After watching Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride, many couples were inspired to blend the romance of their weddings with the eerie magic of Halloween. Here’s one spooktacular wedding where the bride and groom went all out to give their guests a frighteningly good time. Would you ever blend your wedding festivities with a holiday? If so, could you find something enchanting in a Halloween celebration, or is it too creepy for your dream ceremony?

While browsing through wedding photos earlier today, I noticed how much ambiance great lighting brings to an evening reception. From well-lit tables to gorgeous canopies of lights over the dance floor, unique lighting can literally brighten up your celebration in a stunning way. It adds exquisite sparkle to your night, making every moment even more memorable when cast in a soft or shimmering glow. Here are some great ideas for lovely wedding lights for inspiration:

Table Settings

Beautifully decorated tablescapes are only enhanced when you include well-placed lights in your decor. Check out these great ideas for table settings from Lemiga events:

Outdoor Lights

Outdoor lights are a natural part of any outdoor reception, but even if you host your event inside, consider decorating the patio, walkway or nearby trees with white lights for a special effect, as seen in this photo from Eventiva.

Regal Reception Ideas

There are hundreds of way to incorporate unique lighting into your wedding reception. One of the best ways to choose a lighting scheme is to select a design plan that mirrors the theme of your wedding. Are you and your future spouse all about glitz and glamour? Consider a big, sweeping tent of white lights placed over the dance floor.

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Looking for something with a little more bohemian fun and unique flair?  Opt for bold strands of brightly colored lights.

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Or you can use your lights to poke fun at yourself, as in this photo from Etsy, where a couple used empty shotgun shells to light up their humorously titled “shotgun wedding.”

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Finding the perfect venue for your ceremony and/or reception can be one of the hardest parts of wedding planning.  If you are looking for something unique, check out some of our favorite venue ideas below:

The Beach - If you are looking for a casual, but elegant affair consider holding your event by the seaside.  One of our favorite beach-side hotels is the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego (below).

A loft - If you are a city girl planning an event that is both elegant and chic consider renting an empty metropolitan loft that offers you a blank canvas to personalize with your own style.

A Vineyard - If you are thinking of planning a country-side or garden wedding, don’t rule out the idea of a vineyard.  Vineyards offer a special charm that will make your event feel extra romantic.

A Castle - Do you feel like you are marrying Prince Charming? Then fulfill your fairy tale fantasies and get married in a castle.  When I was planning my wedding, I dreamed of getting married on the grounds of Oheka Castle in New York state (below).

Incorporating some winsome magic into your wedding reception can be as easy as making a wish upon a star! I think there is something so genuine and elegant about your friends and family gathering together to wish you and your beloved a long and happy romance. To capture a little bit of dreamy magic in your celebration, try some of these lovely little wish-themed wedding ideas:

See some absolutely gorgeous wedding wish trees on Here Comes the Guide. You can also read some great tips for constructing a wish tree on your own!

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-In place of a guest book, Beau-coup suggests a wish jar from WishJars.com as a visually stunning way for guests to send you their kind thoughts and warm wishes.

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-Red & Yellow’s Bright Ideas has an cute little wishing well cake that you can use to carry your “wish” theme into your bridal shower or rehearsal dinner as well.

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-If you’d rather forgo all wedding gifts and want to politely ask your guests to donate money to help you plan your honeymoon or to make a down payment on a house instead, order a wishing well from Wishing Wells for Hire. For a small fee, they will drop off a wishing well at your reception that guests can fill with their bright hopes for your future together and any size donation they want to make.

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A popular 2008 trend according to the Knot is changing things up (your hairstyle and dress) from your ceremony to the reception. Think long formal gown and elegant upsweep then a quick switch to a short dress and your hair in romantic waves. Here are some styles that get you from ceremony to reception in a fashion flash.

For the ceremony combine modern elegance and formal style to get simply gorgeous. (Photos from left: Amsale ball gown, the Knot, St. Pucchi Silk Charmeuse dress from Elegant Bride and Reverie by Melissa Sweet from the Knot.)

Perfect party dresses: from left (White kava blouson dress by Kate Spade and Romona Keveza dress both from Modern Bride. BCBG Maxazaria Strapless Applique dress from Nordstrom.)

Today’s Real Wedding photos were taken by Dana Grant Photography. Patti and Danny married at the Bel-Air Bay Club in Pacific Palisades, California. The couple focused on fun details for their ceremony and reception, including pink light-up ice cubes to give some sparkle to guests’ drinks, and a charming photo booth for some priceless photos.

The bride advises that all engaged couples hire a wedding planner to minimize stress and maximize good memories. She says, “Even if it’s just for day-of planning, knowing that someone is taking care of everything allows you to have a fun time. You’re there with the person you love most in the world, and you are surrounded by all your friends and family. How could you not have a good time?”

Patti & Danny

June 28, 2008

To submit a wedding for the Real Weddings feature, send photos and an event description to blog@weddingpaperdivas.com.

I was so sad when I learned that Polaroid was discontinuing their instant products. I have always been a fan of instant photos at weddings. I think they are especially great for creating an unique guest book. That’s why I was super excited when I recently learned that FUJIFILM also offers instant photo options. If this is something that interests you, you should check out their options.

Another recent photo find that got me really excited was the Foto Cabina instant photo booth. What a great way to give your guests a fun momentum from your event. Can’t you just imagine Grandma or Great Aunt Ida letting her hair down and taking classic candid shots? I am sure there are lots of photo booth options available but I was really impressed with Foto Cabina’s print quality and the turn around time (less than 1 minute) for my photo.