The key to a memorable wedding day is personalizing your event with food, fashion and decor. These three elements provide the foundation for your event to stand on to be truly unique, and you can let your creativity run free! These three focal points are important for any couple. When you know what kind of feeling you want to create for your guests, that’s when you spark those moments of pure genius!
When wedding planning with our couples, we always ask a series of questions to understand their personality so we can weave their stories into their day to make everything as memorable as possible! We ask questions like, when and where did you fall in love? Is there a particular time of year you find meaningful? What are your favorite memories with each other? Where do you have similarities and differences? Is there an unforgettable wedding you’ve attended that you would like to draw inspiration from?
These early conversations really give us a clear picture of who you are as a couple and what you value the most about your wedding, inspiring us within each of these categories!
Use fashion to reflect the spirit you are as a couple!
No matter what kind of wedding style you’re going for, the way you set the tone with your wedding wardrobe styling is a great way to see your wedding day theme come to life!
First focus your decision making around the season you’re hoping to get married and level of formality you are going for. Would you like more of a garden party wedding or a black tie affair? A small intimate gathering or something more lively, colorful and vibrant?
Fashion tip #1: Individualize
Make your wedding fashion styling guidelines more relaxed for the wedding party so they can wear something more unique and tailored to them. When your people feel their best, they look their best.
Fashion Tip #2: Appreciation
You can use color to reflect your culture and values, like our wedding with J & C, who incorporated red as their celebratory color in their wedding day by wearing two wedding dresses to represent their Chinese and American backgrounds.
Fashion Tip #3: Collaborate
The fashion choices you make on your wedding day can accentuate your entire day, where adding sweet little details can mean so much! Our Indian wedding party used Henna to bring their guests together, which created an overall celebratory mood for everyone and highlighted the Indian tradition of wishing the couple good luck in their marriage.
Fashion Tip #4: Relax
Consider what you want people to most remember about your wedding day. Do you want to use your color scheme and textures to tell the story about how fun and energetic you are as a couple? Tell your guests to dress their best in their most fun wedding day outfits that also reflect the season and you will amplify the good mood for everyone!
Decor is the other foundation of your wedding day style. With your wedding day decor, there are so many directions you can go. This is such an important first step to identify first what kind of energy you want your guests to feel when they walk into the space.
It’s all about the feeling you create from your wedding guest’s first impression to the very end of the night. From your save the dates and wedding invitations to your floral design, lighting and atmosphere, the decisions you piece together will become the frame that holds your entire day together. These are some of the most fun parts to discover, as you can truly get as creative as you want!
Decor Tip #1: First Impression
How you invite your guests to your wedding day should be a sneak peek of what they can expect to experience. You can get really creative with your save the dates & invitations, featuring watercolor images of your venue, a fun decorative envelope liner to give a sneak peek of your color scheme, or a personally written note.
The beauty really is in the details! Some couples incorporate a custom monogram, crest or icon as a lovely way to visually connect different components of the invitation suite as well as napkins, matchbooks and thank you notes. To balance with the rest of your signature look, you can add personal touches to your table markers, escort display menus and favors.
Decor Tip #2: Rentals
You can illustrate your theme even more with the china, flatware and glassware you choose to decorate your tablescape. Upon entering the reception, your table should give guests a warm sense of welcome and feelings of excitement and anticipation!
You could also rent gorgeous furniture vignettes, classic wood benches or upholstered vintage chairs to create the warm and inviting feeling you want. Some furniture rental companies provide rustic, romantic and vintage-chic styles, while others focus on more modern luxury and clean lines.
Decor Tip #3: Ambiance
If you want to create a warm wedding ambiance and inviting presence in your event space, florals and lighting will go a LONG way in delivering an unforgettable experience to your guests.
Your wedding’s floral design can consist of a variety of decor like an aisle runner, garlands for structures, potted flowers & plants, a ceremony alter, candle holders, lanterns, wreaths, centerpieces, cake flowers and tent decor to make your venue stand out.
The lighting you use on your wedding day is also essential to creating a great atmosphere. You could bring in disco balls, spotlights, paper lanterns, chandeliers and bistro lighting to create a fun atmosphere at your reception.
Decor Tip #4: Kinship
To bring everything back to the love between the two of you, focus on the feelings you have for each other and how you would like to share that with your guests.
To have guests feeling welcomed & entertained, you can bring in fun and games like sparklers, sign-in books, tarot card readings, a fire pit, trivia or a walking gallery of your relationship.
Instead of a classic photobooth, you can ramp up nostalgia with a caricature station, live painter, or polaroids on the tables. There are so many ways to reveal more of your personality on a wedding day, and these little activities are sure to be remembered.
Food is an amazing event category that really can go above and beyond for creating an impressive guest experience. Catering is really the heartbeat of your day, keeping things alive and moving as you get to feature all your favorite foods in the span of one day! Taking that into account, think about the kinds of food experiences you both love and how you would like to bring a certain level of service to your guests through a tasteful experience.
Food Tip #1: Seasonality
When choosing your wedding menu, consider what kind of foods are in season and what you would you like to have served. The availability of certain fresh foods are entirely dependent on the season you’re getting married, so consider featuring squash or fig in your menu in the fall or fresh vegetables in the spring. You can also tell your caterer about a beloved family recipe you would like to recreate to offer foods popular to your home or region.
Food Tip #2: Beverages
What your guests drink at your wedding is such a big part of what will be remembered, and there are really so many fun options to highlight! You can have a signature cocktail featuring your favorite furry friend, offer wine pairings, organize a champagne toast or display a welcome drink station before the ceremony. Whatever you do, make sure your guests have a refreshing and delicious drink to sip on throughout the day!
Food Tip #3: Interactive Stations
As amazing as a plated meal or buffet can be for your main course, many people also opt for a cocktail style reception where there are multiple stations for guests to choose from. This is a great way to add your personal flare to your wedding day, where you and your partner can highlight your own tastebuds!
Did someone say Happy Hour?!
If you love sushi, you could do a sushi station with a sushi roller, a Bao Bun Cart, Taco station, or a charcuterie board at cocktail hour to pair with the wine you are serving. Get creative!
Food Tip #4: Dessert
Everybody’s favorite part. Dessert! There is truly no wrong approach here, although there are definitely some stand out options you can choose to make dessert everyone’s favorite time of the night.
If you want something in addition of cake, try a dessert bar! Many caterers offer dessert bar options where guests can select multiple yummy treats to display like a fondue chocolate fountain or cookie/brownie bites. We’ve seen dessert stations like “Build Your Own Sundaes” or a Doughnut Wall that were a big hit! This is a great way to showcase you and your partners love for something sweet!
