Bubbles, balloons and ribbons - balancing the effect for a beautiful wedding
There are a hundred ways you can use bubbles, balloons and ribbons to accentuate your wedding day, but don’t worry, we’re only going to list a few of the really first rate ones for you to think about!
Bubbles
Start your wedding day with a bubble bath! Give yourself half an hour to relax, with a perfumed candle burning on the end of the bath and some suitable soothing music to help you relax – the whole day will go better if you’ve started with some quality time.
What about having bubbles rather than rice or confetti at the church, and at the reception too. Wedding bubbles make a cute yet inexpensive favour and you can tie wedding ribbon around the bubble containers, which come in a lovely range of shapes suitable for weddings.
Remember to tell your photographer about bubbles if you’re having them – he will want to position himself for the shot so that the maximum iridescence (those lovely mother of pearl colours) appears in the picture.
Balloons
Balloons are especially useful if you’re on a tight budget, and you can use them throughout the whole run up to the wedding and the day itself, to provide a unifying theme. Choose balloons that harmonise with your wedding plans – the colour of your dress or your bridesmaids dresses is an ideal element to pick up on.
Start by enclosing a balloon – maybe a personalised one – with each wedding invitation and ask your guests to bring them along to the church where they can be tied into two bundles each side of the church door. It will help guests recognise each other as they arrive, and if you use two different colours for ‘bride’s’ and ‘groom’s’ guests, your ushers can seat everybody very swiftly. Balloons can be tied to pew ends to make a display (cheaper than flowers). If your church allows, those balloons at the door can be released as you leave the church, making a truly spectacular display.
At the reception you can make your grand entrance through an archway of balloons. Further balloons can decorate the tables and you can frame your wedding cake with a heart or arch. Consider a balloon canopy for your dance floor – everybody loves them! You can also accentuate your dance floor with a pillar of balloons at each corner.
Remember that bunches or pillars of balloons are ideal to cover up less than pretty places in your reception area – but don’t cover up fire exits.
Ribbons
If you’re using balloons, think about how your wedding ribbon can add the finishing touch to your décor. Including a pretty ribbon with the balloon in the invitation envelope gives your guests all they need to start to get into the wedding spirit.
Tie up your wedding flowers with personalised ribbon, or supply it to your florist in advance – big swags and knots of ribbon can be used to decorate the church, and look wonderful, especially in modern surroundings.
A wreath of greenery wrapped with your wedding ribbon and filled with fruit makes a really cheap but utterly beautiful table decoration. If you use a different coloured ribbon at each table, you can seat your guests according to colour which is a prettier idea than by table number. You can pick up this theme by tying their wedding favours with the same coloured ribbon as the table decoration.
Victorian brides used to indulge in a sweet custom called ribbon pulling. Silver charms, attached to thin silk ribbons, were set into the icing of the cake. Each of the bridesmaids, or the women who were important in the bride’s life (so her Nursemaid, Governess etc, might be included) would take hold of a ribbon and pull – the charm they received was said to determine their future. The heart brought love, the clover leaf good luck, the anchor promised adventure, the flower said love would flower, the horseshoe would bring luck in life, and the engagement ring showed which woman would marry next. There are any number of modern charms that you can add to this list to update the custom - a high chair for a new child, a rocking chair for long life, a liner or aeroplane for a trip abroad, even a little silver laptop for promotion at work!
You’ll need to discuss this with your cake decorator in advance, and as it can make something of a mess of the icing, you might choose to have a smaller simpler cake layer made for this ceremony – which can precede the traditional cutting of the cake. Use your wedding ribbon to tie to the charms, and attach a small envelope at the other end so that when the charm is identified, the recipient can read out what it will mean for her life. These charms can double as gifts to your bridesmaids, and it’s a lovely way to thank them, and other important women, for the role they’ve played in your life so far.
Bubbles
Start your wedding day with a bubble bath! Give yourself half an hour to relax, with a perfumed candle burning on the end of the bath and some suitable soothing music to help you relax – the whole day will go better if you’ve started with some quality time.
What about having bubbles rather than rice or confetti at the church, and at the reception too. Wedding bubbles make a cute yet inexpensive favour and you can tie wedding ribbon around the bubble containers, which come in a lovely range of shapes suitable for weddings. Remember to tell your photographer about bubbles if you’re having them – he will want to position himself for the shot so that the maximum iridescence (those lovely mother of pearl colours) appears in the picture.
Balloons
Balloons are especially useful if you’re on a tight budget, and you can use them throughout the whole run up to the wedding and the day itself, to provide a unifying theme. Choose balloons that harmonise with your wedding plans – the colour of your dress or your bridesmaids dresses is an ideal element to pick up on. Start by enclosing a balloon – maybe a personalised one – with each wedding invitation and ask your guests to bring them along to the church where they can be tied into two bundles each side of the church door. It will help guests recognise each other as they arrive, and if you use two different colours for ‘bride’s’ and ‘groom’s’ guests, your ushers can seat everybody very swiftly. Balloons can be tied to pew ends to make a display (cheaper than flowers). If your church allows, those balloons at the door can be released as you leave the church, making a truly spectacular display.
At the reception you can make your grand entrance through an archway of balloons. Further balloons can decorate the tables and you can frame your wedding cake with a heart or arch. Consider a balloon canopy for your dance floor – everybody loves them! You can also accentuate your dance floor with a pillar of balloons at each corner.
Remember that bunches or pillars of balloons are ideal to cover up less than pretty places in your reception area – but don’t cover up fire exits.
Ribbons
If you’re using balloons, think about how your wedding ribbon can add the finishing touch to your décor. Including a pretty ribbon with the balloon in the invitation envelope gives your guests all they need to start to get into the wedding spirit. Tie up your wedding flowers with personalised ribbon, or supply it to your florist in advance – big swags and knots of ribbon can be used to decorate the church, and look wonderful, especially in modern surroundings.
A wreath of greenery wrapped with your wedding ribbon and filled with fruit makes a really cheap but utterly beautiful table decoration. If you use a different coloured ribbon at each table, you can seat your guests according to colour which is a prettier idea than by table number. You can pick up this theme by tying their wedding favours with the same coloured ribbon as the table decoration.
Victorian brides used to indulge in a sweet custom called ribbon pulling. Silver charms, attached to thin silk ribbons, were set into the icing of the cake. Each of the bridesmaids, or the women who were important in the bride’s life (so her Nursemaid, Governess etc, might be included) would take hold of a ribbon and pull – the charm they received was said to determine their future. The heart brought love, the clover leaf good luck, the anchor promised adventure, the flower said love would flower, the horseshoe would bring luck in life, and the engagement ring showed which woman would marry next. There are any number of modern charms that you can add to this list to update the custom - a high chair for a new child, a rocking chair for long life, a liner or aeroplane for a trip abroad, even a little silver laptop for promotion at work!
You’ll need to discuss this with your cake decorator in advance, and as it can make something of a mess of the icing, you might choose to have a smaller simpler cake layer made for this ceremony – which can precede the traditional cutting of the cake. Use your wedding ribbon to tie to the charms, and attach a small envelope at the other end so that when the charm is identified, the recipient can read out what it will mean for her life. These charms can double as gifts to your bridesmaids, and it’s a lovely way to thank them, and other important women, for the role they’ve played in your life so far.
