Wedding Ideas For Your Train Wedding Theme

Looking for wedding ideas that will make your big day unique from other weddings? You may want to consider having your nuptials take place on a train. Many companies offer wedding and reception train packages that brings your wedding theme to a whole new level.

Using a train for your wedding theme can bring a sense of history, whether it’s the rustic old west or the upscale of our country’s past, and even more modern day twists, a traincan offer a uniqueness to your wedding that few would expect, but many would enjoy.If choosing a train for your wedding or reception, be sure to select one that you know you will remember forever. Here are just a couple of examples of train packages that are available, but there are many more.

Sugar Cane Train – Maui
Maui’s Sugar Cane Train transports your wedding guests through the whaling town of Lahaina and into the beautiful resort area of Kaanapali. If you plan your wedding in late winter or very early spring, you may be able to witness humpback whales breeching inthe background of your wedding. The train began running in 1969 and is an open-aircoach that will seat up to 200 passengers. The views are amazing and your guests will truly enjoy a beautiful wedding or reception with this unique and beautiful locomotive.

You’ll be having a destination wedding, unless you already live in Hawaii. Therefore you will need to inform your guests in advance so that they can save the date and plan for it financially. The great thing about having a destination wedding is that you do not have to travel on your honeymoon because you will already be there. So all you will have to do is take a car to whichever resort you choose and enjoy each other without having to worryabout missing a flight.

Napa Valley Wine Train – California
This is an antique train that runs a 25-mile track through the heart of Napa Valley. The train has three kitchens, the Silverado, the Gourmet Express and the Vista Dome. The Silverado, is an open-air rail car and has a more relaxed western theme atmosphere. If your reception is set to be more of a relaxed atmosphere, this kitchen serves the barbeque side of Napa Valley.

The Gourmet Express is very luxurious and is a more traditional railroad dining experience, with half the ride in a white linen service area, while the other half is set inthe comfort of the lounge car. The Vista Dome offers great romantic moonlight dinners under the glass dome. The setting is designed to be more intimate and special for asmaller wedding.
They also have a special Fourth of July fireworks show where you get both the dinner and the show. Not only will your wedding be unique and special riding on a train, but since it’s in Napa Valley, you and your guests will be able to learn a great deal about different wines and how to pair them with different foods. Their staff is knowledgeable and their only job is to make sure that your event goes off without a hitch, ensuring it to be the most memorable and enjoyable time for you and your guests.

Skunk Train – California
The Skunk Train has historic equipment that can be transformed for your event. They have a full service bar and can accommodate groups of up to 350 people (however,their wedding packages only go up to 75 people). They also own the property along the immediate route so you can have your wedding outdoors and the reception on the train.
The train has traveled the same scenic “Redwood Route” since 1885. Therefore, if you’relooking for a different kind of atmosphere, getting married amongst the giant redwoods of California can make for an amazing background scenery.

The train itself does havea unique name, one they are not exactly sure where it originated from. Some believe it came from a quote by a passenger that thought the train’s fumes smelt like a skunk.
Besides the Skunk Train, there are two other trains that are offered. One is the Sierra Railroad Dinner Train. This train began in the 1897 connecting the central valley to the gold country. This train offers a lot of entertainment, including  a western show. The third train is the Sacramento River Train. This train offers an open-air car and has great entertainment, including an old fashion train robbery. Not only would this be unique, but to enhance that experience consider having your guests, as well as the bridal party, dressed in old western attire. A real throw back to the old days.

Wedding Ideas That Can Make Your Wedding Unique

Looking for wedding ideas that can make your wedding unique from the traditional ceremony? Since your wedding is a special once in a lifetime event, consider things thatare different that will bring your own special touches to it.

Here are just some uniqueideas to help get your creative juices flowing.
At the reception, instead of people ringing bells or clicking their glasses with utensils toget the new couple to kiss, have your guests stand up and share a touching memory of when you met your spouse or any other special memory. If they don’t have one or don’t remember, they could share a special memory that they shared with you themselves. Instead of just kissing, everyone will be reminded of how and why you two got marriedin the first place. In addition, you will have these special moments to reminisce about later in your marriage as a reminder of why you fell in love.

Here’s a wonderful and creative idea for guests signing in. Instead of having a traditional guest book to sign, have engagement pictures taken, or just a special picture of you and your spouse. Then enlarge it with a thick border around it and have all your guests signaround the border and leave little messages. This is something that you can frame anddisplay in your home. Reading the little messages is always fun and something that will remind you of that special day.

