The biggest trend in weddings remains to be personalization. The formula for an American wedding is pretty basic- ceremony, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, pictures, dinner, more cocktails and dancing, cake, then more dancing. According to Bridal Guide, the average bride spends up to 9 hours a week planning her wedding. This planning and personalization has changed the way weddings are viewed and planned- these days almost one quarter of weddings are destination weddings. Venue choices have veered away from the traditional church wedding as well- Hudson Valley Weddings reports that 35% of weddings are now held outdoors. Read on for some tips and tricks on how to personalize your own special day!
- The Ceremony
There are dozens of ways to make your ceremony special. Use themed seating, such as hay bales for a country wedding. Dress up the aisle with arches and curtains, or antique doors. The aisle floor can be decorated with a personalized runner telling your story, or projected patterns that float and swirl. For your exit from the ceremony, there are dozens of other options besides rice- beach balls, kites, flower petals, etc. However one of the most beautiful options is long lasting sparklers- these long sparklers create an aura for the couple leaving that is unrivaled. Consider the possibility of having a friend or family member officiate- only about 57% of weddings held last year hired a professional officiant to conduct the ceremony. - Cocktail hour
There are hundreds of options for cocktail hour, from custom cocktails, ice cubes with decorations such as flower petals inside them, to champagne fountains. One easy way to jazz up your cocktail hour is to have the bartender rim cocktails in salt or sugar dyed to match your wedding colors. - The Send-off
One of the most beautiful and memorable ways to close your special day is with a wedding sparkler send off. Photographers can do amazing things with smokeless sparklers, including long exposure photos that write the couple’s names or the wedding date in the light of the wedding sparkler. Handing out long sparklers to your guests to hold as you exit the venue results in some really wonderful light, and usually, smiles on the faces of all your guests. The best part about the long sparklers is that they are smoke free, and do not spit sparks the way a regular sparkler does, therefore being safer for your guests, especially the younger ones. It can be the perfect ending to the perfect day celebrating your love.