Ideas to Stand Out
There’s nothing more exciting than attending a wedding that has a style that exudes personality. After attending a few weddings, you may notice they all start to feel the same (albeit different colors and different couples). Making your wedding stand out isn’t as hard as you think. If you don’t want to have a cookie-cutter wedding, read on for some stand out inspiration!
1) Using an Engagement Signing Book
Choose a much more exciting way to hold on to your guests well-wishes. Most guest books end up shoved in a drawer somewhere, and they’re quickly forgotten. They most likely won’t see the light of day again except when you move to a new place.
A much more exciting way to hold on to the kind words of your guests is to use an engagement signing book. These types of books are albums made up of your engagement photos. There are large margins leaving plenty of room for writing. A book like this is perfect for a coffee table, or at the very least, to be placed on your favorite bookshelf. Forgotten guest book no more!
(We love creating these, even if we didn’t photograph your engagement session. Just contact us, and we will create one for you!)
2) Hire a Live Painter
This trend is so exciting! I not only have a friend who commissioned an artist to do this for their wedding, but I have an incredibly talented friend who is an artist for hire! Live painting is amazing to watch, and it gives you something from your wedding to take home immediately. Your guests will undoubtedly stare in amazement, and check-in as the painting progresses through the reception.
If you’re in the Columbia, South Carolina area, check out the work of my talented friend Laura Day. I know she can capture your evening in a truly beautiful way!
3) Give Guests Coasters for Dancing
This has got to be one of the best ideas I’ve seen when it comes to wedding receptions. Sure, it’s nothing over-the-top, but it saves you/your guests TONS of money regarding beverages. All-to-often guests get up to hit the dance floor and the wait staff does their job of clearing plates/glasses. Little did they know you weren’t actually done with your drink. Custom coasters can be easily designed and ordered online. Your guests just place it over their glass, and they can go bust a move knowing their drink will be there when they need to take a sip!
4) To-Go Cake Boxes
It’s staggering how many weddings end with the caterer tossing out most of a wedding cake. Do your money justice, and give your guests a sweet treat to enjoy at their leisure. I SO wish I had thought of this for my own wedding. There are many different designs and shapes available online. It’s worth the few extra bucks in our opinion!
5) Use a Wedding Instagram Hashtag
This is one of the most recommended ways to make your wedding stand out in 2019. Creating your own hashtag is easy! There are many hashtag generators out there that take your names and generate ideas. Some do have a small cost, but there are many that are free! (Here’s one to check out!) Using a custom hashtag allows your guests to upload all of the selfie snapshots and more under one name. After the wedding you can enjoy surfing through everything that most likely went by in a blur!
6) Play the “Shoe Game”
When it comes to things I wish I did at my wedding, this one is near the top of the list. This game is SO fun, and is sure to leave everyone in stitches! If you’re not familiar, the shoe game is defined by holidappy.com in these easy steps:
- The bride and groom are seated on chairs in the middle of the venue, back-to-back.
- Both the bride and groom remove their shoes and exchange one so that they are both holding one of each shoe. The bride will have one of her shoes and one of her partner’s shoes. The groom will have one of his shoes and one of his partner’s shoes.
- During the game, a series of questions are asked, and the answer is either “the bride” or “the groom.” The bride and groom answer by holding up the shoe of the correct answer. For instance, if the question was “Who usually cooks breakfast” and the answer is the groom, they should both hold up the groom’s shoes.
- The game usually lasts about 10 minutes with a series of 20-30 questions being asked.
Be sure to visit their link for a list of questions, and other fun wedding games! Your wedding will stand out in the minds of your guests for sure!
7) Create an Anniversary Piñata
I’ve never attended a wedding with one of these, but it sounds like great fun for a first anniversary! Have your guests write jokes, a message, encouragement, or a prediction and slip it into the piñata. You get to “pop” it open on the first anniversary!
8) Provide Pre-Ceremony Cocktails
This will take your guests by surprise, and send a clear message that this is a PARTY! We photographed a wedding recently that offered champagne with raspberries to the guests as they arrived for the ceremony. Needless to say, it was a HIT. A few guests came back for 2nd’s before the event started! Haha!
9) Sneak in Valet Gifts
Talk about taking your wedding to a whole new level! While everyone is enjoying the festivities, have the valet drivers leave thank you gifts in each car. They can be anything from savory midnight snacks, to high-quality soaps (great for if you’re having an out of town wedding, because no one likes the hotel’s soap!), to eye-masks and a “sleep tight” note! Your guests will feel taken care of, and they will surely love the surprise!
10) Hire a Food or Beer Truck
Providing yummy foods via a food truck will be a welcomed surprise! As the party continues late into the evening, filling, savory foods hit the spot!
If you’re really wanting to kick the party into high gear, and help support local breweries, hire a beer truck! We photographed a wedding where the bride and groom decided to use this instead of serving beer from the bar. It was busy all evening, until the taps ran out! This is just another easy way to make your wedding stand out from the rest, and potentially save you money!
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Interested in having us photograph your wedding? Contact us!
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