Sariah AminIn today’s world, couples are allowed to have free reign on color schemes for their wedding. Certainly not everyone is having a typical black and white wedding any more. However, if you want that traditional look, or maybe you are going for a punk or a classy vintage style of wedding, then there are plenty of black and white wedding ideas that incorporate your personal style.
Learn how a traditional black and white themed wedding can fit you and your contemporary style. Find black and white wedding ideas to decorate your chic wedding!
What is a Black and White Wedding?
A black and white wedding is a wedding themed on classic wedding colors
At least in the western world the bride will normally wear white and the groom will traditionally be dressed in a black suit.
Now in contemporary society, people may continue wearing black suits and white dresses to their wedding but it is no longer a social norm or a societal expectation. Today people may wear and use these colors to uphold tradition and because it makes the wedding look like a formal wedding with a modern look.
Your black and white wedding can look however you want: you can use a black and white color scheme, have your wedding party in black and white only, or even ask guests to stick to the theme. Read on for black and white wedding decor ideas!
Black and White Wedding Decorations
As said before, a black and white wedding implies the traditional colors brides and bridegrooms wear, but what about your other wedding accessories, the wedding venue and even the wedding invitations?
You know the wedding is going to be black and white, but how are you going to decorate it?
Even though you will only be working with two colors, there are many types of ways you can decorate black and white. You can decorate them with polka dots, stripe prints, lace, and gilded accents!
Basically, decorate your black and white wedding with decorations that help you create the chic, elegant or maybe even goth wedding aesthetic you are going for.
Black and White Bouquets
White flowers and bouquets are already a very done thing at a wedding. But What about black and white flowers? While black flowers may not seem like a very romantic flower color to have at one’s wedding, think again.
There are so many types of black and white flowers to choose from to make that elegant and pretty wedding bouquet. There are also so many beautiful and chic flower arrangements you could come up with to make the simple black and white color scheme look really good.
Because the colors black and white are common and simple colors, as opposed to more flashy colors magenta or mint green, it will give the wedding a more sharp and elegant look.
Black and White Wedding Invitations
Black and white. White and black. There are so many ways you can dress up your wedding invitations to make them really pop and be even more pleasant to read.
Maybe you want your wedding invitations to be white paper with black lace and black cursive writing. Perhaps you want the cards to be black with a white flower pinned to the side and black block letters?
However you want your cards to look, there are plenty of ways this can be done to fit your style, as well as stay within your price range.
Black and White Attire
While men traditionally wear black suits to their wedding, in today’s black and white themed weddings, men do not have to wear a black suit any more.
They can wear a white suit too! Or they can even make every bit of clothing black or white, the choice is theirs! Ditto with women, they are not expected to wear white. Some contemporary brides are opting for black wedding dresses.
Couples can even dress their outfit up by making their clothes both white and black! The bride may be dressed in white with black pumps or a black leather jacket. The groom may wear a black and white suit or tux. One cool look is all black with a white jacket.
You can also have your bridal party wear black!
Black and White Wedding Cakes
There is something truly elegant and romantic about a black and white wedding cake. The color scheme just screams chicness and elegance!
While the appearance of the cake, of course, is black and white, the flavor of the cake can be anything you want!
Thanks to cake dyes and edible cake paints, you don’t have to worry about your black and white cake having an odd flavor. The wedding cake can taste just as beautiful as it looks.
Table Settings & Decor
Since you are having a black and white wedding, you want to make sure that everything down to the table decorations gets the memo.
But a black and white wedding does not mean everything has to be black and white. You could do plain white table decorations and cutlery. Or you could go the other way and make everything black at the table. Many black and white weddings feature gold accents.
You can also add pops of other colors into your decor. Maybe baby blue table runners and bows tied to everything? Again, be as creative and daring as you like, it is your wedding after all!
Wedding Aisle Decorations
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You can be really creative with your black and white color scheme here. Maybe you want the aisle to be decorated with black and white tapestries and balloons.
There can be white chairs with black cushions and bows. You could have black and white table mats. The aisle floors could even be decorated with black and white carpets.
Perhaps you want the black and white flowers to be placed all around the room and the ceiling! Basically, as creative and luxurious as you want your wedding to be, is how you can make it.
This is just a few ideas for you to use if you happen to get stuck.
Wedding Reception Decor
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So, the wedding itself is a black and white wedding. But that doesn’t mean the wedding reception has to be strictly black and white as well.
Maybe you want the reception room to be black and white with gold trimmings. Or maybe you want rose gold carpeting on the reception floor. Light blue candles and candle holders could also be a very cute idea.
You could even do all white flower centerpieces if you want! It all depends on how you want your wedding to make you feel. Go minimal or extravagant, but do have fun with the decorations!!!
Do’s and Don’ts for a Black and White Theme
In this section, we will be breaking down the specific Do’s and Don’t s for a black and white wedding.
These points are to help you so that when you have your dream black and white wedding, it goes as smoothly and magically as you have hoped.
While black and white color coordination’s are simple enough, these points will help you run the whole thing with ease and pleasure!
Do Tell Guests in Advance
If you want your wedding to be an all black and white wedding, you have the right to want so. It is your wedding after all!
When it comes to wedding dress codes, the couple should inform their guests of the type of clothes and colors they would like them to wear at their wedding.
They should be informed well in advance (a few months at least) of the wedding date so that everyone has time to find or buy their black and white wedding attire.
However, while you may hope for a total black and white wedding, it’s ok to be lenient on the dress code if your guests simply can’t or don’t want to get the exact shade you were wishing for. While you can make color requests, it’s a good idea to keep that optional. Or at the very least be lenient when people show up to the wedding in non black and white clothes.
You want your friends and family to have a good time the whole wedding, not worrying if their charcoal black dress is not meeting the super black dress code criteria. You can control the wedding venue and set up a look, but you can’t control the way people want to dress. If they want to wear black and white, great!
Don’t Worry About the Season
While many themed weddings correlate with a specific time or season in the year, a black and white wedding will always be perfect for any time in the year.
You can dress up your white and black wedding theme with something that goes with the season your wedding is in, if you wish. However, that is not mandatory with a black and white wedding.
The beauty of traditional simplicity is that it will look elegant, classy and beautiful no matter what time of the year your wedding is in.
Do Add Pops of Color
Just because your theme is black and white doesn’t mean you can’t use any other colors! It’s common to see black and white paired with gold or other metallic hues, green, pale pink, or red for a dramatic look.
Incorporate any pop of color or accents that you see fit!
Concluding thoughts!
Basically, have fun with your black and white themed wedding. You can take a common and traditional color scheme and have fun with it for your magical wedding.
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