Planning a Thanksgiving Wedding

The holidays have long been a time when family members come from all around to spend time with each other, sharing stories, eating and enjoying themselves. Besides Christmas, Thanksgiving is one of the biggest family get-together holidays there is.

Since family is already together celebrating at this time, some couples have found this a great opportunity to celebrate their weddings. When families are spread out all across the map, and sometimes, even the globe, having such an event just makes sense.

Since this time of year is naturally beautiful, you need to look no further than Mother Nature for decorations. From the beautiful leaves to the colors of the flowers, Mother Nature has a great eye for fashion. Since the weather may be a bit cooler, try warming your wedding and reception up with colors of the season. Reds, browns, oranges, wine, cream, and burnt sienna are all wonderful colors to incorporate into the theme of your wedding. They are rich, deep and warm, and very inviting. Have the lights be a bit dimmer to foster the "at home" feeling you get when around family.

For centerpieces, try a diamond shaped glass mirror covered with leaves. Top the leaves with a transparent sheet of paper (cut to the same size as the mirror. Place a large candle (colored vases work very well) in the middle of the centerpiece for a truly beautiful piece of art. Lay a few more leaves around the table. Have table runners that accentuate the colors of the wedding. Against the walls you can have stuffed scarecrows sitting on chairs or in a barrel of leaves, slightly leaning.

Serving the meal is pretty easy. You can serve a Thanksgiving style meal with all of the trimmings to your guests. There will be no need to try and come up with a creative meal since many guests look forward to the turkey and potatoes, pumpkin pie and cranberries. If you want, you can offer warm apple cider to the guests.

For favors, try using miniature baskets with candies in them. If you are feeling very creative, you can even go so far as to send each guest home with an individual mini pumpkin pie. Most bakeries sell those specialty pies for around $1 a piece, so that is an option.

Dress can be casual or formal, depending on the time of day the wedding will be held and your family. You may want a warm shawl to cover your shoulders if you are wearing a sleeveless gown.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful day to celebrate with family and friends. If you are planning a wedding on this day, relax, have fun and focus on family.