Hoo-rah-ray, hoo-rah-ray, ray, ray–U-VA!

That’s right, today we’re featuring the blue and orange of the University of Virginia.  And we don’t have to look too far — remember Meredith and Howard’s wedding?  It was full of blue and orange goodness, shot by Jake Holt:

I also wanted to make sure you saw the gorgeous tent decoration, but the picture is not Jake’s, it’s from my lousy camera (I need a new camera…any recommendations?)

I love everything about this, from the way we set up the tables to the navy pintuck linens to the orange napkins to the orange and blue lanterns!

You know who else loves these colors?  A Wahoo Wedding, a blogger in Virginia planning a Richmond wedding with UVA colors!  Look at her awesome logo!

And look at their cute story, all UVA-themed!

She’s FULL of the UVAspiration

OMG!  How cute are those shoes?!??!!  Speaking of cute shoes…

Julia MacInnis:

The Knot

What, girls get to have all the fun?!

Rachel Clare

(I can’t tell if his shoes are orange or brown, but let’s say orange, okay?)

These are definitely orange, though, right?

And these? (Joe Elario Photography)

(Yes, that was back to the girls again, but guys can wear orange (or blue) Chucks too!)

More for the guys…

E.C. Campbell Photography via Mitten Smitten

A Suit That Fits

Love this bout…

Paper is a great way to use your colors, like this cute invitation:

Or these adorable touches from the Wedding Wire Blog:

Of course, there are TONS of gorgeous orange flowers out there for bouquets — just use some navy ribbon, and you’re all set!

Becker:

Elegance and Simplicity:

Flora Fauna Weddings:

One Thousand Words Photography:

Rachel Clare:

Bridesmaids get to have all the fun when it comes to colors!

E.C. Campbell Photography:

One Thousand Words Photography:

The Preppy Wedding

What Junebug Loves

Of course, the kiddies get some cute duds and accessories too…

Studio Diana

Michelle Lindsay (one of our favorite photographers!)

E Photography:

How awesome is this little man bow tie from Etsy seller Chick and Bud?!

You can highlight the orange and blue in your ceremony decor…

Julia Newman Photography:

Millie Holloman Photography:

Or at your reception:

Heather Saunders Photography:

Etsy Seller Pom Flair:

Renee Broughton:

Vibrant Bride:

Are you having a Wahoo Wedding?  How will you incorporate Blue and Orange?

No, NOT DUKE!!!  (BOO!!!)  In honor of our beloved Laura Auer, owner of Wish and JMU grad, today’s post features the purple and gold of the James Madison University Dukes!

OMG, I want to run out of a giant bulldog tunnel too!!!

JMU’s colors are Purple and Gold, but a brighter yellow can also be used.  This is a great color combination and works well if you’re looking for either a deep eggplant color, like this After Six bridesmaids dress:

or a brighter purple, like this adorable Watters dress.

Of course, if you can find dresses like these amazing ones, photographed by Meg Smith, then you’re all set!  But I’m guessing things like that are a little hard to find!

And how gorgeous are those flowers?!  And the ribbons!!!  PERFECTION!

Speaking of flowers, purple and yellow flowers abound, no matter what the season!  (Are these first ones photographed by Amy Carroll mums?  I LOVE them!)

More from Amy Carroll:

LOVE Billy Balls (or craspedia, or billy buttons)

How great would big bunches of them be in these vases from Jamali Garden Supply?  (One of my go-to recommendations for wedding supplies!)

Yellow flowers can really pop against a purple dress, like in this photo by Jessica Claire

And, of course, the reverse is also true!  How great would these dresses, featured on Green Wedding Shoes, look with the purple bouquets that follow?!

The Wiebners:

Blink DC Photography (who I get to work with this weekend — SO excited!)

Eclectic Images:

Punam Bean:

And, of course, we can’t forget the bride’s shoes, right?!

So, Manolo…we meet again…

K. Thompson Photography:

Katie Stoops Photography:

Millie Holloman Photography is based in Wilmington, NC, one of my absolute FAVORITE cities.  She and her staff do AMAZING work, including the following series of photos with inspiration for a JMU wedding day!

