Last week, I gave you my best piece of wedding planning advice: the underlying theme of any wedding should be the Mr. and Mrs. That means, all decisions should be made with yourselves in mind. Your wedding isn’t the time to choose pink lilies for your bouquet because Great Aunt Sally thinks they are the only appropriate wedding flower, or switch venues because a groomsman doesn’t want to get his new suede shoes dusty.
Guests should leave your celebration thinking the ceremony and reception perfectly captured who you are as a couple. You may have to be firm with some people, but it’s worth it.
There are a ton of ways to put your personal stamp on your special day. Here are some of my favorite avenues to infuse the bride and groom’s personality and style into their special day:
VENUE – Churches aren’t the only place you can get married. Any open space where you can fit chairs is a viable option for hosting your ceremony. Start thinking about your interests. Do you love movies? Rent out a theater or an outdoor amphitheater. Outdoorsy? Hike your favorite trail with an eye out for grassy patches or meadows. Bookworm? Find a public library that will rent you their space for a day.
MUSIC – Creating a unique soundtrack for your wedding and reception is a simple way to infuse personal touches into your celebration. Tim and I chose hymns that were meaningful to us for our ceremony music. I scoured iTunes (such a great resource) for a version of Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee for my walk down the aisle. My cousin sang Take My Life and Let It Be as we took communion. We had our first dance to a song from the movie Rio. Pick songs that are significant, not just popular. Revisit your favorite movies, think back to special events from the past, and listen through your music collection for inspiration.
FOOD – The key with food is to please your own palate. Don’t be weighed down by the 3-course, conventional plated dinner {though, if that’s your style, by all means…}. Serve up Latin favorites to honor your heritage. Skip the formal caterer and use a food truck. Have your hometown pizza place make custom pies for a casual reception. Dessert is also a place to get creative. We had a small cutting cake surrounded by a smorgasbord of mini cupcakes, homemade cookies, and See’s Candies that guests could pick from throughout the night.
ACTIVITIES – Dinner and dancing aren’t the only things that can take place at a wedding reception. Infuse your own hobbies into the evening’s agenda. Are you an artist? Draw a coloring book page for guests to fill in and write well-wishes on in lieu of a traditional guest book. Enjoy line dancing? Hire a caller to teach the basics and get all your guests doing the Cotton Eye Joe. Mid-afternoon wedding? Have bocce and croquet set up in an open space during cocktail hour.
FAVORS – Favors are the perfect vehicle to leave a lasting impression on your guests. Make it one that reminds them specifically of the people that just got married. I worked at a bakery that made delicious brown butter sea salt cookies. I replicated the cookies {recipe here on my own blog} and made several batches to put in mini mason jars for our favors. Our guests got a taste of my past and a sweet treat to remember the evening. How about a $3 gift card to your favorite coffee shop? That should cover most of a coffee and isn’t much more expensive than other popular favors. Do you both enjoy games? Send all your guests home with a deck of cards or a peg board game.
These ideas are not comprehensive by far, but I hope they spark your imagination. Every aspect of your wedding can say something generic or say something specific about you and your spouse-to-be. Whether it’s the way you decorate or what you feed your guests, little choices can turn a wedding into YOUR wedding.
