Las VegasThe creative wedding is all about personal touches—those special elements that set your celebration apart from every other couple's. It may mean a little more work for you in the beginning, but the payoff at the end can be tremendous. You will have succeeded in putting together a day that truly reflects who you are as individuals and as a couple. And the result will be as personal as it is unforgettable. You will find some fabulous ideas as you read through this book. For specific ideas check out the chapters on flowers, music, long-weekend weddings, theme weddings, and more. The details can make all the difference in your day. Here are some small ideas that can be incorporated into almost any style of wedding. This chapter shows you ways to take what you love in life (or about each other) and turn it into fabulous wedding ideas and memories. Incorporating Your Interests A couple's hobbies, interests—even their love of sports—can be used creatively to personalize their day. Think about what you and your fiancé love to do in your free time. Is there anything there that can be used for a party or theme? What about for decorating? Consider the way you and your groom spend your time. Does he love building model ships? Do you sail or windsurf? Consider a nautical wedding theme. Are either of you avid golfers? Show your style with a wedding at a country club overlooking the 18th hole. Plan on a day of golf the day before the wedding and give out tees with your names and wedding date printed on them. Tennis buff? Why not marry in June, with a Wimbledon theme. Strawberries and cream for everyone! The score will always be love–love. Is rock climbing your thing? Imagine a beautiful illustration of a mountain expanse behind the words of your invitation—something about the heights this love has taken you. A mountaintop ceremony could be followed by a reception a little closer to earth (for guests who prefer it down there).
3.1. Is golfing your bag? Why not get married at a country club and have your photographs done on the green? ®Monkmeyer/Ploeger ![]() 3.2. No matter what your hobby, there's a way to make it part of your day. © Index Stock/Chris Briscoe ![]() Even if your hobby is more sedentary, you can find ways to make it work at your wedding. Suppose a bride and groom love reading books. Could this be reflected in their day? Absolutely! The bride might present her groom with a special gift of antique books. Guests could receive beautiful bookmarks with the bride and groom's names and wedding date printed on it. Everyone could take a tour of a beautiful library-museum, such as the Morgan Library in New York City. Instead of being numbered, tables at the reception could be named after favorite books or beloved authors.
You may be young, but already you and your fiancé probably have lots of history behind you. Some of the personal aspects of your relationship—how you met or what the two of you love to do together—can give you some great creative ideas. Delve into your past as a couple. Did you two first meet at summer camp when you were nine? So maybe you didn't know back then that this was the man of your dreams (in fact, you only remember him as the crazy kid who ate 24 marshmallows at one campfire sitting), but now that you are getting married, it may make a fun reference. Perhaps you can all sing the camp song at the reception. (Give the band the music in advance.) If you met at college, you might want to take a trip down memory lane by toasting in champagne glasses engraved with your college emblem. Many couples who meet in college actually like to return to the campus for the ceremony. University chapels can be a lovely setting for a wedding. A few college songs sung at the reception (perhaps by an a cappella campus group) can round out your reminiscence. Were you a cheerleader for his football team back in high school? How about a witty arrangement of flowers in a football helmet? A game of touch football for guests the day before the wedding? A casual rehearsal dinner held in a sports bar with big-screen TVs? Did the two of you meet on a blind date? At the rehearsal dinner, have a blind seating arrangement. Guests pick a table number out of a hat and sit with whoever else is there. Alternatively, make everyone find a seating partner by cutting a deck of cards in half and asking each guest to pick up a card and then go and search for his mate. An added benefit: Everyone will be forced to make a new friend! Perhaps you fell in love with the help of the Internet. Set up a Web page to keep guests posted on your wedding plans. Send invitations you designed yourself on your computer. E-mail guests with your wedding news. Did one of you grow up on a farm, the other in the city? Offer a few special guests a bandana in a Tiffany's bag. Run a tape of Green Acres in an anteroom during the reception. Decorate your glittery city-slicker reception site with a few bales of hay. 3.3. There's no better way to mark the occasion then going back to where it all began. If you met in a unique spot that's special to you and your fiancé, add it in to the festivities. ®Richard B. Levine ![]() Reel Love: Turning to Your Favorite Movies for Creative Ideas Since movies are a favorite venue for the dating crowd, you and your groom may well have a few movies you remember with special fondness. If you're a real movie buff, or have fallen in love with a particular movie (or with each other at a particular movie), you might consider incorporating movie memories into the theme of your wedding. Perhaps, like most of America, you were swept away by Titanic. The romance! The adventure! Consider marrying on a cruise ship in turn-of-the-century dress. Romantic music from the movie could be played at the reception. In fact, many favorite movies have wonderful music soundtracks that you can incorporate into your day. What's your favorite? Little touches here can be amusing (almost secretive) reminders of intimate cinematic moments you and your groom share. From It's a Wonderful Life—bells can decorate a tree at a Christmas reception. From Back to the Future—a Delorean can whisk you away from the ceremony to the reception. From Cinderella—a horse and carriage ride is a must. From The Wizard of Oz—the flower girl can carry an adorable (and hopefully extremely well-behaved) terrier down the aisle in a basket instead of flowers. Use your imagination.