And finally, I just had to show you this amazing picture from Sara France photography.  I am IN LOVE with these dresses!!

Did you or your fiance go to JMU?  How are you showing your Dukes pride?!

Continuing our College Football series, we move now to my hometown of Pittsburgh, and the Pitt Panthers!  Although Pitt’s new logo looks like this:

which is more Navy and Gold, I’m going to focus on the logo I grew up with:

Oh, that’s right…the straight 70’s Royal Blue and Yellow!  Both are beautiful, but the bright yellow and royal blue make for a fun wedding color combo, don’t you think?!  Wedding Wire sure thought so

(p.s. How much are you loving those chairs in blue and yellow?!)

Here’s another great blue and yellow inspiration board, from Style Me Pretty:

Mrs. Lemon from Wedding Bee got in on the blue and yellow action too!

Blue and Yellow are easy to use, especially in your wedding party.  I LOVE a blue dress with yellow accents:

Decisive Moment Photojournalists

Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bridezilla (That’s the name of the blog, not a commentary…)

How about this cute yellow J. Crew dress with one of the necklaces below, from Etsy sellers Londons Gate and Night Owl Crafts

There’s also this bib statement necklace, which is great, although I’m not sure that the bib necklace trend is for everyone (Etsy seller Lily White Pad)

Or how about a great blue dress with some adorable yellow sandals?! (Coren Moore dress, shoes by Kelsi Dagger at Zappos)

Of course, you need to get the guys involved too!

Next two photos by Millie Holloman Photography

Style Me Pretty

Decisive Moment Photojournalists

And, of course, you can’t forget the little ones!

(Above and below pictures, Millie Holloman)

Union Photography

Actually, that adorable flower girl was in an AWESOME blue and yellow wedding, featured on Project Wedding.

Linens and tableware such as china and glassware are a lovely way to bring your color palette out at your wedding, as shown here by Style Me Pretty.  Of course, a gorgeous centerpiece doesn’t hurt either!

And again here, photographed by Geoff White Photographers:

Speaking of beautiful centerpieces, look at these beauties, photographed by Millie Holloman photography:

Although there aren’t really any royal blue flowers, you can come awfully close with Hydrangea, and mix them with fun yellow flowers to create some gorgeous arrangements.

Theresa Choi Photography:

Style Me Pretty (next two photos)

How about using blue and yellow in your programs like these photographed by Millie Holloman:

Or these from Union Photography:

And, finally, how about some fun lawn games for your guests, like bocce at this Salt Harbor Designs wedding:

Are you a Pitt Panthers fan?  How are you showing them the love in your wedding?

I. Love. Football.  LOVE it.

My father and brother both played college football and coached high school football.  We are a football family.  We used to go outside during halftime of Steelers games when I was little and play touch football.  My dad and me on one side, my brother and sister on the other.  I missed one home football game in my four years of college.  Get it?  Love football.

SO, in honor of football season starting, I’m doing a series of team color weddings.  This week we’ll start with college football, since it kicks off first (September 4th) and next week we’ll do some NFL teams.

Since I’m the one writing, we get to start with MY team, my beloved Demon Deacons of Wake Forest University!  GO DEACS!

Wake Forest’s colors are Old Gold and Black (the Old Gold distinction will be important next week when you see Steelers gold, which is really more of a yellow).  Old Gold, for you Pantone geeks out there, is PMS8640

So, you know…gold.

Gold and black actually make for gorgeous wedding colors.  They give off an elegant vibe, and would be perfect, say, for a New Year’s Eve or winter wedding.

(Photo collage from Ritzy Bee)

Gorgeous, right?!  There are SO many elements that you can use for a Demon Deacon wedding.  You can add special touches to the cake, whether it’s the wedding cake:

(About The Cake)

(Michael Caswell Photography)

The Groom’s cake

Or even cupcakes (I am in LOVE with these cupcakes, from English bakery Frosted Cupcakes.  I might start putting glitter on all of the cupcakes I bake from now on.)

