Home is the most intimate of settings for a wedding. Florals: bloominous.com; Floor mirror: Hooker Furniture.
What could be more charming or more personal than having a wedding ceremony at home?
We have cherished photos of a loving couple who took their vows in our house. And, one of the most delightful weddings I attended was an at-home wedding– the bride coming down the stairs, bouquet in hand, roses brought to full bloom. If there’s a marriage in the future of your family, here are some ways to have a memorable and intimate wedding day in the heart of home.
A wood rose mantle, built with a simple structure and large art frame, can be a beautiful centerpiece for the ceremony at home.
THE JOYS OF PLANNING
Surely, you should choose a lovely setting for your marriage planning. So, have a bouquet of flowers, the best china cups, and set the mood for the glorious event to come. To ensure the intimacy of the occasion and that each detail is remembered, meet around a round dining table with comfy chairs for planning.
Be transported to the romantic villas and artisan ambiance of Tuscany, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance with Auberose, a European Country collection. Hooker Furniture.
The Auberose 72-inch round pedestal table makes a delightful setting for planning and many other occasions associated with an at-home wedding.
To help with your planning, we recommend Southern Living Wedding Planner.
CREATING AND SENDING INVITATIONS
“Dear Ones…” Perhaps this is the first line of your invitations. Since most home ceremonies are small affairs, preparing invitations will be a very personal moment for a bride-to-be and her family. Perhaps she will settle in a home office or at a very pretty desk. There are so many ways to make invitations inspiring…formal, informal and fun. It will be the bride’s choice how she welcomes guests to her home.
Brides-to-be take pleasure in creating and sending wedding invitations. Make addressing them an experience at the 60-inch Arabella Mirrored Writing Desk. A center door drops down for keyboard use. Hooker Furniture.
For invitation ideas, you might consult Wedding Paper Divas.
For some couples, a video invitation allows them to tell their story together, as well as imparting all the important information, right down to directions to the home.
From Hooker Furniture’s contemporary Skyline Collection, this bureau with its beautiful polished wood, holds a TV, cable box and DVR. Photo: Hooker Furniture.
Find ideas for video wedding invitations at: Exquisite Weddings Magazine.
SELECTING FLOWERS AND DECORATIONS
The bride’s bouquet is the crown jewel of wedding decor. Photo: bloominous.com
Of course, the bride’s bouquet is the crown jewel of wedding flowers. So special that the bride herself might want a hand in creating her own , with the help of such websites as bloominous.com. At Bloominous, a bride is taken by the hand, offering floral choices and ways to create not only the bridal bouquet, but flowers for her attendants as well, and decorations for the home.
TRADITIONS OF DRESSING ON THE WEDDING DAY
A floor-to-ceiling mirror is a must for dressing for the wedding. Photos: Dress: Designer Pat Kerr; Mirror: Hooker Furniture
Many have experienced the flutter of activity around dressing on a wedding day. The perfect scene is a beautiful bedroom, and most important–a floor-to-ceiling mirror so that the bride is viewed from every angle. Attendants also will enjoy their appointed place to prepare for the big moment. These are places where a mother pins on a brooch that has been in the family for years, or the bride thanks her attendants with gifts.
The Chatelet Floor Mirror is not only romantic in style; it has secret storage for jewelry when you open the mirrored door. Photo: Hooker Furniture.
The Vera Floor Mirror is another romantic and functional choice for viewing the wedding party from every angle. Photo: Hooker Furniture
A SETTING FOR THE CEREMONY
Guests often mingle before the ceremony in the family home– or in the garden, weather permitting. When the ceremony is about to start, all attention is on the place where the bride and groom exchange their vows. Perhaps it is a fireplace in the living room, before a large window or under a rose arbor in the garden.
THE RECEPTION
Home is festooned with flowers and decorations befitting the occasion. They may be very simple if the bride wishes. Here is where the dining room shines as the center of activity, perhaps for a buffet of food. A beautiful dining table is the stage where the centerpiece and wedding cake enchant your guests.
The centerpiece, selected by the bride to share with her guests, may be her own creation with the help of bloominous.com. Here, simple white roses are her heart’s desire.
From the True Vintage Collection, a rectangular dining table with ornately carved pedestals inspired by vintage artifacts and classical motifs. It’s commodious enough to host a wedding buffet. Photo: Hooker Furniture.
An at-home wedding just might inspire the bride and her family to make their very own cake, like this pansy wedding cake from Southern Living. The recipe is available at myrecipes.com.
Memories to Share
Every moment of an at-home wedding is engraved in memories. And for years to come, anniversary after anniversary, happy moments can be shared in the comfortable setting that was so important on that wedding day.
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