Bridal Baby Names: Here comes the name
Guest blogger Jasmine Almeida has come up with a novel source of baby names: your own wedding day.
Maybe it was the Pearl detailing on my dress, perhaps it was the Lacey accents on my veil. Or it could have been the gorgeous amnesia Rose bouquet I held as I walked down the aisle. But my guess is, it was marrying the love of my life last summer that got me thinking about how many gorgeous names there are in the world of weddings. Being a freelance writer who focuses on weddings, I tend to look at words related to them a lot – and couldn’t help but get inspired by the many beautiful baby name possibilities that spring forth from weddings.
Of course, there are the flower names, to which I’m partial because my own name is Jasmine and one of my puppies is Daisy. Naming a daughter after the flower you held in your bouquet on your wedding day is a sweet and sentimental reason for choosing a name like Calla, Daisy, Dahlia, Iris, or Lily, or the more general floral names like Flora or Florence.
If you’ve gone wedding dress shopping, you’re probably familiar with the range of stunning designer dresses available. Naming a baby girl after your dress’s designer would be another romantic way of infusing your wedding-day memories into your naming process. A few favorites? Vera (after legendary gown designer Vera Wang), Paloma, (Paloma Blanca gowns are spectacular) or Priscilla (of Boston, of course). Monique (lhuillier), Sophia, (Trolli) or Elie (Saab) are all elegant names as well as legendary wedding gown designers.
Pursuing the gown theme, an unusual crop of names derives from the fabric itself – Georgette is a classic wedding gown material and would also make a lovely variation of Georgia, while Chantilly lace is known for it’s delicate floral designs. Even Chiffon would make a somewhat exotic, rarely seen name, and Organdy, a crisp lightweight cloth often used for gowns, could also double as a girl’s name, as could variations on the official bridal color of white:
As far as boy wedding names go, it’s not quite as easy, but there are a few. Did you wear Christian Louboutin heels (or wish you did)? Were you inspired by celebrity wedding planner Colin Cowie? Or maybe you were married at a church that featured a saint’s name like Michael or Matthew.
More inspiration for a boy’s name comes from the crooners: maybe the voice of Barry White, Bryan Adams, or Elvis Presley swept you away for your first dance. In my family, we have a history of dancing to Van Morrison songs. Perhaps yours could serve as an idea for a first or middle name.
Speaking of singers – and back to baby girl names – perhaps you danced to the famous “At Last” by Etta James, or “Our Love is Here to Stay” by Billie Holiday, or a love ballad by Céline Dion. There are also a few names that go hand-in-hand with weddings, like Martha, Diana, or Victoria (the original wearer of white).
Ceremonies, of course, bring to mind some classic names like Faith, Joy, and Grace. Isla can be thought of as a fun twist on the word “aisle” and names like Jewel or Pearl are as romantically elegant as they get. And of course, there’s always Tiffany!
If you want to add a bit of wedding whimsy to your child’s name, get personal. Think about your honeymoon or wedding location, the name of the font the invitations were printed in, or the name of the town where he proposed. And if you’re not married then consider using your “how we met” or “how we fell in love” story as inspiration for baby’s name.
To come up with your own wedding-inspired name, you might try filling in the blanks:
I wore a gown made of _____________ designed by _______________ to my wedding, which took place in _______________. I carried a bouquet of _____________. We danced our first dance to_______________________ by _______________________ and went on our honeymoon in ______________________.
Any keepers?
Jasmine Almeida is a freelance wedding writer based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Her work has appeared in a variety of magazines, blogs, and websites. She and her husband were married in July 2010–and you can see how she looked on that day in the illustration.