During the wedding when the bride walks down the aisle, instead of playing the traditional bridal waltz, pick a special song that you and your spouse hold dear to your hearts or maybe surprise everyone with a pop or rock song. Choreograph a dance routine with your bridesmaids and groomsmen and just have fun with it. How fun would that be to go back and watch the video and see all your guests reactions after expecting thetraditional music and instead you walk down to a more current or hip song.

A great idea for a unique reception would be to have a photo booth on sight, where people can take their pictures together. You could also have someone use an instant camera and when the wedding is over you can sign and date the pictures. Then mail them with the thank you cards, which is a great way to give back to your guests. After all most people never receive pictures from the wedding. This is a way of making them feel like they are getting a gift.

During the reception, you can bring out yours and your spouse’s inner child. Nothing brings that out like having a candy bar filled with all of the candies that you and yourhusband grew up with. You can also have Chinese takeout boxes made with your picture and wedding date printed out on it, as it’s an awesome favor that will be used and enjoyed. You could also have lotto tickets that only cost a dollar and include a cute little saying such as, “We were so lucky to have all our friends and families join us on our special day.” You may want to have fun and remind them if they win, you get half. No, not really. It’s a cute and budget friendly idea to bring a unique and special touch to your wedding.

Another idea is that instead of sending out the usual wedding announcements, create a unique movie of the story of how you met. This can be made with a slide show of pictures or maybe a spoof of a bunch of romantic comedies, but at the end of it, add your wedding date and mail (or e-mail) it to all your guests. If you want to go big, you could rent out an entire theater and have them play it for your guests and see their reactions to it.

For your wedding, if your very gutsy and looking for something really out there, why not do a themed wedding? If you are into The Wizard of Oz, Disney characters, super heroes, Hawaiian or a certain video game that both of you are obsessed with, you can dress uplike them and have all your guests join in. There are many other theme ideas out there, so not only will it be truly memorable, but it will speak to the fun side of you both. You could always opt for a more traditional ceremony and have your reception themed, but whatever you choose to do, follow your heart and have fun with it.

Back to Honeymoon, Spa & RomanceHawaii: Getting Married on Maui

Maui is a great place for a wedding. Not only does the entire island exude romance and natural beauty, but after the ceremony you’re only a few steps away from the perfect honeymoon.

More than 20,000 marriages are performed each year on the islands, and nearly half of the couples married here are from somewhere else. This booming business has spawned dozens of companies that can help you organize a long-distance event and stage an unforgettable wedding.

The easiest way to plan your wedding is to let someone else handle it at the resort or hotel where you’ll be staying. Most Maui resorts and hotels have wedding coordinators who can plan everything from a simple (relatively) low-cost wedding to an extravaganza that people will talk about for years. Remember that resorts can be pricey — be frank with your wedding coordinator if you want to keep costs down. You don’t have to use a coordinator: You can also plan your own island wedding, even from afar, and not spend a fortune doing it.

The Paperwork

To obtain a marriage license, contact the Marriage License Office, State Department of Health Building, 54 S. High St., Wailuku, HI 96793 (tel. 808/984-8210; www.state.hi.us/doh/records/vr_marri.html), open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm. The staff will mail you a brochure called Getting Married and direct you to the marriage-licensing agent closest to where you’ll be staying on Maui.

Once on Maui the prospective bride and groom must go together to the marriage-licensing agent to get a license. A license costs $60 and is good for 30 days. The only requirements for a marriage license are that both parties are 15 years of age or older (couples 15-17 years old must have proof of age, written consent of both parents, and the written approval of the judge of the family court) and are not more closely related than first cousins.

After a protracted legal battle and much discussion in the state legislature, in late 1999 the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the state won’t issue a marriage license to a couple of the same sex.

Planning the Wedding

Doing it Yourself — The marriage-licensing agents, which range from the governor’s satellite office to private individuals, are usually friendly, helpful people who can steer you to a nondenominational minister or someone who’s licensed by the state of Hawaii to perform the ceremony. These marriage performers are great sources of information for budget weddings. They usually know great places to have the ceremony for free or for a nominal fee.

If you don’t want to use a wedding planner but want to make arrangements before you arrive on Maui, my best advice is to get a copy of the daily newspaper, the Maui News, P.O. Box 550, Wailuku, HI 96793 (tel. 808/244-7691; www.mauinews.com). People willing and qualified to conduct weddings advertise in the classifieds. They’re great sources of information and can recommend locations, caterers, florists, and everything else you’ll need.

Using a Wedding Planner — Wedding planners can arrange everything for you, and charge anywhere from $150 to a small fortune — it all depends on what you want.