with the continued romantic feeling you are trying to have for your wedding. With all the different possibilities for locations, only you imagination is stopping you from having your reception in a unique location.

Weddings usually serve an alcoholic beverage. Serving wine has become something many couples add to the  list since it is a classy beverage that is enjoyed by all age groups and crowds. Add to the appearance of the wine bottle by using some unique methods  making a lasting impression on the guests.

Wine stoppers in the theme of the wedding are a nice touch. The stoppers are available in hearts, starfish, wedding bells, and so many other designs to match any wedding theme. The stoppers add personality to every bottle especially if the bottles at set on the individual tables in a basket filled with ice.

Use wine charms with the bottles. The charms added to either the bottles or the wine glasses. They are available in the same cute and classy designs of hearts, wedding bells, bows, as well as custom designs to match your wedding theme including boots for the country wedding for example.

Elegant little bottles of wine are a nice touch to the wine lovers on the guest list. The bottles do not have to be wine since they are also available in sparkling cider for the younger guests. They are also great keepsakes that provide lasting memories.

Another classy touch is having your own wine in a bottle with the names of the bride and groom with the wedding date on the labels. Add a nice picture to the label for more personal touch to the customized wine bottle.

Create your own champagne jelly, which is fast and easy. It is will go with any meal you are serving as well as the wedding cake. To make the jelly offers the tastes of champagne as part of the dessert you serve with the meal.

Use champagne flutes as a wedding favor for the reception. This is a nice gift for all the guests. Fill the flutes with candy in the colors of the wedding theme and sit them on the tables for added decoration. The guests always love little personalized touches at receptions and this will be a nice gift they can take home with them.

There are other wine favors you can use at the reception such as grape coasters and wine bottle serving platters you set the bottles of wine on for the wine lovers on the guest list. They will find this touch classy and stylish. Wine bottle shaped candles can be placed on the tables for an evening wedding to provide the candlelit reception adding the atmosphere of romance centered around the wine theme of the reception.

For the wine lovers that are getting married or the guests of the reception, using the wine favors and decorations will make a lasting impression on everyone sharing your special day.

Most brides have an idea of what they want to do for their wedding theme while others have a harder time deciding. The average weddings will take place in the hometowns or in the United States. Here are the standard month-by-month wedding themes and colors to help decide the right colors for your wedding.

March and April is a wonderful time for the spring wedding with the new spring colors and flowers. Lilies of the Valley and Shasta daisies, daffodils, and tulips are the spring flowers. Pastel colors of purple, yellow, pink, and light blue are the colors used including light greens and peach colors.

Some of the popular themes include Cherry Blossom, butterfly, and dragonflies. Light and springy items of the springtime are the general type of themes. Other themes include St. Patrick’s Day or something Irish.

May, June, and July are the summer wedding associated with the gardens, beaches, and countrysides or parks. The colors are brighter using fuchsia, hot pink, orange, green with contrasts of black, chocolate, gray, or aqua.
The themes include Gardens, Daisies, Victorian Gardens, beaches, starfish, Hawaiian Luau, Nautical, Poolside, Patriot, fairy tales, country, and south of the border.
The color themes incorporate all shades of green, cornflower blue, orange, fuchsia, aqua blue, teal green, and aubergine.

August, September, and October are the fall weddings. The darker colors such as pumpkin orange, cinnamon, dark purple, dark blue, hunter green, burgundy, mocha, chocolate brown, rust, and gold.
The themes include Harvest time, Halloween, Tuscan, and Labor Day celebrations.

November is colors include gold, creams, browns, dark orange, dark blues, dark greens, and darker reds. The use of black with red or hunter greens are a favorite as well. The themes are around the harvest and Thanksgiving themes.

December, January, and February are the winter months associated with the bright vibrant winter colors of red, gold, green, white, silver, and blue as anything metallic or shiny. Adding the black color to any of the main colors create a wonder and attractive style for the wedding.

The themes are associated with the holidays of Christmas, New Years,  Valentine’s Day, Winter Wonderland, as well as crystal and diamond themes. Adding the dark purples, the combination of black and white, white and red, and blue and gold are also associated with this time of the year.

As with all suggested colors and themes for weddings, the final decision for the themes and colors are up to the wedding couple. They can make any theme and colors look just beautiful for their wedding during any month they are getting married. The concept of this list is to offer assistance for wedding color and theme ideas. The true test of the right colors and themes is how comfortable the bridal pair is with their decision.

To use centerpieces for the wedding tables is to create a romantic feeling for the guests. Bowls of water with floating flowers or candles lit provide the romantic mood while being easy and affordable for the bridal couple. Incorporate the wedding colors for the candles and flower to carry the theme onto the centerpieces. Place the bowl in the center of the table so all the guests can feel the atmosphere the floating sensation produces.

Some money saving centerpieces for the wedding tables include plastic punch bowls etched in frosted glass or plastic. Place flowers in the bowl and around the bottom edges for a custom effect. Decorate it with doves, hearts, bells, and tulle.

Paper mache boxes in the colors of the wedding in different shapes make a classical touch. Use heart shaped boxes with tulle and white flowers to add to the charm of the boxes.
Clay potted flowers draped with pearls and tulle. Set the flowers in the middle of the table in a color doily enhancing the flowers and drawing the eyes to the center of the table. Use flowers matching the colors of the wedding flowers. The flowers do not have to be the same flowers as the rest of the wedding since the purpose of the centerpiece flowers is to continue the colors of the wedding theme.

Candles set in pillars decorated with a chain of pearls gently wrapped around the base of the pillar. Add tulle to the lower part of the pillar for a romantic effect.
Candles in the shapes of hearts, bells, or doves gently floating in a low bowl with confetti placed on the bottom of the bowl set in the middle of the table creates a beautiful addition. As the evening advances, light the candles setting a romantic mood for the evening.

All of the table centerpieces can be purchased inexpensively from dollar stores, craft stores, and department stores months prior to the big day for a less expensive method to decorate the tables with style, elegance, and grace.

To add to the selections for the centerpieces use the online discount stores that has so many more accessories for decorating the reception. Visit the sites to see the discounted items you can use for the centerpieces for the tables. Many sites will even have clearance items that will be inexpensive to add to your centerpieces.

Craft stores have discount areas where you can find great items to use for the centerpieces. There are floral pieces , pearls, lace, and ribbons that will be parts of the centerpieces for the tables at a discounted price saving you money with each attractive creation you make. You can save a lot of money when using the discounted items for your centerpieces.