Wedding Details

Four ways to incorporate your personalities into your big day

By Jake Cathers

Looking for that special detail to help your wedding stand out is as simple as starting with you. Your wedding day should be a blank canvas that represents you and your future spouse: Your family, your values and morals, what is important to you. Look to all of your senses to engage your guests. Find a way to connect with them, show them why you are special, why you want them to celebrate with you. Sight, sound, touch and taste all come in to play.

The venue, both for the ceremony and the reception, will set the tone for the rest of the evening. Lighting, decor, seating and anything else your guests see will help form their memory of your special day. The setting is usually the starting place, but certainly not the only detail that connects you to your family and friends.

It might be your wedding favor that people will remember, like a custom brewed IPA or homemade limoncello, bottled and labeled with your names and wedding date. It might be how you give back to your community. Many couples are choosing to forego traditional gifting, opting instead to make a donation to a charity or cause, from the wedding registry itself to favors and bridal party gifts. It’s a fulfilling way for couples to start their relationship, while personalizing the wedding and sharing their passions with family and friends.

Guests will surely remember the food. There is an emotional connection to the taste and quality of your dinner and hors d’oeuvres. A signature cocktail, a special twist on a traditional meal, how much you offer and how it is presented all impact our guest’s experience.

Your music playlist is important too, as it sets the tempo and flow of the evening, and helps tell your story. You want to get people up and moving, hopefully dancing, so choose songs that speak to your story, but not the same music heard at every other wedding. More now than ever, couples are relying on the creative talents of the band or DJ to read the crowd and respond to its excitement.

With all of these ways to tell your story, have a little fun. Stay on budget, be creative, and remember to breath.