Butterflies have always been associated with our flights of fancy and innocently aspiring dreams and wishes, not only because they rise to the heavens, but because of their fragile beauty, and of course, their power of transformation. For this reason, they are a natural compliment to the wedding ceremony, and the bride seeking a unique accent to her wedding design will often find that a butterfly decoration or theme perfectly expresses her feelings about the day.
There are endless possibilities for incorporating butterfly decorations into your wedding, as the butterfly is one of the most popular and recognizable images in gifts and accessories. They are also easy to create by hand out of paper, nylon, or fabric to adorn invitations, bridal party wear, floral arrangements, or gift baskets. A fun afternoon could be had gathering the bridesmaids and maid of honor together with some craft materials on your living room floor, and creating your own butterfly decorations.
You can create your own wedding invitations, reception menus, and thank you cards by downloading a range of attractive butterfly images from Weddingclipart.com. Experiment with inks, papers, and fonts to customize your design, and then print your projects from your home computer for a fraction of the cost of commercially printed paper products. Consider personalizing your items further through use of butterfly embellishments from a local craft store.
You can also purchase or create embroidered butterflies, or butterflies made of ribbon, which can be used and worn in any number of ways. Have your napkins custom embroidered with your butterfly and the names and dates of your wedding. Use your ribbon butterflies to gather ribbon steamers, or drapes of tulle for the pews and serving tables. Or wear them as brooches, on bobby pins, or attached to the bow on the back of a dress. The groom can wear a tastefully embroidered butterfly on his tie, or if he prefers, a butterfly tie clip. Butterfly jewelry is easily found or custom made and always beautiful. You may even consider incorporating the design into your rings!
If you are feeling a little more dramatic, you can purchase electronic butterflies that move their wings, mimicking real ones. These authentic looking butterflies are available in a range of species, so you can select them according to your wedding colors to compliment the decorations. Add one to your bridal bouquet, or to the floral centerpieces; put little ones in the bridesmaid's hair; or attach them to the rims of serving bowls, or to the top of your wedding cake! For wedding favors, you can create gift baskets of butterfly shaped chocolates or soaps, and add an electronic butterfly to the handle.
But why stop at design when you can include real butterflies in your ceremony? Look online for a number of professional organizations that raise butterflies from caterpillars to be released at weddings. The organizations are usually non profit conservation efforts working for the interest of the butterfly species. They ship the butterflies, usually monarchs, to you on the correct date, and the wedding guests release them as you leave the altar, creating an unforgettable burst of celebration, joy and awe.
You might want to save your wedding pictures for after the release, as some of the butterflies may linger a while with the party. If you can get one to join you and your groom on a shoulder or finger for a shot, you will always have an image of the lovely fleeting messengers that carried your wedding wishes to heaven.
