Friday, January 22, 2016
Valentine Letterpress Light Card
Valentine’s Day is well known for being the perfect day to propose. It’s also a popular day to get married and has become a popular theme for many February weddings. Often, people use decorations with hearts, small cupids and other fairly common icons of Valentine’s Day. But Valentine’s Day is more than just lacy hearts and roses. Couples who want to use the Valentine’s Day theme but avoid more commonly used decoration ideas simply need to consider the deeper meanings of the holiday.
A History of Love
Love letters between infamous couples can make a great jumping off point for a theme. The letters between couples such as Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, Abelard and Heloise as well as Marie and Pierre Curie can be used to immerse guests in the rich history of love. Excerpts from these letters can be used in the invitations, place settings and even incorporated into the decoration. Love letters from the couple themselves or ones they have in their own family can also be used to tie the theme together.
Keeping Cupid Company
Valentine’s Day has made the Roman god Cupid a mainstream hero well into the 21st century. Brides and grooms who want to use this theme in their own wedding can give Cupid some company by incorporating other gods from Greek, Roman and other mythologies who also represent love. Potential companions can come from any culture’s mythology, including:
- Venus – A companion to Cupid in Roman mythology, Venus is the goddess of love
- Aphrodite – Greek goddess of love and beauty
- Hera – Greek goddess of love
- Rati – a Hindu goddess of passion
- Aine – the Irish goddess of love
- Cliodhna – a Celtic goddess of love and beauty
Fun with Favors
A Valentine’s Day theme means wedding favors can be fun and colorful. Drawing on childhood connections to Valentine’s Day such as candy hearts or brightly colored cards can get everyone in the mood not only to celebrate your wedding, but to reminiscence about their own love stories as well. Candy hearts with the couple’s name can be given to guests and heart shaped chocolates, decorated heart picture frames and small plush animals can all be customized as keepsakes for guests. Invitations, venue cards, menus and programs can be made in the style of Victorian valentine cards, scrolls for weddings with a mythology theme or feature the Valentine’s Day story connected to the couple.
Valentine’s Day themes for weddings can be a fun and creative way for couples to celebrate their own connection to the special date or simply as a way to immerse all the guests in a celebration of love. By tapping into the wider history of the holiday, couples can use infamous love stories, cultural icons and mythology and even simple childhood connections to the holiday as a way to celebrate their own special day and to encourage their guests to relive their own love stories as well.
Tags: heart shaped invitations, holiday themed invitations, holiday themed weddings, personalized invitations, popping the question, Valentine's Day weddings, wedding engagements
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Friday, December 14, 2012
Men (and women) have been getting down on one knee and asking for their girlfriend’s hand in marriage for generations. From the awkward to the sublime, there are thousands, even millions, of different ways for guys to pop the question. And, thanks to the internet, there are now more than a few engagement videos out there which show off some of the more inventive ways people have gotten engaged. To some, these videos, pictures and stories are heartwarming, but for the guy looking for the mind-blowingly unique way to propose they can be pretty intimidating. Luckily, all of these videos work to illustrate the three simple rules to asking the question in the perfect way.
Set the Scene
Remember to choose the setting carefully. If the woman you love is a bit shy, you may not want to ask her in the middle of a crowd or where you’re likely to attract a lot of attention. But, if she loves attention or a certain public event or venue, play to your strengths. There’s a great story about a guy named Matt Still, who used a public place to his advantage when proposing to his girlfriend. Matt had always told his girlfriend, Ginny, that they would make the movies jealous. So, he hired a filmmaker to help him create a movie trailer, rented out a local movie theater and then offered to take Ginny out to the movies. Matt had invited Ginny’s close family and friends as well as some theater employees who were in on the surprise. When his engagement proposal trailer ran, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house and, when the lights came up, Ginny accepted and they were able to celebrate with their friends and family, which in retrospect was quite private compared to the attention the proposal would soon receive. The engagement was video-taped and played on YouTube and it wasn’t long before global news channels and talk shows, including Ellen, were picking up the story.
Make it Personal
While Matt’s proposal may have gotten him and his fiance into the national spotlight, the key to a truly memorable proposal is to simply make it personal. Inside jokes and shared passions are the best foundation for proposals that will have her not only saying yes but remembering that special moment each time she glances down at her ring. One of our favorite proposal stories around here is the infamous New York Times crossword puzzle proposal. Back in 1998, Bill Gottlieb actually hired crossword puzzle Guru Will Shortz to sneak in a personal message and proposal to his then girlfriend Emily Mindel in the New York Times crossword. Bill knew Emily was a huge fan of the daily puzzles and he sat quietly and nonchalantly reading the newspaper as she filled out the Wednesday crossword, as he knew she would that morning. Emily begin to take notice of coincidental clues and answers like her’s and Bill’s names, “A Modest Proposal”, “This Diamond Ring”, and then the answer, “Will You Marry Me?” to a clue. The final answer, and the one Bill had been hoping to hear for months, was “Yes” to 57-down.
Just ASK!
Don’t drive yourself crazy – or give yourself a case of cold feet – by over thinking the proposal. While creative proposal stories are fun to read and hear about, at the end of the day it comes down to the two of you. No one knows your girlfriend better than you. Plus, a simple proposal can be the best thing possible. Who needs a giant flash mob when you can propose over Twitter? While some people may say that proposing over the internet is tacky, keep in mind that it worked for Greg Rewis. Greg made it into the history books – and down the aisle – when he popped the first proposal via Twitter in 2008.
When you ask a girl to marry you, you’re giving her more than a ring. You’re literally giving her one of the most memorable moments of her life. No matter if your proposal takes place while curled up in front of a fire, sitting atop a Ferris Wheel or in front of a million football fans through the magic of Jumbotron, just remember to ask from the heart. It’s the only ingredient you need for a truly memorable engagement.
What’s your favorite proposal story? We want to hear about your own crazy proposals. How’d you get your girlfriend to say yes? Or what was it that he did that you just couldn’t resist? Tell us about your unique stories or amazing proposals you’ve heard about that left you laughing, crying or just completely shocked.
We’ll start… here’s a video of our clients, Ben and Kristi. Ben popped the question through chorus, choreographed dance and complete surprise at Disneyland! We’re proud to say we did the wedding invitations (fleur de lis) for this wacky and lucky couple, who even had their wedding at the happiest place on earth. Talk about a fairytale come true!
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Tags: engagement rings, marriage proposals, popping the question, unique proposal ideas, wedding engagements, wedding proposals
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