Wedding Ideas: Have a Memorable Wedding

Planning a wedding is a whirlwind of activity. There are so many things to work out: catering, wedding gown, limo, marriage license, cake, DJ, seating arrangements and the list goes on and on and on…  But while you trying to bring order to the chaos do not forget what the wedding is about in the first place. A wedding is a celebration of love and family. It is not about the financial extravagances; it is about the bride and groom declaring to the world and the heavens that they are wholeheartedly committed to one another.

There are ways to make your wedding unique and memorable without spending a lot of money. All you need is time, effort and creativity. Unless a guest is closely related to the bride or groom chances are they will quickly forget about the wedding. It is nothing against the wedding couple, but most weddings are the same so nothing sticks out in their mind. But if you're going to dedicate such a substantial amount of time and money for your wedding why not make it something worth remembering?

A wedding signifies the joining of two families; they will arrive strangers and leave related. As soon as the minister pronounces you man and wife, both of your family trees become intertwined. An interesting, and very fun idea, is to create a new family tree that reflects your union. Present this new family tree at your reception so everyone can meet their new relatives both past and present. You could display it in the media presentation (hook up a computer to a TV) or you could have it printed out and presented on and easel. This will be a big hit, especially if either side has some famous relatives or if the family lines are traced back really far. People might find out that they are suddenly related to colonists that came over on the Mayflower or that they are now distantly related to Elvis. Regardless, this is going to be a fantastic discussion piece that will help generate dialogue between the two families.

If you do not already have genealogical records for both sides of the family it may be slightly time-consuming, but this is a wonderful project for an engaged couple to do together. It makes for some good quality time and you get to learn a lot about each other. But obviously with websites like www.ancestry.com the project will not take you that long and I promise you'll have fun.

You may have several relatives or good friends that have passed away and you regret that they will not be able to see you married. But that does not mean that they can't attend your wedding. A wedding is about family so feel free to include everyone that you want.

Find your favorite picture of those who've passed away and have it blown up to a moderate size (you can go with 8 x 11 or poster size). Find frames for each of the photos; if you think you would like to keep these pictures after the wedding is over you can invest a little extra and have this professionally done. Label each of the photos with their name and relation to the bride and groom so everyone can “introduce” themselves. It might even be nice to add a small bio next to their picture. An extra sentimental touch would be to write out an invitation or a letter to the one who has passed on; by doing this you can share with your guests how much that person meant to you. But this is meant as a celebration of their lives so try to keep it happy and upbeat; you're not trying to depress everybody, you're just reminiscing.

At your wedding set aside a small area, maybe a table or reserve some chairs, and set up all of the pictures and angle them so they face the bride and groom. This way those who have passed on can still be a part of your wedding. It also signifies to all of your guests how important family really is to you.

Once the wedding is over take the pictures with you to the reception and again set aside a small area where you can set them up. You do not have to publicly introduce them, unless you wish to, because it may be too difficult to talk about and you do want to keep the occasion cheerful and lighthearted.

A picture might be a good idea for a bride who has lost her father and does not want anyone else to walk her down the aisle. She can walk down the aisle alone but holding a picture of her father. It would be a very tender moment.

Do not be afraid to let your true personality shine through at your wedding. If you are both huge sports fans, have a sports themed wedding. If you both hate cake serve wedding ice cream instead. Do not feel obligated to stick with tradition unless that is exactly what you want. It is truly your day so make sure you enjoy it.

Write your own vows and make them sincere. Don't try to get fancy and write poetry; just write from your heart. That means you can be quirky and funny. It is okay for the vows to be humorous, just keep it appropriate for the audience. Just be honest… and real. Don't be overly flamboyant for the sake of it because it won't come across as genuine.

Many couples will put a nice picture of themselves next to the sign in book. You can still put up a nice professional picture but include a bunch of others. Make a collage of your life together. Put in the good pictures along with the bad; the picture of you in the morning with the bad hair and poufy eyes... yeah include that one. But also put in the picture of your most recent vacation, pictures of your pets etc. show that you cherish the life you’ve lived so far and you're looking forward to the years to come. Some of the guests may not know both the bride and groom, just one or the other, so use this as a way to introduce yourself as a couple.

Have fun with your first dance. There seems to be a list of a couple of dozen songs that you can choose from for your first slow dance. And if that's what you've been looking forward to that is great. But if you guys want to dance to Michael Jackson's “Thriller” or do the funky chicken DO IT! Remember it's your day. Plus I guarantee your guests will not be expecting it and have a blast watching you.

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