The northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, occur about 60 or 70 miles above the earth’s surface —about 10 times higher than a jet aircraft flies — and can extend hundreds of miles into space. The most common color displayed is a brilliant yellow-green, but the aurora borealis can also produce red, blue and purple patterns.
While the northern lights occur year-round, summer’s near-constant daylight makes seeing them next to impossible. In winter, however, clear, dark nights lend themselves to stunning displays. Sightings are also possible during the “shoulder seasons” of early spring and into the fall, when less daylight leads to darker night skies. Many Alaska hotels even offer a northern lights wake-up call (upon request, of course) to wake visitors when the lights are out.
Towns and cities produce ambient light that interferes with aurora viewing, and while auroras are still visible from cities, it is best to view from the outskirts of town, or in an area known for clear, dark skies. The Interior (especially Fairbanks) and Far North regions are considered the best in Alaska for northern lights viewing, although the aurora can be spotted anywhere in Alaska (Northern Lights Viewing).With the best time to see the Aurora being at night the best time for this wedding would be at night/after sundown. The perfect theme for this wedding is Nighttime and Light, a beautiful blue would work great as the colour scheme.
The thing to keep in mind when getting flowers is that not every flower comes in every colour. Some flowers come in a variety of colours some don't and some can be dyed to match a specific colour. Blue is not a common colour for flowers but not impossible to find or make.The Dress:
A nice dress choice for a night wedding is something with beading or diamonds. Anything sparkly would be a great option because when it catches the moonlight it will twinkle. Of course the perfect dress can't be chosen from a magazine or online pictures but a great choice is Enchanting Fit-and-Flared Sweetheart Court Train Taffeta Wedding Dress with Beading.
The Shoes:
With a long dress, shoes are very important. Long dresses usually mean that the shoes won't really be seen. But with high enough heels the shoes could lift the dress up enough that the shoes get noticed. In any case, a nice pair that will glitter would be the Ellie Shoes Women's 415 - Flamingo Pumps.
Hair, Make up, Nail, Accessories:
With a strapless dress having the hair down is a great option, it hide some of the skin being shown. Another option is to have an up-do that lets the hair cascade down in front to hide the shoulders. For make up, natural is always best, or what the bride normally does, but nice blue eyes would be a perfect accent to this wedding. Like shown below, a little blue to highlight the eyes. A great option for a necklace would be the Alaska State Pendant.
The Groom:
The groom is not hard to shop for, the main decisions to be made is white or black suit? In this case a Men's White Modern Dress Suit would be nice because of how dark it would be when the couple gets married. (Assuming the couple gets married outside, if its not too cold, or with the night sky as a backdrop). Add a Palermo Royal Blue Vest and a Navy Blue Microfiber Midnight Navy Textured Long Tie with Men's Stacy Adams Madison White Shoes and the groom and his men are all set.
The Bride's Maids:
Whether the bride chooses to have just a maid of honor of a ton of bride's maids a beautiful dress would be a One Shoulder Chiffon Blue Dress. It is a beautiful dress that won't out shine the bride but will make the bride's maids happy too.
The Invitations:
The invitations don't always have to match the colour scheme of the wedding but they should match the theme. In this case with the theme being night and lights a great option for invitations would be "The Hilary" Modern String of Party Lights.
The Ceremony:
If the weather cooperates a beautiful ceremony outside would be amazing for this wedding. Not only could the couple get married under the Northern Lights themselves but the night sky makes a beautiful backdrop for any ceremony. Beautiful Personalized Lanterns can line the isle as the bride walks down and it would make the perfect touch to a beautiful setting.
The Rings:
Wedding rings never usually match the theme or colour scheme of the wedding, usually they are gold, white gold, or silver rings with a diamond or two. But, if the couple wants to be unique and go with unique rings a nice choice would be the Black Opal inlay Titanium Ring. (It is unisex and comes in sizes 3.25-16).
The Reception:
Again if the weather is warm enough the best place to have a reception is outside. Having a nice tent set up outside for guests would be perfect. The dance floor, DJ and tables can be set up under the tent and if guests choose to they can go walking around and still see the lights in the sky. Tents are awesome because they need little to no decoration at all. For this wedding, just some strings of lights around the tent would be fine. Nice options would be these 20 Flower Handmade in White Color String, and/or 20 Shaded Blue Cotton Ball Lanterns. Another great option is larger hanging lanterns if the couple can find them. Also lanterns to line a pathway out of the tent would be nice so guests don't have to worry about walking in the dark if they choose to wonder out and see the Aurora.
Depending on the number of guest a nice signing book would be an Alaska Map Print Piece of Art. The guests can sign around the outline of Alaska and it's something the couple can hang and display in their home to remember their special day. With a wedding like this because it is so late, a supper may not be something the couple wants to do (depending on how late in the evening it is). If they choose just to have a late lunch, there is no need for table numbers, or place cards or a setting arrangement even. However a nice centerpiece and handy if the couple wants table numbers would be Luminarian Autumn Tree Lanterns.
The Food:
For late night lunches traditional options are salads (like Everything but the Kitchen Sink Macaroni Salad, Roasted New Potato Salad, and a Broccoli and Bacon Salad) finger foods are also a great choice (like Cocktail Meatballs, vegetables and Dill Dip, cheese, pickles, cold sandwiches and Deviled Eggs). For dessert a nice variety like the lunch buffet is a good choice. Usually for a wedding, cakes or cupcakes wouldn't be part of the dessert choices because there is cake coming. Good choices would be White Chocolate Lemon Truffles, Crispy and Creamy Doughnuts, and Snickerdoodle Bars.
The Cake:
Cakes always depend on the couples preference. Most couples choose a white cake with decorations on it that match their colours. But that doesn't always have to be. A nice option for a wedding cake would be a blue wedding cake that matches the dark sky. Or a half blue and half white cake that gives the couple the best of both worlds. Any cake would be beautiful. A small couple on top of the cake is tradition but a nice glass topper would be a nice touch to this wedding cake because of how the lights would reflect in it.
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| Royal Blue Wedding Cake |
Thank you cards don't always have to match, some couples choose to send photos of their wedding with a thank you note on the back or just a plain simple card. Anything is fine really, it's the gesture that counts.
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| Shooting Stars |
Things to See:
There are so many great things to see and do in Alaska, like seeing Juneau's Icefields, riding the Mount Roberts Tramway, seeing the Botanical Gardens, and the many museums in Alaska. Other great places to see would be Kincaid Park, Chilkoot Pass, Flattop Mountain, Alaska State Capitol, Portage Glacier, Alaska Zoo and Alaska Sealife Center. There are so many great things to do also like dog sledging, seeing the Aurora, and many other activities in the snow.
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| Glacier Crashing into the Ocean |
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