Every couple dreams of pulling off the “wedding of the century.” But, an epic wedding takes a fair amount of hard work. There are months of planning and countless stressful nights to create a day of memories that will last a lifetime. Are you making the right choices to ensure your wedding ceremony and reception stand out from the crowd? Or are you quietly fitting in with the rest of the wedding pack?

No couple should ever have to worry about whether or not their wedding is unapologetically them or stress out that the day goes off without a hitch. They also shouldn’t be anxious about keeping their guests occupied with “wow” moments. You have a wedding planner for just that reason!

The role of your wedding planner is to reduce stress around all of the details of planning your logistics and coordinating your vendors. Your planner can help you really customize and make your wedding details intentional to your love story. One of the most effortless conversations to have with your planner is about adding moments of surprise and delight. These moments can help to entertain your guests and give them a long-lasting impression.

One way one of my past couples created a delightful detail was when they personalized their reception table numbers to be the different years of their relationship, which was over 10 years! On each table number sign, they included a short story of their relationship during the indicated year and it included or related to the guests who were seated at that particular table. It was a pleasant surprise and nice touch to their personalized reception. The guests loved it! You could also make each table named after cities you’ve visited together or experiences you’ve had together.

Here are just a few others ways that you can start planning “outside the box” and add a bit of surprise and delight into your wedding day:

Dream Up A Memorable Entrance

They say first impressions are everything, so why not make your wedding stand out right from the get-go? Grand entrances can be an impressive experience for both the couple and their wedding guests. Say you want to entice your guests as they enter the venue space. You can opt to entertain them with live musicians or other performers lining the walkways to their designated tables or seating areas. The newlyweds’ dramatic introduction can happen at either the ceremony or the reception (or both if you’re feeling fancy).

Another way to make a memorable entrance is by going over-the-top to introduce the happy couple and their wedding party. Try and recreate elements of your love story. Think of creative and unique ways to highlight how you met, your favorite activities to do together, or anything in-between.

My favorite way to kick off the reception is to have a grand entrance with music that represents your love story leading into your first dance as husband and wife. It is such a sweet way to hint at your love story and begin your lives together on the dancefloor together.

Raise The Bar With Luxury Decor

No matter your budget, you can easily elevate the reception space with luxurious decor. Your design elements can be something as simple as colored glassware or textured linen tablescapes to more off-the-wall and adventurous endeavors such as hanging installations or over-the-top light shows with accompanying music. These lush elements can help set the mood for the reception and put guests in the right vibe and headspace for the event.

Especially in a ballroom setting for the reception, lighting can be extremely overlooked. Lighting can set the mood and highly elevate a ballroom space. Along with tall floral centerpieces or upgraded linens or chairs, there are many ways to raise the bar when it comes to your reception.

Craft Different Scenes Utilizing Guest Interests

Storytelling is a great way to bring your wedding to life. Every couple has a unique journey, whether it’s your family history or your extraordinary love story. Either of these can easily be divided up into stations or design elements. For example, you can use your favorite drinks to customize your bar or drink stations! Maybe the Groom loves beer and the Bride is more of a mixed drink gal. Hire a customizable tap truck and another bubbly cart to represent yourselves and your love story. Everyone loves a his and hers station.

Want to incorporate both partner’s family history and culinary traditions into your wedding menu? Try dividing each cuisine type into a section of the room and scatter in tidbits of family tradition and history throughout the tablescapes, whether that be through decor or wedding favors. You can even incorporate different traditional desserts into a dessert bar to even further represent your families coming together.

Another way to break up your reception into stations is by dedicating each station to an era of your love. You can include era-centric favors or photobooth apparel and pair it with a specialty cocktail or appropriate hors d’oeuvre. Guests will love these customizations, and it really helps them learn more about you both and fully dive into your love story.

With your wedding just a few short months away, don’t hesitate to reach out to your planner and start a conversation that can lead to the “wow factor” your wedding deserves. Coming up with wedding ideas can be hard when you have never planned a wedding before! Utilize your planner for ways to customize and make your wedding stand out from the rest. Contact us today to plan your wedding to be uniquely you!

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