Wedding Classics of Film
In the mood to watch others getting hitched? See if you can find and rent the following movies. Now that you're a bride yourself you'll have a greater appreciation for the fashion, the flowers, the venues. At a long weekend or honeymoon wedding, when you and your guests have more time together, there are more ways to incorporate the fun of movies into your celebration. For example, the two of you might want to share comedy classics with your guests one evening before the wedding with a showing of old Abbott and Costello or Marx Brothers features. Play a trivia game related to the movies. The prize? A bicycle horn, of course! If it's going to be a Star Trek night instead, play Star Trek Trivia and make the prize a replica of the starship Enterprise. Star Trek attire is appropriate. Go where no couple has gone before! Serve Mars bars and decorate tables with silver lamé tablecloths. Guests can toast to the bride and groom with, May they live long and prosper! (According to Off The Beaten Aisle: America's Quirky Spots to Tie the Knot by Lisa Primerano [Citadel Press, 1998], one couple actually had a Star Trek theme wedding in a Las Vegas chapel, complete with swirls of white fog, squeaking tribbles, wedding vows in which they promised to "care for each other when your dilithium crystals are low," an assortment of crew members, and Captain "Quirk" officiating.)
The point is to have some fun, make your day personal, and remember the things you share. Let your love speak! You Say Potato...Celebrating Your Differences When two different cultures meet, the results can be electric. And all those interesting differences can give a couple some wonderful ideas for celebrating. Can Italian antipasto, Chinese dumplings, Spanish music, English tea, Russian wedding rings, and a Saki toast really all coexist happily at the same event? Certainly, most couples don't have quite that many different cultures to incorporate into their weddings, but if they did, they could probably find a way to handle it all. With a little planning, anything is possible! See Chapter 14 for a more complete look at the many and varied cultural and ethnic wedding traditions that exist.
A beautiful huppah (canopy) used in Jewish ceremonies can be held over the couple and their family, even in a mixed religion marriage. A historic Ketuba (Jewish marriage contract) can be turned into a work of art for both families to enjoy. A bride can wear an ornate, silk Indian sari worked with gold thread to a Western wedding. To honor an Austrian heritage, fiddlers can lead the wedding procession (an early nineteenth-century custom). A wonderful place to include ethnic and cultural touches is in the food. Italian wedding knots (Farfalette dolci) can be placed on a dessert table; Mexican wedding cookies (pastelitos de boda) can make a delicious favor. If your family has a special favorite or an old family recipe for a traditional dish, discus it with your caterer or bridal consultant to see whether it can be offered at your reception.
The Crazy Quilt Quilts have long been a symbol of love and comfort. With many colorful pieces stitched together into a single piece, the quilt can also be a symbol of the family and friends united on one special day to bless the union of two people. The quilt can be included as a personal touch and kept as a lasting memento. Think about asking friends and family members to supply you with one square each for a quilt. Give exact measurements so that everyone's square is the same size. Guests can supply an unadorned piece of fabric, or better yet come up with a lovingly designed square (two appliquéd oars crossed over each other, to remember a canoeing weekend you shared, for example). Later, all the squares can be stitched together to make a fabulous wall hanging in your new home. If a large quilt seems too ambitious, think about a smaller, more manageable quilting project, such as a pillow case cover, or for a Christmas wedding, a quilted Christmas tree skirt that could be passed down for generations. A simple quilt that involves little advance preparation can be created during the reception itself. Leave pieces of fabric out on a table, allowing each guest to choose his or her own. With indelible ink pens in a variety of colors, guests can sign their names or add a goodwill message. These squares can later be stitched together to form a lovely collection of memories. For more about quilting ideas and practical advice, read The Complete Idiot's Guide to Quilting by Laura Ehrlich (Alpha Books, 1998).
What makes your wedding different from anyone else's? The guests, of course. The guest book is one time-honored tradition you may wish to incorporate into your creative wedding. A guest book can lovingly record who is in attendance, and their wishes for you. It makes a charming and sentimental keepsake. Begin by purchasing a beautiful guest book in white satiny fabric or leather—or decorate the cover of a hardbound blank book, if that's your style. Place the book where it is accessible to all your guests. You might even post a couple of teenagers nearby to remind guests to "please sign in."
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