Early on in the wedding planning process. I toyed with the idea of incorporating a "travel" theme into the wedding. Mr. Latte and I had traveled cross-country quite a bit during our long-distance relationship, and I wanted to celebrate the fact that we survived - and that it would soon be over!!! I started to collect cool boarding pass and passport books STD and invitation ideas, and brainstormed creative ways to incorporate stamps, suitcases, and maps as details for other aspects of the wedding.
Although the theme fizzed out over time (passport stamps weren't that great of an idea once I realized that we had only traveled to a handful of cities together!), once I saw this cute little suitcase, it was confirmed...the Latte wedding would celebrate a long-distance relationship.
(Cute pink suitcase! Image by the Lattes.)
I collected these suitcases in our wedding colors from the Paper Source, Kate's Paperie, and The Land of Nod. The original handles of the pink and green suitcases were blue, aka NOT a wedding color. So I took a brown paint pen and painted the handles. An hour and a half later (half an hour of painting + an hour of airing out the apartment of the paint smell!) and voila, Latte wedding suitcases!
(Some of the Latte wedding suitcases. Image by the Lattes.)
What does one do with a stack of suitcases in one's wedding colors? Good question. I pondered that for a couple of weeks before the answer hit me. I was going over our floral budget and realized that I didn't want to pay for a floral display in our venue's lobby area. Guests would be in the lobby for a whole 3 minutes while they waited for the elevator to come and take them upstairs. Will guests "oooh" and "aaah" over a big floral display? I sure would, but most probably would not. What will the Latte guests do while they wait for the elevator? Why, they'll check out movie posters, of course!
Let me explain. Our venue, Stage 6, is part of Steiner Studios, the largest film and television studio facility outside of Hollywood. Lots of big movies and TV shows are shot there every week. And the movie posters that line the walls of the Stage 6 lobby reflect that. So why not make our own movie poster? And while we're at it, why not have it explain our "long-distance celebration/travel" theme?
Mr. Latte, aka the resident Photoshop expert, spent a lot of time editing and re-editing (he knew he was marrying a perfectionist!) one of our engagement pictures to create this poster. Add in some suitcases and our guests will have some interesting lobby eye-candy...and the wallet just got a little bit heavier. Love it when that happens.
This theme was carried through to the escort card table, which incidentally, was the first thing the guests saw when they stopped off the elevator:
(See the suitcases?)
I know what you're thinking...what are those green and pink accordion looking things, and what do those signs say??? Stop straining your eyes because those answers are up next!
Will you celebrate your long-distance relationship at the wedding? What money-saving alternatives did you come up with for lobby or centerpiece arrangements?
*all images by Todd Laffler of Laffler Photography and Walter Van Dusen of Walter Van Dusen Photography unless noted.
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