You’ve got the ring on your finger. You’re excited. You may have even picked out the wedding day! Now’s the time to buckle down and start planning your wedding.
One of the biggest ways I encourage couples to do this is through the use of storytelling. You may be asking yourself, “what does storytelling have anything to do with my wedding?” As a GenZ wedding vendor I have two words: Main. Character. You – yes you – are the main character of your wedding. Every conflict has led to this moment, finally getting to say yes to the person who you’ve done so much life with. Every detail should be about telling that story. How you got together, who you two are, and what you love aren’t just pointless asides; they’re the building blocks that can help you to make your wedding day truly memorable.
So here’s 5 tips that you can use to personalize different details and start creating something authentically you.
1. Use Your Wedding Date to the Fullest
One of the most unique ways to use your wedding day is to pick a date that is significant to your relationship, to your family, or even to your culture. For example: as a bride-to-be myself (as of writing this post), my fiance and I picked our wedding date to land on the day that would be 4 years to the date of us meeting. If there’s no significant date to your relationship, consider going the route of picking a holiday that is special to your family. You might find a Dia de los Muertos wedding perfectly encompasses you and your partner’s values of celebrating your family.
2. Incorporate Your Culture
Multicultural brides, this is your chance to stand up and embrace your rich heritage. If you’re a Latina bride like myself – embrace talavera dishware, bright pops of colors, papel picados and the like. If your soon-to-be-spouse is the one with a rich and varied background, embrace that by surprising them with traditional dress, traditions, and foods!
3. Decor Can Say a Lot
Personalize your wedding decor by using your ceremony seating or your reception tables to share the story of you journey to this wedding day. Put photos from your relationship on your reception tables. Place a photo of yourselves with your guests on their seats for reserved seating while prepping the ceremony space. If you’re a geeky bride or groom, incorporate elements from whatever fandom you’re in to celebrate the joining of two massive nerds. If you’d like to honor your family roots, consider using a collection of glassware collected from different family members for a mismatched vintage look.
4. Give Your Bridal Party Room to Breath
One of the best ways to not only enjoy the wedding planning process but your wedding day itself is to choose a stellar group of people to surround you. Make your wedding unique by choosing parties with mixed genders. Brides, pick a color palette and let your bridesmaids choose gowns they love. Have your wedding party help you come up with ideas for your ceremony and reception events.
5. Give Your Guest Something to Do
Your guests may not be part of the ceremony but that doesn’t mean they can’t be part of the reception! Give your guests something to do by making your reception decor interactive; have mugs that guests can personalize with acrylic markers, create a station for kids to play, set up a paint by numbers station for guests to finish a painting that can go into your new home). Involve your guests in the building of your future by giving every table cards to fill out with advice or suggestions for relationship building activities.
Your wedding doesn’t have to be the same cardboard copy of every Pinterest board you saved in 2010.