Jewelry is another way to bring in the Old Gold and Black.  Of course, you would go with gold jewelry with this theme, but I loved these earrings with the added black touch:

or this necklace from Nordstrom

Or even this simple picture of a couple’s rings, tied with gold ribbon (photographed by Ben Crisman)

It’s easy to get the bridal party into the color scheme as well…

Jung Lee Fete

Rebecca with Millie Holloman Photography

What Junebug Loves

The parents can get involved too (especially if they’re Wake alumni!) (What Junebug Loves)

Gold is easy to incorporate into the bride’s dress as well, whether it’s as a sash, like in this L’ezu Atelier dress:

A golden dress with a black sash

Or just a knockout gold dress, like this stunner as featured on  Style Me Pretty:

And, of course, we can’t forget the shoes! (Oh Manolo…how I love thee…)

What do you think?  Will you be incorporating your school pride into your wedding day?

We’ve been planning weddings for five years and have helped over 250 couples tie the knot!  Luckily for you, that means we know the ‘ins and outs’ of nearly every wedding venue in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland (beltway & eastern shore).

For an inside look at some weddings at our favorite venues, take a peek at the links below:

Historic/Garden:
The Carnegie Institute – and here – (Washington, DC)
The Atrium at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (Vienna, VA)
The Wilson-Farr House (Fairfax, VA)
The Lee-Fendall House (Old Town Alexandria, VA)
Woodend Sanctuary (Chevy Chase, MD)
The Newton White Mansion (Mitchellville, MD)

Hotels/Clubs/Ballrooms:
The Willard Intercontinental (Washington, DC)
The National Press Club (Washington, DC)
The Hay-Adams Hotel (Washington, DC)
Tyson’s Corner Marriott (Tyson’s Corner, VA)
The Sheraton Reston (Reston, VA)

Restaurants:
Sequoia Restaurant (Georgetown, DC)
2941 Restaurant (Falls Church, VA)
Famoso Restaurant & M Cafe (Bethesda, MD)
Old Ebbitt Grill (Washington, DC)

Museums:
The International Spy Museum / Zola (Washington, DC)
The Newseum (Washington, DC)

Eastern Shore/Bay:
The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club (Stevensville, MD)
Queenstown Harbor River House (Queenstown, MD)

Non-traditional:
Glen Echo Park (Glen Echo, MD)
Signature Theater (Shirlington, VA)

Here’s a list of the venues we’ve featured as part of our Real Weddings:

Historic/Garden:
The Decatur House (Washington, DC)
The Carnegie Institute (Washington, DC)
Newton White Mansion – and here – and here – and here – (Mitchellville, MD)
Mount Airy Mansion (Upper Marlboro, MD)
Oxon Hill Manor (Oxon Hill, MD)
Woodend Sanctuary – and here – (Chevy Chase, MD)
The Mansion at Strathmore – and here – (Bethesda, MD)
Brookside Gardens (Wheaton, MD)
Stronghold Mansion (Sugarloaf Mountain, MD)
Collingwood Library – and here – and here -  (Alexandria, VA)
River Farm (Alexandria, VA)
Hollin Hall (Alexandria, VA)
Old Town Hall (Fairfax, VA)
The Atrium at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens – and here – and here – and here – (Vienna, VA)
Oatlands Historic House & Gardens (Leesburg, VA)
The Thomas Birkby House – and here – (Leesburg, VA)
Raspberry Plain – and here – (Leesburg, VA)
Rose Hill Manor (Leesburg, VA)
Long Branch Historic House (Millwood, VA)
Whitehall Manor – and here – (Bluemont, VA)

Hotels/Clubs/Ballrooms:
The Fairmont Hotel – and the Colonnade here – (Washington, DC)
The Mandarin Oriental (Washington, DC)
The Omni Shoreham – and here – (Washington, DC)
The St. Regis Hotel (Washington, DC)
The Ronald Reagan Building – and here – (Washington, DC)
The Westin Grand – and here – (Washington, DC)
Hotel Monaco – and here – (Washington, DC)
The Washington Club (Washington, DC)
The National Press Club (Washington, DC)
Fort Myer Officer’s Club (Arlington, VA)
The Army Navy Country Club (Arlington, VA)
The Westin Arlington Gateway (Arlington, VA)
Top of the Town (Arlington, VA)
The Sheraton National (Arlington, VA)
The Hyatt Regency Bethesda (Bethesda, MD)
The Hyatt Fair Lakes (Fair Lakes, VA)
Fairfax Marriott (Fairfax, VA)
Old Hickory Golf Club (Woodbridge, VA)
Hidden Creek Country Club – and here – (Reston, VA)
River Creek Club (Leesburg, VA)
The Hilton Washington Dulles (Dulles, VA)
Foxchase Manor – and here – (Manassas, VA)

