A wedding should reflect the tastes and passion of the bride and groom. For some, that means reflecting their love for literature in a subtle but clever way, without necessarily making it a themed wedding (think:
Great Gatsby,
Alice In Wonderland,
Gone With the Wind, etc.) As big readers ourselves, we've thought long and hard about different ways to incorporate works of literature at your wedding. Here are some suggestions:
Before Kindle came around, borrowing library books was a pretty common activity. Bring back the borrowed book love with
library card style invitations. We love how you can create a "title" for your wedding and make it look authentic with yellowed paper and crooked typeface.
If you're having a small wedding, create your old "vintage book" as a
wedding program! This will create a unique keepsake and add a lot of charm to your wedding, but it will definitely be a significant project!
The most common way to incorporate literature in your wedding is through your wedding vows / reading. Choose a passage that particularly inspires you or makes you and your loved one laugh. You can go for something sweet and simple, such as e.e. cumming's i carry your heart, romantic and traditional such as Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, or light and quirky such as Ron Weasley's ball of light speech from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Keeping with the library theme, have guests find their seats by sifting through a
card catalogue! This a fun throwback to grade school, when we spent hours learning the Dewey Decimal System. It's fun, quirky, and cost efficient, but your younger guests might not quite get it.
We really love the idea of naming your tables after famous writers or novels. Have fun with it by placing your work friends at Upton Sinclair's T
he Jungle, your girlfriends at Jane Austen's
Emma, and your creepy uncle at Vladmir Nabokov's
Lolita.
Or, if you want to stick with numbers, do it in a way that is true to your theme. We like
these because they serve double duty! Vintage books function as both a centerpiece and way to display the table numbers in a way that is charming and unique.
You can also carve out old books to create
unique centerpieces or decor at your wedding. While we're a little reluctant to demolish old books this way, perhaps you could find books that are otherwise damaged and use them. Either way, it creates a very rustic and creative centerpiece.
Instead of using satin ribbon to add some flair to your wedding cakes, wrap it in some (sanitized)
newspaper or vintage print. We also like how the cake toppers are similarly wrapped in print to create a coherent look. Just be sure to use romantic text... no old pages of Play Boy for you!
And they lived happily ever after!
XOXO,
Jen & Saira
