How to reflect YOUR unique style:
What makes a reception memorable is NOT the amount of money you spend, but the little touches that make it unique.
- if you love to cook, compile a collection of your favorite recipes and give little recipe books as your favors.
- base the theme on where you served your mission. Incorporate the music, food, and culture of that place.
- This bride and groom loved to play SCRABBLE, so they incorporated it into their reception:
(Words of Wisdom at the typewriter "Guest Book", Eat Cake at the cake table, Cheers at the drink station, and bon apetite at the food station. (photos by You Look Nice Today Photography, Portland, Oregon) - have your reception at a venue that reflects your interests, talents, or occupation: a theater, library, museum, football field, etc.
- If your last name is a recognizable brand name, find a way to bring it into your wedding (like Jones sodas, Stewart's sodas, Hansen's sodas, Welch's grape juice, MacDonald's burgers (serve the kids Happy Meals!) , etc.
- A "Salute to Heroes" would work for a bride or groom who is in the military, law enforcement, or fire department.
- If your groomsmen come in a variety of sizes and shapes, play it up and have fun with it:
- Who says your groomsmen have to wear a tux?
This "preppy" look was photographed by Creative Photography
- For a groom who is a police officer, pile a three-tier cake server with DOUGHNUTS and call it the "groom's cake" Arrive or depart from the reception in a police car. Have the children in the family all wear sheriff badges
Groom's Cake (for police officer) Generic Groom's Cake for a baseball player
(Groom's cakes aren't used much anymore, but they are a great way to get more cake/dessert if you need it)
Ooooh - Ugly cake you say? It's NOT a cake...it's a PINATA!
They actually had a dessert table and displayed this cake separately.
Then hung it up and the Bride and Groom took turns bashing it open. What fun!
Who says the dresses and/or bouquets have to all be the same?
Photo by Rachel Thurston Photography
Who says the bouquets have to be flowers?
These giant pinwheels make a beautiful and unique alternative to traditional bridesmaid bouquets. You can get a set of 5 coordinating bridesmaid pinwheel bouquets in single or dual-tone from etsy.com You choose the color!
Choose solid, two-tone, or contact vendor for a custom listing with color coordinating prints and solids, as shown in these photos. Solid or dual colored are $10, patterned pinwheels are $15 each.
You or your bridesmaids could also carry lanterns (which would look pretty in photographs and then be hung to light the way to the reception)
There are also some cute ideas at jaimething.com (there are 5 pages of ideas- we love the hanging umbrellas)
Umbrellas can add great romance to your wedding photos. Our favorite shots were from Jessica and Hunter's wedding, photographed by Natalie Norton Photography. You can find more great ideas from their wedding planner's website: amorologyweddings.blogspot.com. (see one of our umbrella sources in right margin)
See both Jessica, and Kristin's wedding photos at amorolgy weddings
GARAGE SALES:
Don't underestimate the possibilities of GARAGE SALES. Our friend bought this string of lights for $9 and 20 paper umbrellas for $10 (not each - 20 for $10!). Don't count on being that lucky - but you never know what you may find. Brides have lots of leftovers after weddings and garage sales are a good way to get rid it.
Be creative with your lighting. This bride used baby food jars - attached wire to the rims, put a little sand in the bottom to keep them from swinging around in the wind, put votives in them, tied them with ribbons in her colors, and hung them in the trees. We love it.
The wedding party could pass out rice (or bird seed), rose petals, or bubble blowers, confetti, cans of silly string, or sparklers. These all look great in photos, but they have drawbacks: Rice & bird seed play havoc for photos, especially videos because the bride and groom have to shield their faces to keep the rice or seeds from getting in their eyes. Rose petals can stain carpets - use silk rose petals instead Bubbles can stain dresses Confetti is hard to clean up Sparklers can set things on fire (especially flammable fabrics like tuille and chiffon – you wouldn’t want to leave your reception in flames!)
Did you happen to see Trista and Ryan's wedding on TV? The guests held little sticks with
white fabric sashes at the tip and waved them as the couple left the alter. You could do that
as you leave your reception.For a really spectacular send off you could leave in a blaze of fireworks. Keep in mind, fireworks are not cheap and you will be required to have a fire marshall there all evening. is it really worth the cost when there's no one left to see you off? Most guests leave early! 
(We especially love the sparkler sendoff - courtesy of Birdsong Photography and the Polka Dot Bride)
When you are considering ways to depart, think about the venue; if you are at a golf club, you could depart in a golf cart, if you are at the beach, or a lake, you could depart in a boat, or jet ski (assuming you change out of your wedding dress!)
If you are at a mountain lodge in the winter, consider a sleigh, or just ski down the slope. Before you make plans for your
big departure, check with your reception venue to see if they have any restrictions.
(The bride is hugging her husband, the man in the pink suit is her "Bridesman" or "Man of Honor)
Bridesman and/or Groomswoman?
It has recently become acceptable and even trendy to invite a guy friend (or brother) to be a "bridesman," "male of Honor," or "man of honor;" and/or a female friend (or sister) of the groom to be a "groomswoman," "groomslady," or "best lady." This is perfectly acceptable - as long as you don't have them cross dress! The bridesman could wear a shirt and tie that match the bridesmaids. He would line up for photos along side the bridesmaids. The groomswoman could wear the same boutonniere as the groomsmen and pin it to her dress in the same spot (no bouquet). She would line up for photos with the groomsmen. Why not?
Personally, if the guy really is your best friend or brother, I prefer referring to him as your "Man of Honor" - perhaps taking the place of a "Maid of Honor." It will save him from having to go around all night saying, "I'm not gay - not that there's anything wrong with that."
Other HOT Trends:
1. "GREEN" weddings - I'm not talking about green bridesmaids dresses. I'm talking about making your wedding reception environmentally friendly. Use recycled paper for your invitations and thank you notes. Have the reception in an eco-friendly environment (your backyard, the beach, a park, a lake, the mountains, a garden restaurant). Use an organic caterer that serves chemically free organic food (consider vegan/vegetarian). Select a vintage wedding gown. Offer sustanible favors. Include eco-friendly items on your gift registry (air purifiers, etc.). Choose an eco-friendly location for your honeymoon (see a list of approved U.S. hotels at: itsagreenworld.com ) See our section on GREEN Weddings. For more ideas on how to have a "Green" wedding, go to marthastewartweddings.com/eco-friendly
2. Create a "signature drink" for your guests. Experiment with various fruit combinations in your color scheme to come up with a delicious punch and float one of your wedding flowers in the punch bowl.
3. Cake toppers are back in. Use a vintage topper (your mom's or grandmother's) or use a jeweled monogram.
4. Create a wedding website (that's the perfect place to include your gift registry). Talk about how you met, how he proposed, plans for the upcoming wedding, etc. You can build one for free (our favorite is ewedding.com) or there are plenty to choose from who charge a nominal fee (our favorite is weddingwindow.com).