The wedding industry has become a billion dollar business and understandably so…nearly every little girl dreams of that day in her life. It is a day that you hopefully will only do once, and one that should be remembered as one of the best days of your life. That said, with all of the weddings happening every weekend things are generally very similar. I want to talk about how you can create a unique wedding.
Step One: Don’t be afraid to do something unusual. Remember people go to several weddings a year and most of them would look forward to a wedding that was different and creative. For example…create a way for your guests to participate in your special day. Give them an experience. Do hot air balloon rides, let each guest make a page in the sign in book, have a contest to see who can decorate their hat the best using only the provided items, play limbo, poker, or twister, take a boat ride, go to the top of a mountain, have a winter wedding and go skiing, hire a band that has a great feel (80’s, nerds) something that helps with the feel and setting of your wedding.
Step Two: Be sure that the wedding is infused with your personalities…show something that the two of you love to do. If it is karoke do it, if it is movies play movie trivia, fishing have unique place settings that represent that part of your life. Have a theme…could be anything…use old cameras as the center pieces, books, whatever and call it vintage. The more original you get with the things in your wedding the more the wedding will be remembered and take on its own feel. The experience can start with the invite or save the date…get them talking about your special day..figure out a way for guests to interact with your card. Scavenger hunt, prize…anything that goes along with the ideas behind your personal wedding.
Step Three: Hire a planner…find someone who can help you bring your dreams to life. If your dreams were to have a princess wedding than let the planner help you incorperate all the details to really enhance that mood at the wedding.
Step Four: Discuss your personality and ideas for the wedding with your photographer. Allow time for them to create a scene that portrays the two of you. Often these are funny ideas but because of their uniqueness they become art pieces for your wall. Be different…everyone has similar wedding images. Hire me to present you with an image that no other wedding would have, one that is a talking piece for years to come, and one that really brings the two of you to life. Maybe it has something to do with how you met, maybe it is something you both love to do, maybe it is based around your honeymoon. Lets make art that no other wedding has.
Step Five: Props…be it photo booth props, costumes for the entertainment at your wedding, or even just odd shoes for the women and crazy striped sox for the men. These things make people smile and laugh and that is something you want to do a lot of on your wedding day.
If you do any or all of these your wedding will stand out to others and really be a representation of you. Throwing a great party is one of the main reasons (besides the importance of marriage through the church) that we continue with these traditions. Think outside the box for your guests. It will not only make for a fun experience but you are sure to have amazing images from your photographer because of it. As long as people are experiencing, or interacting these images wont even take long to get. The idea is to photograph the wedding as it unfolds…to take the formals quickly, and to be enjoying the day as we go along…this way you have amazing images and have fun making them.
For ideas check out Real Simple Magazine, and Offbeat Bride.