As a professional wedding coordinator, I have seen today’s couple really want to incorporate special & unique touches throughout their wedding that really gives off a “WOW” factor to their guests. For some it starts with the save the dates or even how they tell everyone, “We’re getting married.” Eighteen years ago when I got engaged I did it the old fashion way, I called everyone. Now couples might take a cute picture with a caption “I said yes!” (Photograph from Brit+Co) and share on Instagram or Facebook.
Save the dates can be really creative too. Carlson Craft carries hundreds of choices. Some of the most unique I found were puzzle save the dates, save the dates made out of wood and a streamer save the dates. Too cute!
Another way couples can show their personalities, have some fun & be creative, keep organized, and inform guests about wedding news is with their wedding website. Many of the wedding websites such as The Knot, mywedding.com and weddingwire.com offer wedding websites for their couples to create and have fun.
For the ceremony, I have seen many brides incorporate special brooches, charms, candles, and pictures of loved ones that have passed away. This past bride of mine added a charm to her bouquet with a picture of her grandmother. This was so special to her. She was very emotional the first time she saw it. Programs are another idea to really say whatever you like and thank those that helped with the wedding planning (or in life). Why not turn your program into a bookmark, that way your guests will save it and use it over and over again. Carlson Craft offers lots of great program ideas as well. (top photo provided by Mint Photography)
What about the reception? Where do I even begin. There are so many personalized touches you can do throughout the reception. Since I have a marketing degree and love to design, I’ve personalized candy labels for candy bars, water station personalized signs, Mr. and Mrs. signature drink signs, table numbers, place cards, invitations, etc. for my couples. Most of the time I didn’t even charge them. I just love doing it! Here are some other great ideas to personalize your reception:
- Create your own monogram and display it through a gobo (a large lighted image on the wall or ground)
- Use a special picture that is meaningful to you for your gobo (I recently had a bride use stars for the ceiling of her tent to symbolize the stars in the sky on a family ranch where she had the reception)
- Instead of just using numbers for the tables incorporate words, phrases, food, etc. that is meaningful to the both of you. One of my past couple’s used cities that they have traveled together to as their table designation.
- Party favors have become very personalized these days with koozies, coasters, favor boxes, candy labels, cookies, ribbon, tags & seals used for bags, etc. With every wedding I coordinate I always see so many different and create ideas. Here are a few from my past brides.
With a little creativity, a special memory you want to share with others, and websites like Pinterest, you can easily personalize your wedding in extraordinary ways. It is endless! You can go to my Pinterest boards to see lots of great ideas there too! If you need help planning your wedding please contact me. I am very creative and we could work together in creating special personalization throughout every aspect of your wedding. Trudy Scott, Royalty Event Parties, 210-595-9263, http://www.RoyaltyEventParties.com
Recently, I just finished coordinating a beautiful fall outdoor ranch wedding outside of San Antonio, Texas. The planning had taken over a year by the bride and I was hired about 3 months out to coordinate the day of. The ranch she had her reception at was originally owned by her grandfather who had passed away. He had wished for one of his grandchildren to have their reception there and his wish came true! It was a really special day for the entire family.
My bride was very DIY when it came to décor. She had a vision in her head and knew to make it just the way she wanted she needed to create it herself. If you are crafty I say, “Go for it!” You can save a lot of money and get exactly what you want by making it yourself. But, please give yourself extra time to do this. Even with all her planning, well in advance, she was still scrambling for help the night and morning of trying to complete her projects. Who wants to stress that close to their wedding? You can also hire a wedding coordinator to assist you in these tasks at hand.
Be sure to book your vendors well in advance (6-8 months) and be sure to follow up at least 1 month prior to ensure your order is correct. Two weeks before the wedding, we learned that the bathroom company didn’t have her order on file for some reason and we were frantically trying to ensure having a bathroom even up to 2 days prior to the reception. There are so many items to figure in when having a wedding on a ranch with nothing but land. Here are several points to remember:
There’s a lot to consider, isn’t there? Don’t forget to prepare for the weather and have heaters/fans/additional tents on standby so they are available to you if needed. If you wait until the last minute they will be rented out and then what will you do?
Make sure you get every business transaction in writing. This is very crucial! I had a bride, in the past, that hired a mariachi band for her ceremony and cocktail hour. I asked her for the contract so I could review it and she hadn’t signed one. They said they were good for it. WRONG! I insisted she get something in writing from them. They put together a vague one page sheet and guess what….they couldn’t do the ceremony at the last minute. It ended up working out after she said she wouldn’t use them at all if they didn’t come to the ceremony. However, their contract didn’t outline each and every location of service. She asked for a more detailed contract and could never get one from them. Be sure all specifics are laid out in the contract in writing! If they don’t offer you a contract then walk away!
Read the fine print. Inquire about additional fees they might be trying to sneak in. If you do not agree with them then ask that they be taken off. Most vendors will want your business and be open to this. Also be sure that all the details of their service and what was agreed upon is stated in the contract. I had a bride attend a bridal show and sign a lengthy & well drawn out contract that day so she would receive the show special, a free keg. The day of the wedding there was no keg and I asked where it was. They were not aware of the keg because they had failed to mention the show special on the contract and had forgotten it. They ended up running to the store and bought canned beer instead.