by Karen Nesbitt
A wedding exemplifies a connection between two people that is unlike any other. To personify that uniqueness, you can weave your own touches into your special day. Personalizing your wedding reflects the fact that it is just that — your wedding! Here are some creative, romantic, loving, and fun ways to make it all about the two of you.
Pre-ceremony
Create a wedding logo. This can be a truly personal, permanent symbol of your union. You and your fiancé can create this together, having it represent a little bit of you both — your styles, your personalities — or it can reflect the location of your wedding, intertwining family crests, or one or more of your favorite things. In addition to unifying all of your printed materials, your logo can be incorporated into your cake design, your décor, and be embroidered on your ring pillow or the lining of your wedding dress.
Design your invitation to include poetry, quotations, art, or photographs of you and your fiancé.
Alongside the English text in your invitation and program, use your family’s native language, or that of your fiancé’s.
Have your maid of honor include in your shower invitation that guests make a donation to your favorite charity as your wedding gift, either in lieu of or in addition to including the traditional registry information.
At your rehearsal dinner, you could unite your guests by playing a trivia game with questions about you and your fiancé.
Ceremony
What better way to say “this is my day” than with your wedding attire? You can inject your outfit with subtle touches of your favorite color in a way that honors your personal style, such as on the bottom of your shoes, in a ribbon sash, in colored gemstones, through a subtle pattern in your pantyhose, or in a crinoline underskirt.
Or maybe you don’t like the formality of traditional garb. It’s your day, there are no rules! A cocktail-length dress may be an alternative that makes you feel comfortable and beautiful walking down the aisle. If traditional white or cream does not complement your skin, go with a color that does.
Choose a ceremony location you are passionate about. If you love the outdoors, your city’s botanical gardens, a beach, or a park are beautiful and cost-efficient choices, with free décor provided by Mother Nature. Love animals? Share your day with them by tying the knot at the zoo amphitheater. If you love the culture and elegance of a museum or art gallery, these spaces are great options that do not require much adornment to be truly impressive.
Consider a theme wedding. It’s a perfect opportunity to incorporate your personalities and passions into your special day. Tennis and boating buffs can opt for a country club wedding. If you have always wanted to be royalty for a day, grab your chance by planning a formal wedding, or be a different kind of royalty and go with the Hollywood glamour of yesteryear. You can theme it to reflect your love for art, a holiday, nature, sports, the Victorian era, Medieval Times, or center it around your most beloved movie or television show. The possibilities are endless, and the choice is yours!
There is no law that says your wedding must take place on a Saturday. Have it on the same day of the week that you met your fiancé, or on whatever day your favorite holiday falls.
Personalize your ceremony’s décor with objects that are meaningful to you, such as seashells from your grandparents’ beach home, roses from your favorite uncle’s beloved garden, or pine cones from the mountain log home that’s been in your family for generations.
Instead of the traditional guest book at the ceremony, have a caricature created of you and your fiancé that guests sign around.
If the season allows, include the bride’s and groom’s birth flowers in the floral arrangements. Instead of a ring pillow, you can opt for a vessel related to your wedding location, such as a seashell or a bowl engraved from wood that is native to the region, and retain it as a keepsake. If your family includes a beloved canine, honor him or her as your ring bearer.
Your program can include romantic notes written by you and your fiancé to each other, either in casual verbiage or by extracting them from your ceremony.
You can even personalize your wedding party. Many brides-to-be wish to have a male relative or friend stand up next to them. Ask him to be your “Man of Honor” or “Bridesman.” And, let your bridesmaids express their own personalities: after setting basic guidelines on color and style, let them choose an outfit that makes them feel at ease and self-assured.
Choose your favorite music for the processional, instead of the standards heard at most weddings.
Writing and speaking your own vows is a precious way to establish your lifetime bond. You will first want to consult with your clergy member on which words must be included for legal reasons. A great way to get started is to jot down three reasons why you love your fiancé, and the three most significant pledges you can make to her or him. You don’t have to be Cyrano de Bergerac; the sentiments at the heart of your words will come shining through. If you are not writing your own vows, ask the officiant to weave into the ceremony the story of how you met or of how you were courted.
Ask the clergy member to switch places during the ceremony so that you are facing your guests.
Post-ceremony
Personalize your getaway transportation. Ride down a river on an inner tube, hop on a “bicycle built for two,” commission a vintage taxi, or wave farewell from a boat.
You can work your heritage into your reception décor, and have an ensemble play traditional music from your family’s home country. Trip the light fantastic with a first dance that represents your ancestry.
When the members of your wedding party are announced, play part of a song for each person that is meaningful to your relationship with them.
Use a calligrapher to create your combined family tree, joining you and your spouse at the bottom, and display it at your reception.
Put on a slideshow of photos from your childhoods to present.
Make up your own names for the cocktails you serve, or create a signature drink named after you and your spouse. You can serve wines that were bottled in your birth years, with an explanation in a note at each table. Include a favorite recipe of your mother’s, aunt’s, or grandmother’s in your reception fare, and, if she doesn’t mind, give out her recipe with your favors.
Hand out scented soaps or small bottles of perfume in the same fragrance as the scented flowers in your wedding.
Send thank you cards adorned with a photo of yourselves from your wedding or reception.
Personalizing your wedding is a special way to recognize the uniqueness of your union. Expressing yourselves by honoring your personalities, interests, and traditions is a true celebration of the joining of your lives.
References:
http://weddings.about.com/od/traditionscolorsthemes/Personalize_your_Wedding_with_Traditions_Colors_and_Themes.htm
http://www.usabride.com/wedplan/a_vows.html
http://theknot.compuserve.com/ch_article.html?Object=A60802100830&keywordID=162&keywordType=2&parentID=527
http://www.brides.com/weddingstyle/traditions/feature/article/128349/
http://www.bridalguide.com/wedding-planning/article.cfm?aID=227
http://www.bestweddingarticles.com/Article/Personalize-Your-Wedding-Ceremony/1071
http://www.ehow.com/how_2031667_personalize-wedding-ceremony.html
http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/guides/wedding/reg_story.aspx?content_id=698b2326-cf5a-4cba-ade1-f69a0a9e1285
http://www.avery.com/us/Main?catalogcode=WEB01&action=idea.Idea&node=10195087&theme=Plan%20a%20special%20event
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