Throw a party that truly reflects the two of you! We've found 50 creative ways to celebrate your unique sense of style.
By: Rachel Griffiths
Décor Dos
27. The color scheme you choose for your wedding should have personal significance, says Hotchkiss, who recently designed a silver-and-red wedding theme based on a painting done by the bride's father. "Her dad had passed away, and this was a way for her to feel like he was part of the wedding," she explains. An image of the painting was also featured on the couple's invitations and wedding website.
28. "Table runners, which were popular 40 years ago, are back in style," reports Hotchkiss. So, raid your families' closets for heirloom linens to use on the escort-card, cake and head tables.
29. Your heritage might be a great source of inspiration for your décor. For the recent wedding of a Korean bride, David worked with a floral designer to create duck-shaped decorations made of flowers. "Ducks are a popular wedding icon in Korea," he explains. A couple with French roots who are planning a honeymoon in the south of France might feature details typical of that region, like its distinctive blue and yellow linens and centerpieces of lavender.
30. "Pull together your entire wedding by putting a monogram combining your first initials on all your paper goods, like your invitations, wedding programs, cocktail napkins and menus," suggests Allen.
31. Did your great-grandmother make a quilt you treasure? Do you still have your baby blanket? A special item like these might make the perfect accessory at a casual outdoor wedding.
32. Rather than having table numbers, designate tables using the names of your favorite flowers, great cities the two of you have visited together, and so on.
33. Instead of escort cards, write guests' names on stones from a place that's special to you. For a bride and groom from Lake Tahoe , Hotchkiss wrote people's names in silver ink on rocks taken from the couple's property.
34. A neat twist on the monogram idea is to create a wedding "emblem," says David. A favorite flower, a nautical symbol (like an anchor), a family crest—almost anything can be used as a unique design element.
35. During your first dance, project favorite photos of yourself and your groom on the wall behind your band—like that shot of him as a five-year-old in a Batman cape or the one of you as a toddler stuffing cake into your mouth.
