Enjoy these tips from GetMarried.com!!
Personalize your Programs
Use this opportunity to have some fun and introduce your guests to the people in your life. Write a brief story about each member of your bridal party. Tell guests how much you appreciate their attendance. Share some fun photos from your engagement session and perhaps tell the story of your engagement. The possibilities are endless. Fill your pages with personal stories and messages to keep your guests entertained while they wait for the magic moment.
Favors that you favor
Select a favor that is meaningful to you as a couple. Ensure your guests enjoy and remember your event by selecting something that speaks to you. This doesn’t have to be an object if nothing comes to mind. A donation to a charity close to your heart, or an element of the décor guests can take with them will remind them of the thought you put into your event.
Play Lists
Whether you’ve got a big band, a club dj, or an ipod playing your tunes, it’s important to consider the audience at the event, but more so what you and your new husband like. Personalities shine on a dance floor, and when you are comfortable, having fun, and enjoying your genre of music, the party’s energy level will heighten.
Dessert
If you opt for a traditional wedding cake, order a groom’s cake for your fiancé to enjoy. A southern tradition becoming more popular in other parts of the country, it’s a great way to include the groom. Design something that is perfectly representative of him and he’ll not only appreciate the gesture, but your guests won’t forget it either. If you host a dessert bar, select items from your childhood, the region you wed in, or sweets that are special to you, and involve your guests in every experience and selection you make.
Centerpiece and Tabletop Décor
Consider sourcing your tabletop décor in your own home. Incorporate family napkins, vessels for your flowers from containers in your home, or table runners that belong to your grandparents. Mix in that hint of something personal to an otherwise rented table and your guests will enjoy the connection (and conversation piece.)
Place cards and Table Numbers
An obvious choice to adapt your reception to fit your style. Name your table numbers after locations of dates you went on together, of photos of the two of you, or some of your favorite things in life, just about anything that gets people talking and thinking about you. For place cards, decorate with a theme that fits your event, whether it be a sunset-colored palette that corresponds with your beach photos as table numbers, or mini envelopes designed to match your menus perfectly.
Custom Lighting or Lettering
Companies such as Wonderful Wedding Graffiti can provide you with a custom monogram for your dance floor or love poem to temporarily place over the fireplace mantle in your ballroom. Gobos can also provide custom floral motifs on the walls of your reception venue or your initials on the dance floor. The options are endless and enhance the environment of your event with that extra personal touch.
Include your Pet
If you have a favorite four-legged friend or beautiful bird, consider incorporating them into your ceremony for that extra special meaning for the two of you (don’t forget to check with your venue’s restrictions and possible limitations before asking man’s best friend to be the best man.)
Invite Right
When designing your wedding invitations, it’s important to keep in mind the formality of your event. If you’re hosting a black tie affair, getting too creative might not be right, so spice it up with a custom wedding map to guide guests to the ceremony site. Use icons to represent places of importance to you and invite them to share in your experiences. If your event allows for a more playful invitation, design accordingly! Be colorful, be creative, and be unique. If scuba diving is your favorite past time and your event is a destination one, box up two scuba toys and place send away with your wedding details. Guests will not soon forget such a treat!
Ceremony Service
Writing your own vows will no doubt involve your guests in your experience. But if you’re not comfortable with this, that’s okay too. Bring in a creative element that causes you to interact in other ways. A song sung by your best friend, washing of each other’s feet on the beach, painting two sides of a heart to connect one another, having each of your bridesmaids and groomsmen light a candle or add to a floral arrangement. Anything that breaks up the formality of a ceremony can bring guests back into the moment and make for an unforgettable experience for the two of you.
Accessorize
A little fashion flare can make a bold statement at your event. Whether you opt for a pair of powder blue shoes under that beautiful ballgown or a purple sash on your dress. Perhaps a monogrammed umbrella, a splash of color somewhere, a hint of personality, or an added unexpected accessory for you or your bridal party. Any of these elements can spice up your event and stand out in the crowd.
Entertain while you dine
Photo montages are a popular way to entertain your guests during dinner. Project photos of your courtship, your entire lives, or even a video montage of your travels together. Consider having some fun with it and involve your bridal parties in the taping of such footage, and share the planning process with your loved ones. No matter what you screen, your guests will appreciate that extra something during a sometimes otherwise dull dinner hour.
Cheers,
Andrea