Eastern Shore/Bay:
Queenstown Harbor River House (Queenstown, MD)
The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club (Stevensville, MD)
Kent Manor Inn (Stevensville, MD)

Non-traditional:
Glen Echo Park – (Glen Echo, MD)
The Barns at Wolf Trap (Vienna, VA)
The Torpedo Factory (Old Town Alexandria, VA)

Have you already picked your venue?  Where will you be tying the knot?  Which venues did we miss?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

It’s no secret that I HATE being hot.  Hate it.  With a passion.  In fact, there is nothing I hate more in the world than being hot.  Trouble is, I love beautiful outdoor weddings

Granted, you could be lucky like Hallie and Matt and schedule an outdoor wedding in the middle of July and have beautiful, not too hot weather, but that’s pretty unusual in the DC area!  So today we’re giving you some ideas to keep cool in the DC heat!

For me, the first thing I do when it gets hot is get my hair off my neck.  Of course, mine rarely looks as good at weddings as these ladies!

Of course, you need to wear a dress that works with the heat, too.  Cotton wedding dresses are becoming quite the trend, because, although I’ve never worn one, I bet those heavy skirts on ballgowns can get CRAZY hot!  The Cotton Bride makes GORGEOUS dresses in cool fabrics like linen, silk and yes, cotton.  Here are a few of my favorites from the collection (the following two pictures are from Martha Stewart Weddings):

And I LOVE this one, which is actually for sale at Preownedweddingdresses.com

You can also go with a non-floor length dress.  Summer is the PERFECT time for these adorable dresses!  And do you know who has tons of adorable short dresses?   David’s Bridal!  (I know, I know, a lot of people hate them.  But you know what?  They’re affordable, and they are VERY plus size bride friendly, something a lot of bridal shops can’t say!)

How chic would this dress be for a summer courthouse wedding or cocktail party wedding?

LOVE this dress from David’s Woman collection:

Or one of my absolute favorite dresses from one of my absolute favorite designers, Stephanie James Couture’s Audry dress:

Of course, you’ll want to keep your maids cool too, like in these adorable seersucker dresses from Lula Kate!

Or these sunny yellow dresses, photographed by Rebecca at Millie Holloman Photography:

Or an adorable cotton dress, like this one from J Crew

Of course, you can’t make the guys sweat it out while the girls are cool and breezy, can you?  How dapper is this groom, featured in The Bride’s Cafe?

Or you could draw inspiration from my friend’s wedding in Hawaii, where I can assure you, it was plenty hot!

Or let the guys rock the flip flops to keep their feet cool:

In the extreme heat, you also need to keep your guests in mind.  Although you can’t control what they wear (as much as you’d like to!) you can offer them a little relief from the heat, whether it’s in the form of parasols:

Style Me Pretty:

Fans, like these adorable DIY ones (with the program on the other side!) from Ms. Potato Chips of Wedding Bee:

Or these great paper ones from Luna Bazaar:

Hats, like these great Panamas featured in Brides magazine:

Or some nice, cool drinks (word to the wise — to cool your guests pre-ceremony, use non-alcoholic drinks only.  It will save you money, your guests won’t be drunk when you say I do, and non-alcoholic drinks are much more cooling than alcohol!)

Style Me Pretty has some great photos of summery drinks:

And, of course, if you’re still hot at the end of the night from all of that dancing, there’s always this option:

Anyone have any great ideas for beating the heat this summer?!

