(collaborative post)
The journey to the wedding day is unique to each couple. Perhaps you’ve spent years travelling together down the same path in life, or maybe you met months ago and felt an instant connection. You could be childhood sweethearts or two people who found each other when they’d almost given up hope. Whatever your experience, this momentous occasion deserves to be marked in style.
Alongside a wedding band and engagement ring to last a lifetime, your ceremony declares your commitment to one another and is an important celebration of your shared future. Discover how to plan a memorable wedding with moments you and your guests will cherish forever.
Personalised touches
Intertwining personalised touches throughout the day is a sure-fire way to ensure your wedding sticks in the mind long after the day is over.
Display unique décor that reflects your relationship. This could be photographs detailing your journey together so far or colourful prints featuring lyrics and quotes from your favourite songs and authors. Remember to give the garden as much attention if you have an outdoor space in your reception venue: for example, you could put up signs with fun phrases you’re well-known for.
While most follow a fairly standard format, customise the ceremony as much as you can. Deliver tailored vows which show how well you know one another: these are sure to be a tear-jerker for all family members! Have friends and family read pieces of your choice, and where applicable include touches authentic to your culture such as the Celtic wedding tradition of handfasting.
Think about your entrance as well. This sets the scene for your wedding, and as such should be suited exactly to you. For example, if you love gymnastics, what’s to stop you from being preceded by a troupe of acrobats?!
Immersive experiences
Fill your special day with immersive experiences that will be as once-in-a-lifetime for your guests as the wedding day is for you and your partner.
Make your entertainment interactive with organised dances like ceilidhs or live music performances featuring your favourite music. Lucky enough to have an artistic group of guests? You could feature your friends too! Treat the room at large to amazing vocal performances in the fun form of karaoke, start a flash dance or dance competition, or have actors declaim words close to your heart.
Children will love anything that leaves them wondering. Consider hiring a magician as part of the afternoon entertainment or setting up a puppet show. You could go one step further with a full-blown country fair set-up that adults will love just as much. Think coconut-shy, fairground rides and a man on stilts teaching circus skills.
If planning a summer wedding, make the most of the sunshine with outdoor games in the garden that unite your guests and get everyone laughing. Go formal with cricket and croquet, competitive with football, or stick to family-friendly fun such as quoits and cornhole.
Are you and your partner foodies? Include curated culinary experiences throughout the day that will appeal to all the senses and leave everyone enchanted. This could be as simple as an unusual array of cocktails or as intense as a seven-course sit-down meal. Taste and smell are incredibly effective in inspiring emotions and leaving a lasting impression in the mind.
Meaningful moments
As much as we all enjoy the mingling, dining, and dancing, the best bits of a wedding ceremony are the meaningful moments – the parts that have us reaching for the tissues. Make these moments the focus throughout the day so that your love for one another (and for your guests) stays front of mind.
Include heartfelt speeches that celebrate your connection, without feeling limited by tradition in terms of the content and who stands up. Shake up the wedding speech order or do a complete overhaul and have other friends and family speak as well as the groom, best man, and father of the bride.
As the stars of the show, it’s only right that the bride and groom get their say during the day. You could read out poems that speak to your soul, whether these are funny ditties or serious sonnets. Alternatively, go offbeat and re-enact a scene from your favourite romantic film, or sing a song to your significant other.
Add intimate moments throughout the day that let you and your partner enjoy the wedding privately. You’ll want to be with your guests for most of the time, but you need room to breathe and take in the day for yourselves. These moments could include a lone photoshoot, first dance or post-ceremony kiss.
Captivating venues
Choosing the right location is essential to making your wedding day memorable. Captivating venues will transport you and your guests into another world for an experience no one will ever forget.
Consider the visual elements of the venue first and foremost as these will be the backdrop for the ceremony and for pictures to treasure forever. Look at the bigger picture including any outdoor space but also the detailed décor indoors – after all, this will be your backdrop in the event of bad weather!
Remember that lighting is all-important to achieving the right ambience, indoors and outdoors. Go for lamps rather than harsh overhead lighting for sit-down dinners, but make sure there’s enough illumination to keep people alert! You can also make the garden magical with outdoor lights, strung in the trees, scattered across the lawn and placed on each table alongside candles.
Thoughtful gestures
No matter how busy your wedding day is, carve out time for thoughtful gestures that will make the event extra special for your partner. After all, the point of the ceremony is to honour your love and care for one another.
Give your partner a clue to a surprise holiday or a spa voucher for some post-wedding relaxation and write a letter that praises their best qualities and includes your promises for the future. Other ideas include making a photo book for them to treasure forever, or a jar with post-wedding date ideas.
You can go bigger and include a thoughtful gesture within the wedding day itself such as organising a secret performance or presenting them with special new luxury accessories.
This post was published in collaboration with a content partner. The article is meant to inspire you how to live a slow, simple, soulful and sustainable lifestyle and may contain (affiliate) links to articles, websites or products/services that may be of interest to you.
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