A Fairytale Wedding

It is possible to have a fairytale wedding. All you need is a little imagination, and a desire to make it come true. Many people choose Cinderella as a model for a fairytale wedding. The story has everything: carriage, magic, castles-everything. But other fairy tales, like Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White make good places to garner some inspiration. Watch different versions of these fairytales (one can't escape Disney in such cases) and figure out what elements suit you best.

Colors for a fairytale wedding should be pastels; pink, lavender, blue, green, and yellow are all good colors that look attractive in pastel versions. Also incorporate white, cream, or ivory. Silver adds a definite royal touch while still maintain the light and airy feel that suffuses fairy tales. If silver is not your thing, gold works as well. Some good flowers to decorate with (other than red roses) include camellia, iris, baby's breath, gardenia, orchid, lilac, hyacinth, lily of the valley, and tulip. Make sure these flowers are muted colors to keep with the light fairy tale theme.

The bridal dress should look like a fairy tale: very feminine. The Disney version of Cinderella offers an excellent dress look. Add a choker of pearls and small dangly pearl earrings to complete the look. Long white gloves and clear plastic shoes can further add to the day. If your fairytale has more of a medieval feel than a romantic feel, go with a dress similar to the one shown in Disney's Sleeping Beauty version (too much plugging of Disney-but the company did perfect the fairytale).

My friend's fairytale wedding included a large carriage as a decoration, and a reception table beneath a canopy of gauzy ribbon. If you have a reception table, a large romantic sculpture (or an ice sculpture, if you can afford it) makes a striking centerpiece. Other decorations can include different glass slippers, archways decorated with flowers, and a quaint wishing well.

A neat centerpiece idea consists of having a wishing well that is large enough to hold multiple scraps of paper. Provide small pieces of paper and ask your guests to write pieces of advice or wishes for your future on the paper. Then they can put the papers in the wishing well centerpieces. You and your spouse can look over them and even keep them to get out every anniversary, creating a special tradition.

Other centerpiece ideas include using small statues of fairytale stories: Cinderella, Snow White, Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, various versions of Prince Charming. Small lamps surrounded by greenery and flowers also make nice centerpieces, as do glass or crystal sculptures of castles, flowers, or birds. Doves and bells also make good centerpieces.