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

Okay, so we’ve covered First Dance Songs (and here, way back when), Father/Daughter songs (and part II)…now we’ll look at songs to cut the cake. This is the one thing, when I ask my couples what song they’re using, where they look at each other and go “Um…” Yeah, forgot about that one, didn’t you? Now really, you can use any song here. And if you forget, your DJ or band can pick something good. But if you’re as picky about the music as I am, you’ll want to make sure you have the perfect song for this photo op. Here are some ideas.

Happy, fun songs are a great way to go. It’s a happy moment, everyone is smiling at you, so pick something upbeat and happy!

“When I’m 64″ The Beatles. This is one of my go to recommendations — it’s fun, and it says “Will you still feed me when I’m 64″ while you’re feeding each other

I love this new song by Uncle Kracker called “Smile” — I think it’s perfect for a cake cutting moment (or even your first dance song!)

How about “1,2,3,4″ by the Plain White T’s?

This will make people chuckle — “Grow Old With You” by Adam Sandler from The Wedding Singer. How cute is this song?!

How about “Happy Together,” an oldie by The Turtles?

“That’s Amore” by Dean Martin is a classic:

“The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson (this is another one that would also be great as a first dance song)

In fact, a lot of songs that are more on the upbeat side that work well for first dances would also work well for cake cutting, like Ray LaMontagne’s “You Are The Best Thing”

“You’re My Best Friend” by Queen:

Or “Love and Marriage” by Frank Sinatra

Many people choose songs that relate to the cake. There are songs with “Sugar” in the title:

“Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch” The Four Tops

“Pour Some Sugar on Me” Def Leppard (Okay, the lyrics are slightly…racy…but if you just sort of ignore them, it has sugar in it, and everyone knows it!)

“Sugar, Sugar” The Archies:

“Sugar Magnolia” by the Grateful Dead

Songs about Candy:

“Candyman” by Christina Aguilerra (How cute is this video? LOVE it!)

“Candy Man” by the late, great Roy Orbison

“Candy Shop” by Madonna

Songs with other desserts in them:

“Ice Cream” Sarah McLaughlin

“Marshmallow World” is generally considered a Christmas Song, but it actually doesn’t say anything about Christmas, so it’s great for a winter wedding

Love this song “RC Cola and a Moon Pie” (great for a Southern wedding!)

This song makes me laugh “Ice Cream and Cake” by the Buckwheat Boyz

What if you’re having a cookie table instead of cake?

Songs with “Sweet” in the title:

“How Sweet It Is” (I like the Marvin Gaye version, but the James Taylor cover is amazing as well)

“Sweetest Thing” by U2:

“Sweet Caroline” Originally by Neil Diamond, although I love this version from one of my favorite shows, Glee! Great if the bride’s name is Caroline…or if the groom is a Red Sox fan!

“Sweet Child ‘O Mine” Guns and Roses

Another one for 80’s fans, “Sweet Dreams (are made of this)” by The Eurythmics

A few other good ones…

“Melt With You” by Modern English (good if you guys are big 80’s music fans!)

One of my absolute favorites, “Recipe for Love,” by Harry Connick, Jr. (Man, is he YOUNG in that video!)

“Kiss The Girl” from The Little Mermaid (I confess…this is my favorite movie. Yes, I’m in my 30’s). This one is particularly cute if you have a band that can play a good version.

Continuing on the Disney theme, how about “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast? (I’ll be recommending this to one of my brides who LOVES this movie!)

You know I love songs for the bride with a good sense of humor, so how about “Fat Bottomed Girls” for cake eating time?! (Who knew Queen would have so many good wedding songs?!)

And, of course, the definitive cake cutting song, aptly titled “Cut the Cake” by Average White Band

Do you have a song picked out for your cake cutting? Tell us what it is!

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

In the first part of this post, we covered some country songs, some cheesy songs, some current songs, and some folk songs you can dance to with your daddy.  Today, let’s see what else we can find.

There’s “Daddy’s Girl” by Red Sovine

“Just the Way You Are” Billy Joel

or “Gracie” by Ben Folds (particularly handy if your name is Grace, of course…)

There are songs that just automatically make the guests melt and go “Awwww….” — I’m a sucker for these songs.

