wedding themes Archives - Sharon Naylor

You all are going crazy for my reports on the symbolism of different sea animals, so let’s keep going with my new report on the symbolism of the Seahorse, so that you might consider this cute little curved guy (or gal) for your wedding themes, wedding décor, invitation motifs and sea-themed bridal showers or wedding favors.

With all things coastal and nautical being super-hot wedding trends right now, the seahorse is one of those under-the-sea motifs that’s rocking the gift world right now, which means you’ll find plenty of adorable seahorse-themed cheese spreaders and platters, party plates and even cake toppers. Seahorse motifs are big for save the dates, invitations, wedding programs, place cards, table signs and even chocolate seahorses might be your take-home favor.

This seahorse invitation available at Etsy

But let’s look into the symbolism of the seahorse so that you know a bit about what it represents:

The seahorse was thought to have mystical significance among Ancient Greeks, Romans, Asians and Europeans, with the ancient Greeks and Romans tying the seahorse in to their sea gods Neptune/Poseidon, thus attributing the symbols of strength and power to the seahorse. So, by choosing the curly seahorse as your motif, you could bring the symbols of strength and power to your partnership.

Other symbols attributed to the seahorse, and also as good luck symbols for your marriage are:

Good luck (Sailors have long considered seahorses to be portents of good luck, as did ancient Chinese culture)
Patience
Friendliness
Protection
Generosity/Sharing
Contentment

Seahorses are calm and gentle, happy with being simply ‘on their way’ to their destination, not rushing, not frantic, just enjoying the journey. On the flip side, seahorses can be known to wrap their tail around a stationary object to anchor itself when the waters get rough, which some people say is a trait of stubbornness. I say it’s a fabulous symbol of a great marriage! When the ‘waters’ get rough, the seahorse hangs onto its ‘rock’ – that would be each of you to the other – and stays safe.

Oh, and you also might have heard that it’s the male seahorse who gets impregnated by the female, carries the babies to term, and gives birth. A creative interpretation of this sealife fact could be that you’ll share the responsibilities of whatever you both may create – whether it’s babies or a business or a home – and understand each other’s positions in any discussion or hot topic, for avoidance of or a quick end to arguments.

Collegiate garters at www.lagartier.com

Mid- to late-March is one of the smartest times for a budget wedding, but it’s also primetime for NCAA March Madness. If it’s just hitting you now that your guests are going to be disgruntled about missing the games, if you’re disgruntled about missing the big game, or you’re worried that everyone’s going to be watching the games on their phones during the reception…here’s how to drop the stress and work March Madness into your wedding weekend. Your bracket-obsessed guests will love you for it, and your day can become even more you when you’re both college basketball fans as well.

Theme your desserts. It’s too late to change your wedding cake into a Tarheels-blue confection (if you’d even want to) but you can get or make college-color and –logo cupcakes, cake pops or cookies to add to your dessert bar, or serve at your welcome cocktail party, rehearsal dinner, or after-party.
Name your drinks. Having signature cocktails is a big trend at the bar, so give your drinks hoops-themed names, like ‘The Layup’ or ‘The Half-Court Shot.’ If you have favorite players or coaches, name drinks after them. Syracuse fans could serve the ‘Orangeman’ creamsicle cocktail.
Make a team spirit photo display. Separately from your elegant family photos table, make a photo display of you and your friends at college games, with your faces painted, cheering a big win. Perhaps this can be an easy, free décor feature at a wedding weekend event, like a barbecue at your house (with the games on TV, of course.)
At the rehearsal dinner, put guests at ease by saying, “We not only allow watching the game on your phone, we encourage it!” They’ll love not having to hold the phone under the table, getting the evil eye from their spouses.
Make your introduction into the reception just like the start of a game. Play stadium music, and have the emcee introduce each member of your bridal party, and you, by ‘name, position, and alma mater’…which is really fun when the ringbearer walks in while the announcer says, ‘Jacob Smith, ringbearer, Park Elementary Schooool!”
Copy television sports ‘player’ introductions with an easily-shot and friend-edited video showing each of your bridal party members in serious, ‘game-face’ saying their name, position and alma mater.
Borrow a friend’s child’s Nerf basketball hoop set and toss your bouquet to make a basket, if you weren’t planning to toss it to the single ladies.
Wear a garter in your school colors.
Accept that guests will watch the game on their phones during the reception. Don’t get angry about it. Guests don’t have to be 100% focused on you the whole time, but have the emcee say before big moments like the toast, “May I direct your attention to the dance floor for the happy couple’s first dance?”
Consider having the television on at the bar during the reception. During the later hours of the reception, when it’s just dancing and dessert time, guests will love your consideration, and also love getting the chance to watch a game with friends they haven’t seen in a long time. Yes, they’re going to cheer and get loud, but that’s just how it goes. It’s not going to work asking a friend to ‘shush’ them, but the site manager can approach the group to ask them to dial it down if they’re getting too loud or using R-rated language at bad ref calls.
Bring your after-party to a great sports bar, so that guests can watch all of the games, snack on bar food, and even win giveaways that many sports bars run during March Madness.
Take photos of your alumni friends to send in to your college alumni newsletter…many colleges’ social pages feature alumni groups at weddings.

March Madness might not have been in your wedding dreams when you first started planning, but when you adjust and bring in basketball elements now, with easily-planned last-minute details, your wedding becomes a tremendous success for all.

Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 wedding books, www.sharonnaylor.net Follow me on Twitter @sharonnaylorwed