Wedding Ideas

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Personalize Your Wedding with Unique Ideas

Every bride wants her wedding to be the most special wedding ever! When our daughter was taking the steps for planning a wedding, we searched and searched for unusual ideas -- and we found some good ones!

Let this site be a starting point for your own ideas - grab one of these thoughts and run in your own direction! And remember to have fun every single day along the way! This is an exciting and fun time in your life -- make it fun and not stressful! And make your wedding the most unique ever!

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A Surprise Guest At the Wedding Reception 

Kathy and her husband are big South Carolina Gamecock fans! They were shocked when the team mascot, Cocky, arrived at the wedding reception. Cocky danced with the guests, entertained and set that party in motion, for sure! Kathy's brother and his wife arranged the special visit secretly and it was a huge hit! Be sure you alert photographer, videographer, wedding director and band or DJ. (and tell them at the last minute to keep the secret a surprise!)

The Big Surprise at the Wedding Reception! Here's Cocky!

Cocky and the Bride

A Few Wedding Ideas 

More Steps for Planning a Wedding

Kathy used our wedding cake topper. We had saved it for 40 years under a glass case! What fun to use it again!

Kathy's aunt sent her our mother's wedding garter. Rather than try to carry that somehow in her bouquet, we simply had it stitched into the underside of her dress. It did not show (it is very very old and ragged), but we knew it was there - and that was meaningful to all of us. She also had stitched into her gown a handkerchief from her two great-aunts! Again, loving symbols that sent her down the aisle with a touch of her ancestry!

Instead of the usual, boring, white guest book, we borrowed an idea we saw at a cousin's wedding. Kathy chose a beautiful "coffee table" book of photographs of South Carolina and the guests signed that. Now the book is used on a coffee table in their home -- and it is fun to grab the book when visiting and look at all the notes from the wedding guests.

Guest Favors -- We typed Kathy's favorite quote (using her wedding colors), cut into bookmark size, and she laminated those. Each guest received a bookmark.

One of our most favorite purchases was Photofetti! This is round confetti that is filled with photos of the bridal couple during their courtship! You simply choose your favorite pictures and send them to the company. They will then send your Photofetti! I am sure you will be as thrilled as we were! Photofetti was scattered on each table in the reception hall as part of the decor! Some guests even said they grabbed some to take home! A real conversation starter at the tables! Delightful decoration for parties and showers,too! Just click the banner for more information!


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Wedding Guests' Book - a beautiful record of best wishes! 

Guests signed the book at the reception!

South Carolina Wonder and Light (Wonder and Light series)

Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 07/06/2009) Buy Now

Create An Original Dance! 

Dirty Dancing UK - Julia and James First Dance

www.thebigidoredo.com This is our first dance at our wedding...it seems to have taken the world by storm! If you live in the UK and you fancy getting back into your wedding dress for charity, then go to www.thebigidoredo.com and join us on November 1, 2008 for the nation's biggest wedding event.

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Hospitality room at the hotel

Hospitality Room 

Kathy's aunts very graciously provided a hospitality room at the hotel. Mountains of food and drink, music, laughter and a place to visit -- the room quickly became the gathering place for folks who stopped by and those staying at the hotel. The entire wedding party returned to the hospitality room after the rehearsal party. It was an entire weekend of fun!

Kathy had created a tri-fold board filled with pictures of the wedding party. This was on display in the hospitality room. There was also a trivia game about the bride and groom -- just random facts for people to guess!

The Wedding Party

Family and Friends Fun in the Hospitality Room

More Ideas 

In the foyer at the wedding reception were 3 wedding pictures - the brides' parents' wedding photograph, the groom's parents' wedding photograph and the photograph of the new bride and groom. It was an impressive sight to see!

Another reception featured cookies from friends and neighbors. In the hallway outside the reception hall, cookies were arranged on long tables. Each cookie tray was identified as "a gift from Joe and Sally Smith, wish you the best!" It was a great way for friends and neighbors to participate and add their own special note to the wedding festivities.

One bride and groom distributed a card for guests -- their photo was on the front, their new address on the back.

Wedding guests with digital cameras sent 100's of pictures after Kathy's wedding. Kathy compiled those into a photo book from Shutterfly. She added notes, names, comments. The book is a treasure! Why not make your own?

My sister created a Shutterfly Photo book for each of her son and fiance's wedding showers. Those are great fun too and such nice hostess gifts as well!