“Daughter” Loudoun Wainwright (which you might remember from the ending of “Knocked Up”

“Father and Daughter” Paul Simon (sorry about the video…I don’t know those people, obviously)

“Over the Rainbow” (the Iz version, obviously!)

“You’ve Got a Friend” James Taylor

“Stand By Me” Ben E. King

And “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” (you can use the Rod Stewart version, but I prefer the Van Morrison tune)

(Sorry for the Wall-E video…it was the only version I could find that wasn’t some weird tribute to Zac Efron or Twilight…teenage girls must love this song for some reason?)

I like upbeat songs for Father/Daughter dance songs. If your dad is willing to bust a little bit of a move, these are always fun:

“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” Randy Newman (Yes, the song from Toy Story…listen to the lyrics! So cute!)

“American Girl” Tom Petty

“I Love You More Today Than Yesterday” Spiral Staircase

“Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” The Four Tops

And a song your dad might love (and Lord knows your mom does!), “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones

And, finally, if your family is as goofy as mine can be, they’re always joking around. Make people go “Oh, that’s so them” with one of these songs:

“Short People” Randy Newman (my dad used to sing this to me all the time…he’s 6′4. I’m…not.)

“If You Wanna Be Happy” by Jimmy Soul (Another one of my dad’s favorites, the lyrics say “If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife, so from my personal point of view, get an ugly girl to marry you” Like I said, the bride has to have a pretty good sense of humor…)

If your dad loves his duds, how about “Sharp Dressed Man” by ZZ Top (here with David Cook)

“I Knew the Bride (When she used to rock and roll)” Nick Lowe

And for the dad who gave the groom a “stern talking to” before the wedding, there’s Rodney Atkins’ “Cleaning This Gun”

What song are you using to dance with your dad?  Anything we missed here?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

I was a music major in college, and so music has always been one of my favorite things about weddings.  Plus my family and I love to dance (we’re not good at it…we just love to do it…) so a rockin wedding is a MUST!  One fun aspect where you can really infuse your personality into your wedding is the Father/Daughter dance.  Now, in these days, you don’t HAVE to do a Father/Daughter dance.  You can do a Mother/Daughter dance, you can do nothing at all, you can dance with your grandpa…it’s totally up to you!  But if you are doing one, sometimes it’s difficult to think of good songs.  So, of course, I’m here to help!

There are a lot of different ways you can go with the father/daughter dance.  There’s the tried and true, clearly made for a first dance songs:

“Butterfly Kisses” Bob Carlisle

“I Loved Her First”  Heartland

“Cinderella” Steven Curtis Chapman

“Daddy” by Kendall Payne

Or “A Song for my Daughter” by Ray Allaire

There are songs that are not quite as…sappy…but still classics:

“My Girl” The Temptations (I would totally do this for my imaginary wedding…if my sister hadn’t already used it on my dad, even though I’m TOTALLY his girl!)

“The Way You Look Tonight” Tony Bennett (again, there are other great versions, but the Tony Bennett version was used in “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” and therefore the BEST one for a wedding!)

Or “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder, which he wrote for his daughter’s birth

There are Old Fashioned songs:

“Thank Heaven for Little Girls” The Lennon Sisters

“Unforgettable” Nat King Cole (I like the original better than the duet with Natalie)

The Beatles wrote several songs perfect for a Father Daughter dance.

“All You Need Is Love” (Ignore the crazy trippiness that is “Yellow Submarine”)

“In My Life”

and “Here Comes the Sun” are three great examples

If your dad was a dad of the folky Dylan/CSNY era, there are some great songs that would be perfect.

“Forever Young” Bob Dylan

“Here for You” Neil Young

“You Are My Sunshine” (this is one of my favorite versions…Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash)

“Magical Child” Graham Nash

“Teach Your Children Well” Crosby, Stills, & Nash

Country fans have TONS of options. Here are some of my favorites:

“They Don’t Make Em Like My Daddy Anymore” Loretta Lynn

“All American Girl” Carrie Underwood

“Daddy’s Angel” by T. Carter

And one of my new favorites, “Best Day” by Taylor Swift (I admit it…I love her!)

In fact, there are a lot of “current” (meaning in the last, say, 15 years or so) songs that are great for first dance songs.

