I want to share with you something that is extremely important to me. Making your wedding your own and not a cookie cutter wedding that doesn't reflect you as a couple.
Lego Unity Ceremony- Picture by Natalie Arabadzhi Photography
When I was planning my own wedding, there were two questions that I kept asking myself: "Have I seen this before?" and "Does this reflect us and our personalities?". If you're asking yourself the same questions, than this is the blog post for you.
How can I personalize my Ceremony?
One of the most common ways to personalize your ceremony is to write your own vows, which of course, we did. Don't be afraid to think outside of the box when it comes to your vows and what you want to say to one another.
Another way to make sure that your ceremony is about you as a couple is to look at different options for a unity ceremony if you want one. Lots of couples do candles or sand. I've even seen cocktails (which is awesome!). But I've never seen a Lego ceremony until our wedding.
Our son was 7 when my husband and I got married. Legos were (and still are) HUGELY popular in our house. While planning the wedding, I literally had a dream about creating a Lego heart with 3 missing pieces, a different color for each one of us. I woke up the next morning and decided that that would be the perfect unity ceremony to represent our family. It's now in a shadow box in our living room and we've added two more blocks of different colors for our two youngest children.
But there's only so many ideas that you can do for decor...
Centerpiece from the Sweetheart Table-notice the title of the books? Picture by Natalie Arabadzhi Photography
Close up of my husband's grandparent's wedding picture. And the "groom" drinking glass. Notice the cow in the background? That's an inside joke from my maid of honor. Picture by Natalie Arabadzhi Photography
Is there? Let's look at centerpieces...vases, candles, wood rounds, books, table runners...they're all awesome. They can all be absolutely gorgeous. AND they can all also be personalized in some way. For my wedding, I had books, assorted milk glass, assorted Pearl China, some candles, and pictures of our family members and ancestors on their wedding days and other great family pictures. I would encourage you to look for 2-3 things that show your personalities or that are important to you and incorporate them into your decor. Even with our books, I had Star Wars books and theatre books as an added detail to reflect my husband and me.
What else can I do to make my wedding unique?
So here's the deal, I could probably write a book about all the different ways that you can make your special day all about you as a couple. But if I give you all the ideas, then it won't reflect you. What I do recommend is that you don't rule anything out as too "weird" or out of the ordinary. From brewing your own beer, light saber hilts, a cardboard cutout of Chewbacca and the groom entering to Star Wars music to antique window panes as a guest "book" and stuffed memory teddy bears to honor lost loved ones, there are so many different ideas out there to make your wedding day something that definitely breaks the mold.
If you'd love some guidance on ideas, please don't hesitate to contact us for a consultation. It's what we love to do. I'll leave you with a picture of our favor-a Swedish Love Knot- that was a nod to my heritage.
Miniature Swedish Love Knot- Picture by Natalie Arabadzhi Photography