Shutterfly.com

Create your Own Original Dance! Surprise Your Guests! 

t&a: wedding dance (the ORIGINAL youtube surprise wedding dance)

we came up with this idea back in 2005. our dance was also featured on good morning america: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2NOXFdi7Z4 (song names: johann strauss/blue danube; afrika bambaataa/looking for the perfect beat.) we don't know how to waltz. we don't know how to poplock. but we do know how to have fun. we came up with the choreography ourselves. married: july 3, 2005 in oakland, california. please do not ask me for the mix, i no longer have it.

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Wedding Lenses to Visit 

Are You Inspired? 

I hope your creativity is flowing! Leave a note!

Please tell us about any great wedding ideas you have seen or ones from your own wedding!

ChapelHillFiddler wrote...

Another fun one. As a wedding musician - but also a mother of the bride (it will be June 2010 a year from tomorrow!) I am having SO MUCH FUN exploring wedding vendors with my daughter. In fact she and her guy flew here from California yesterday and we're going wedding-cake testing this morning (good thing because as you can read in my "make your own wedding cake" lens, my first try yesterday was an utter bust!). Thanks for all.

ReplyPosted June 19, 2009

jon9 wrote...

Great lens! I liked your unique ideas a lot. I've just started my own lens on Unique Wedding Rings if you'd like to take a looksie.

ReplyPosted March 31, 2009

sittonbull wrote...

What a great way to remember a wedding!

ReplyPosted February 23, 2009

OhMe wrote...

in reply to luvmyludwig that is funny re football in your garter.

ReplyPosted February 23, 2009

luvmyludwig wrote...

great lens! I love the photofetti, I need to think of a way to use the stuff hmmmmmm

I would've loved for hairy dawg to be at my wedding. It was going to be on the day of the georgia/florida game and my husband had me change the date to the day of the vandy game. Even then he was sending his dad to the car for updates throughout the day. Oh, and I had a little football on my garter.

ReplyPosted February 04, 2009

sittonbull wrote...

Great wedding lens. Can't get over Kathy's pretty smile! 5*

ReplyPosted January 27, 2009

spirituality wrote...

Great lens. If I were to get married (seems like theres only a slim chance at that), I would definitely want my wedding to be personalised.

ReplyPosted January 14, 2009

monarch13 wrote...

Great ideas! Lensrolled to Wedding Superstitions and 5 stars!

ReplyPosted December 20, 2008

JustBon-Crochet-Designs wrote...

Looks like it was a special and fun time! Love these personal lenses :) 5*s

ReplyPosted October 03, 2008

debnet wrote...

Super lens Joan and obviously a lovely day was had by all. 5*****

ReplyPosted October 01, 2008

Jimmie wrote...

Clever ideas to make a wedding truly special and not just run of the mill. I certainly had no Cocky mascot at MY wedding. Humph... I feel miffed. (grin)

ReplyPosted September 12, 2008

Lensmaster

marg wrote

realle emjoyed this. Shor do bring back memories. Keep it up miss Joan and little kathy

Reply Posted September 06, 2008

Charlyjl wrote...

Joan - I wish I had something like this lens when I got married! As I_Love_Puppies said, we had 'The Chicken Dance' as our dance - apparently, you could hear a pin drop when we did it - very staid families!

ReplyPosted September 04, 2008

I_Love_Puppies wrote...

Love this lens, my mum had the Chicken Dance as her wedding dance when I firtst heard this I LOLed.

ReplyPosted September 04, 2008

Lensmaster

Laura Whitelaw wrote

Hey Joan - Love this lens - it's so much fun. Makes me think that maybe I should post some of my wedding vid on YouTube - although some of it is X-rated - the groomsmen were wearing kilts and after a few drinks felt compelled to show people that they weren't wearing anything underneath! LOL

Laura XO

Reply Posted September 03, 2008

Lensmaster

Debbie wrote

Great lens! All I can add is that you guys should have sent in the tape of Kathy and Whitey dancing to YouTube. It was an fantastic dance...such fun to watch father and daughter!
Another 5*

Reply Posted September 01, 2008

Lensmaster

kathy wrote

Awesome lens!!!! love the dances! fun! fun!!

Reply Posted September 01, 2008

OhMe wrote...

Great lens. Wonderful memories. That youtube is hysterical. Love it. 5*

ReplyPosted September 01, 2008

Don't Miss This Chance to Do Something Really Special!!! Dance! 

Wedding First Dance- with "Crank That" surprise!

This couple wanted to start off their reception right! No traditional introductions were done, instead, they enter to their own music separately. They then shock their family and friends with a choreographed first dance and Soulja Boy "Crank That"! April 17th, 2008: Honors for this video (2) #44 - Most Viewed (This Month) - Travel & Events #56 - Top Favorites (This Month) - Travel & Events

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I enjoyed being the mother of the bride last year! Kathy and I had so much fun together planning her wedding!
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