Plan a Wedding or Party with a Venetian Theme, Part One

One of my favorite themes for a wedding or other special event (from a dinner party, to an engagement party to a gala extravaganza) is one inspired by the romantic city Venice, Italy. The home of canals, gondolas, bridges, darling colorful homes and shops with shutters and planter boxes, the world-famous Carnivale, breathtaking architecture and monuments, the Bellini cocktail, tiramisu, and beautiful Venetian glass can serve as inspiration for a spectacular event.

You can use any color scheme for this theme. For a very Venetian feel, you may want to use vivid jewel tones – any combination of red, hot pink, orange, yellow, green and of course an array of blues (royal, aqua, and sea foam). Colorful flowers and vines arranged in Venetian glass vases make great centerpieces. Or, you can find gondola pottery (I’ve seen several on Ebay) as bases for your arrangements – on guest tables, banquet tables and throughout your venue.

For a really dramatic effect, you can rent actual gondolas from various companies to use as props at your event. Other design elements might include striped dock poles; water features; ornate sculptures, urns, fountains and columns; wrought iron; patterns, designs or scenery based on Piazza San Marco, St. Mark’s Basilica, or Doge’s Palace; gothic elements; angels, lions, crosses, leaves, swirls, etc.

You can find several vendors online who sell Venetian themed invitations and save-the-date notices. One that I especially love is the one pictured above called “Gondola Newlyweds” by Mari Versailles; while it seems to no longer be available, it serves for inspiration. You can also make your own invitation using design paper with a Venetian motif, some velum on which to print your wedding information, and some ribbon and a gondola or Venetian glass charm or bead.

Part two in this series will be posted soon. It will feature several more ideas for a Venetian Theme/Motif (including menu ideas, favors, and more) as well as related resources and links.

Motifs and Themes for Weddings and Events

What’s a motif? It’s a lot like a theme. What’s the difference between a theme and a motif? A common answer to that is that a theme is the “overall idea of something and a motif is a symbol representing that idea.” For example, a theme might be Valentine’s Day (with red, pink, hearts, romance, chocolates, champagne, etc), and a motif might be hearts (on invitations, heart-shaped chocolates as favors, heart-shaped ice cubes, heart-shaped tiers on wedding cakes and so on).

In regards to weddings and events, I think that many people think of a theme as more “big” or obvious or even whimsical and a motif as more simple, subtle, understated. I tend to use both words interchangeably. You can use a theme or a motif as big and bold or as subtle and understated as you want to.

The main point is that a theme or motif is a terrific addition to any event, from a wedding to a shower, gala or dinner party. Themes and motifs add personalization and cohesiveness to any event. They serve as a great way to tie all of the components together, to unify them.

On this site, you will find ideas, inspiration and resources for planning the events of your dreams with motifs and themes.