French-themed weddings are all the rage this year. Probably because the very sound of the French language brings up visions of romance in our minds. A French-theme wedding isn’t for every couple, though. It’s not all about money – it’s about planning.
If you can’t quite manage a destination wedding in Paris, you can try to bring Paris where you are – in the form of French-themed wedding. Here are some brilliant yet useful ideas to try.
1. The invitations
The invitations that you send out are your guests’ first brush with your French-themed wedding. It’s important to do a good job with them.
French damask patterns, a cork board design, a cluster of grapes and other motifs can set the mood. French-themed invitations will let your guests know what they should wear on your wedding day.
2. The centerpieces
Your wedding table centerpieces are one of the first things that you need to think about when planning your French-themed wedding. Rather than try floral arrangements and other generic choices, you need something that’s identifiably French -little sculptures of the Eiffel Tower or the Notre Dame can work well. So can bottles of French wine.
3. The décor
Bringing a French feel to a wedding venue isn’t hard. A few simple touches is all it takes. You can have your wait staff wear berets, put up framed reproductions of paintings by Monet and Cezanne, and even hire an accordion player. French-themed decorations are a bit expensive so consider creating your own ones.
4. The place cards
Eiffel tower-themed place card holders tend to be popular – even in weddings that aren’t French-themed. If it’s too simple, you can try other ideas too.
It’s easy to find croissant-shaped place cards and ones that look like Gauloises cigarette packs. Few things are more reminiscent of France than the country’s favorite cigarette.
5. The wedding dress and the makeup
French wedding dresses often have lace necklines. If you’re getting married in the winter, a French winter wedding coat can be a sophisticated departure from the kind of style you see at most weddings.
Accessorizing in the French style can also be a good idea. You can try fingerless French lace gloves for your hands. For your hairdo, a beautiful, braided French twist can be an apt choice.
More: 10 Most Beautiful Hairstyles for Any Wedding
6. French-themed wedding cake
One of the easiest and the most overused ways of designing a wedding cake on a French theme is to bring in an image of the Eiffel Tower in some way. If you’d like to be more subtle, you can try lace-inspired cake decorations.
Croquembouche, the traditional French wedding cake, can be a good choice, too. These cakes are flavored with vanilla, chocolate and pistachio. You could also try a macaron cake.
7. The mood, the music and the entertainment
Hiring strolling musicians playing beautiful tunes and portrait artists of the kind that you would find along the Left Bank, and filling your wedding playlist with French-themed musical favorites such as La Vie en Rose and an American in Paris should set the mood well.
8. Wonderful French gastronomy
You can start your French wedding feast off with a half dozen French wines. You can ask your friends to be on hand to explain each wine to the guests, the way the waiter at a snooty French restaurant would.
The newlyweds can sip their reception toasts out of a traditional French coupe de mariage cup, and the wedding menu can include classic French dishes such as croissants, quiches, escargot, beef burgundy, crème brûlée and poached pear.
9. Saying merci to your guests for coming
Whatever the wedding favors you choose to give your guests to thank them for coming, you should consider ordering little cloth bags with the words merci beaucoup printed on them, to put them in. If you’d like the favor itself to be French, you should consider little sweet macarons.
10. French-themed honeymoon
Paris is a fabulous honeymoon destination but if you can’t quite manage a trip to Paris, Montréal should be within reach. The Basilique Notre-Dame could stand in for the Parisian original. In place of the Musée du Louvre the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal could do very well.
More: 10 Important Honeymoon Planning Tips
France boasts many awesome locations for fairytale weddings, but you can have your French-themed wedding anywhere. With a proper planning and a good budget, you can perform a luxurious, stylish and romantic wedding
Parisians can only dream of. Creativity is your best friend here.