“Kind and Generous” Natalie Merchant

“Wildflowers” Tom Petty

“My Darling” by Wilco

“Still Fighting It” by Ben Folds

And a song that would be in serious contention for me, “Sweet Pea” by Amos Lee

To prevent this post from getting too overwhelming, I’ll let you listen to these, and next time we’ll cover the “Aw” songs, some upbeat songs and some choices for those of you, like me, who will take any opportunity for a joke!

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated unless denoted by a link to another wedding on this blog.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

First of all, let me say…IT’S NOT ST. PATTY’S!!!  If you’re going to shorten it, it’s ST. PADDY’S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whew…I feel better now   When you read as many blogs as I do, little things start to drive you slightly insane.

MOVING ON…Happy St. PADDY’S DAY!!!!!!!!!  I love this holiday.  I mean, you get to wear bright kelly green, which I love, and you get to drink a lot.  What more could a girl ask for?!  How about some great green wedding ideas (with some Irish traditions thrown in for good measure!)

It’s an Irish custom for the bride to carry a horseshoe down the aisle for good luck.  She must carry it facing up, so the good luck doesn’t run out.  There are tons of little horseshoe charms out there for bouquets, like this one from Nordstrom:

But I like the larger ones, like this one which, sadly, I can’t remember where it came from (Etsy?) It would also be cute to display in your home after the wedding:

You can also use horseshoe touches in other parts of your wedding, like in these traditional Jordan Almond favors from Martha Stewart:

The claddagh ring is another Irish tradition (I meant to take a picture of mine, which I love, and bought at The Silver Parrot in Old Town Alexandria, but I just moved and can’t find it!)  Here is another gorgeous one.

A great way to honor the day, though, is to, of course, include green in your wedding!  You can do this a number of ways, like these bridesmaids dresses:

Photo: Chris Baltazar

Kimberly Gray Photography:

LOVE these J. Crew dresses, photographed by Root Photography:

Or these darker green Jim Hjelm dresses, photographed by Sarah Bastille:

Accessories are a great way to add color too (and then the bride can get involved with the wearin o’ the green!)

Franco Sarto shoes, photographed by Sarah Q Photography:

Or how about this beautiful shamrock necklace (great bridesmaid’s gift!) from Etsy seller Sammi84:

Speaking of bridesmaids gifts, how about these cute clutches from Etsy Seller JenniferLadd:

And don’t forget the guys…they can wear green too!

Amy Carroll Photography:

How awesome is this boutonniere from Design Sponge?!

Kristin Spencer Photography:

Bouquets are an easy way to add green as well.  There are so many great green flowers as well as things like succulents (and especially four-leaf clovers!) that make a gorgeous green bouquet.  Touches like beautiful green ribbon add some great color too.

I love this bouquet from Brilliant Blooms in Denver:

Chris Baltazar Photography:

LOVE these green bouquets, photographed by our friend Heather Z:

Speaking of green flowers, how about the ceremony decor and centerpieces?

Photo by The Wiebners:

Laurel McConnell Photography:

Allyson Magda Photography:

How much do I love those green vases?!?!  Of course, flowers aren’t the only way to color your wedding.  There are also cute escort card ideas:

Non-floral decor:

Love Life Images:

Martha Stewart Weddings:

Or favors, like these cute shamrock lollipops, photographed by Blue World Studios:

Of course, we Irish love our drink, so add a little festive touch into your drinks (and food!)

Anne Constance Photography:

Mmm…cake bites…oh, Bakerella, how I love you. (That’s Red Velvet cake…dyed green!)

I admit it…I love corned beef and cabbage…

How pretty is this cupcake stand photographed by local Dolphindance Photography:

I love that candy buffets are still popular, like this green one photographed by Eleise Theuer:

And of course, you can’t have a St. Patrick’s Day wedding without Guinness:

How cute would it be to have a group of Irish Dancers perform at your reception?  (Locally, the O’Neill-James School of Irish Dancing and Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance would be good places to check)

So for all of you Irish out there (and those who are Irish just for today) HAPPY ST. PADDY’S DAY!