I know January is when we write New Year’s Resolutions, but at least for me, the spring seems like when we really get started. Springtime is filled with new life, new plans, and new tips and tricks.

 

My inbox, social media feeds, and Google searches right now are filled with “best of” articles and lists. And since we don’t want to be left out of the popular crowd, so we’ve created another wedding planning tips list for you as you begin this new year (you know, in spring).

These ideas come directly from real brides and wedding guest attendees and were shared as advice for a bride-to-be in a Facebook group (isn’t that where we get all good ideas these days?).

Sweets & Treats

We’ll start with the very first thing I think about when I wake up each morning. Food. More importantly…

Sweets

Instead of having a traditional wedding cake, some brides suggest these alternatives.

• Candy bar
• S’mores bar
• Gelato or ice-cream cart
• Small cakes (different flavors) for every table
• Dessert bar
• Pie bar
  • This one gave me all the feels. One bride’s husband-to-be didn’t like cake so they asked their moms, aunts, and grandmas to each make two of their signature pies and bring them to the reception. She said that their guests LOVED it and there wasn’t a single slice left.

Treats

Not to be outdone by the sweets, the savories at a wedding can be the star of the show. Some of our favorite bridal tips were…

• Late-night snacks put out at the end of the reception
  • One bride met her husband on the app Coffee meets Bagel so they put out coffee & bagels at the end of the night
  • One wedding guest suggested a pretzel bar (she said it would help soak up all of the alcohol)
  • One bride had her chef put out little burger sliders and fries (hello, can I go to that wedding?)
• Food truck
• Bacon bar during cocktail hour (my cousin also did this at her wedding, and it was a HIT)

Gifts for the Guests

Figuring out the perfect wedding favor can be quite a struggle. Thankfully, the Facebook Brides (doesn’t that sound like the title to the hit new Rom-Com of the year?) gave us some great tips.

• Personalized koozies
• Homemade wine
• Silhouette artist
  • I love this idea! The new couple had a silhouette artist stationed at their reception and guests could stop by and have their silhouette made. They got one to take home with them and the artist put a copy in a book for the bride and groom. The guest who submitted this idea said that she and her date put a note by their silhouette in the bride & groom’s book.
• Several brides said that in lieu of traditional favors they gave each guest a handwritten letter or card
  • One bride put a personal thank you card at each seat in the reception space
  • One couple wrote a full letter for each guest that they could pick up on their way out
  • One bride used the back of her seat assignment cards to write a memory she shared with each guest
• Photobooth with take-home pictures
  • Like the silhouettes, this can be a one for me, one for you situation. Send your guests home with copies of the photos but save one back to keep in a memory book of your wedding day.

If you’re looking for ideas, be sure to check out our wedding favor blog.

A Family Affair

For many, the wedding day is all about the family. Here are some unique ways to get as many members of your family involved as possible.

• One wedding guest said that she attended a wedding where the flower girls were two of the bride and groom’s grandmothers (HOW CUTE).
• Many brides said that it was important to them to recognize their mom. From having both parents walk them down the aisle, to providing a special flower or moment for mom during the ceremony, brides made a point to ensure mom felt honored during the wedding.
• One bride said that instead of getting an officiant for her ceremony, she and her husband-to-be asked their siblings to all get ordained online. They took turns officiating from their seats in the audience. The bride said she loved that this got her whole family involved and her guests were able to see the bride and groom for the whole ceremony.
• One couple asked each of their parents to read a poem during the wedding ceremony.
• One bride said she secretly had the DJ at the reception play wedding songs from members of her family each time a slow dance was requested. By the end of the night, each sibling, parent, and grandparent heard their wedding song played (cue the tears).

Everything is A-Bouquet

Miranda Priestly once said, “Florals for spring… groundbreaking”. While her statement may have been sarcastic, these brides really did have groundbreaking ideas for the flowers at their wedding.

• We’ve seen this before, but it’s such a classic, that we had to include it. One bride asked the important women in her life to give her a brooch that she could turn into her wedding bouquet. She said she keeps it in her bedroom and it’s her favorite keepsake from her wedding.
• One bride decided instead of tossing her wedding bouquet, she would toss six single roses. She held them all together at first, so they looked like a bouquet, and then when she tossed them, they went to six single women instead of just one

Guestbook (or Keepsake)

Be sure to read our Sign our Guestbook blog for a full list of guestbook alternatives.

• One bride and groom had a vintage phone at their wedding. Guests could pick it up and record a message to the new couple. After the wedding, the newlyweds had the messages all turned into a vinyl record.
• One father of the bride built a bench for the reception. Each wedding guest signed the bench and after the wedding, it was moved to the couple’s new home.
• In the spirit of involving the whole family, one newly married couple asked their guests to sign quilt squares at the wedding. While they were on their honeymoon, their grandmothers sewed each of the squares into one large quilt.

Before & After

We had a few ceremony & reception tips that didn’t seem to fit anywhere else but were too good not to share.

Ceremony

• Prayer rocks
  • One couple had a small stone placed on each seat in the ceremony space. They asked their guests to hold onto the stones during the ceremony and pray over them. Later, the bride & groom collected them and put them in a vase in their new home.
• Live wedding painting
  • Honestly, this was a new one for me, but I LOVE the idea. A wedding guest suggested looking into live wedding paintings. During the ceremony, an artist will paint a still of a moment (or moments). In addition to all of the photographs from the day, this keepsake can become an heirloom to be passed down through generations.

Reception

• Team trivia
  • One trivia-loving bride and groom asked their guests to play trivia while the wedding party was taking photos. They had a prize for the winning table.
  • Another bride had her guests play trivia during the reception all about the bride & groom’s relationship.
• Table Signs
  • Instead of table signs, one beer-loving couple placed a growler from a different brewery at each table. Instead of saying “you’re at table 1 or table 2” the seat assignment said, “you will be visiting (brewery name) for dinner tonight”.
  • One bride also suggested picking up a growler or keg of a hard cider for your gluten-free guests.
• First Dance/Last Dance
  • One bride said that she and her new husband had an end-of-the-night dance where they could reflect on the day before heading off on the honeymoon.
• Kissing Jar
  • One wedding guest attended a wedding where the bride and groom put a kissing jar on the head table. Instead of tapping glasses to get the new couple to kiss, guests would put money in the jar. In this case, the bride and groom donated all the money to their favorite charity. But the guest suggested that you could also use the money to help pay for the honeymoon or to set up a house.

 

No matter how you plan your wedding, it will be unique because it will be yours. If there’s one new resolution I’ve added to my 2022 list this spring, it’s to write down the small yet special moments in life because they may just be worth sharing later.

To have us capture your unique and special day, click here.