Making Your Wedding Uniquely Yours…

No one wants a cookie cutter wedding these days. Couples want something their guests will enjoy and remember for years to come. Making your wedding distinctly your own does not mean you have to pay an arm and a leg. There are several ways to achieve a unique and personalized wedding all on your own!

When I first began planning my own wedding back in December 2006, I thought about creative elements I could incorporate. I knew I wanted to create a monogram design with a twist. Repeating the design throughout the wedding and reception made for a consistent detail. My husband, Brandon, and myself wanted our wedding to be loads of fun, filled with love, tons of dancing, and have a unique feel to it while still incorporating traditional aspects.

I guess you could say I was a DIY bride. I made my own personalized aisle runner, my favor boxes/favor tags, I designed my menu layout, tears of joy packets, outdoor flower arrangements/topiaries, and programs (at this moment I’d like to thank my patient fiancé and parents for putting up with my constant wedding projects J).

These are some pictures that gave me inspiration:

Brandon and I were married at the Washington Naval Yard in D.C. Not only was the outdoor location right on the Anacostia River beautiful, but also my father is retired Navy and this was my way of honoring him and my bon voyage from military life J The site set the tone for the wedding décor and colors we would go with. We had the bridesmaids in beautifully rich navy blue cocktail dresses, our flowers were baby blue hydrangeas and calla lilies, and boxwood topiaries in beautiful urns circled the gazebo we were married under.

My favorite project was my hand painted aisle runner. To do this yourself you need to first know how long the aisle or walkway will be. Buying an aisle runner online is an option or you can go to your local fabric store. White or ivory broad cloth is a good choice. If you want to be daring, go for a fabric that has either a subtle or colorful pattern on it. It’s all about the unexpected details! You then want to choose what you want painted on your runner. A monogram, design, your names and wedding date, etc. You can either do this by hand or print out what it is that you’re putting on the runner. I used a projector to project my image on the runner. If you don’t have a projector or know someone who does, take the printed image to your local printing/copying store and have them enlarge it to the size you want. Once you have that, place it under the runner at the location you want and secure it so it doesn’t move. Trace over the design with a pencil, and then fill with paint. Make sure you have plenty of room and a steady hand J

If you don’t want a project so in depth, try making your own favor tags with your design on it, making tears of joy packets for your emotional guests, or make personalized coloring books for the children that will be attending. It all depends on how much time you want to put into personalizing your wedding without spending more money than you have to.

Here are my quick tips on making tears of joy packets. You don’t have to make one for each guest. I made half the number of packets compared to my guest list. We then placed them on every other seat.

Step 1: Create the envelope for your small tissue to go in to.

Step 2: Fold over

Step 3: Tie with a bow or raffia and add tag that says, “For Your Tears of Joy”

Here are my completed packets. My guests loved them and said they came in handy….I even had friends who didn’t want to use them because they thought they were so pretty!

I could go on for days about wedding projects and design ideas but I’ll cut it short and leave you with this…when you start brainstorming ways to personalize your big day, a great starting point is to look back on your own love story:

• How did you meet?
• Where/When was your first date?
• When was your first kiss?
• What is your favorite hang out?
• Favorite food?
• Do you as a couple have a song?
• What is your favorite vacation spot?
• What family traditions do you have?
• Religious/Ethnic elements?
• How did you get engaged?
• Any other meaningful memories or events.

Instead of thinking of a theme for your wedding, try thinking of patterns, colors, monograms, or a logo/design you can carry throughout anything from your invitations, place cards, aisle runner, or favors…the possibilities are endless!

I’ve had so much fun planning our wedding that I’m now offering my services in day of coordination and design. If you have any questions about the DIY projects or need help creating your own special touches please feel free to contact me at Rhoney@gmu.edu.

To see my completed projects, check out A Softer Image proofs page and search under Randi & Brandon May 26 Wedding. Scroll through, get inspiration, and enjoy the amazing photography!

P.S. That’s me and my handsome husband smooching at the top of the web page :)

Thanks to Lara & Brad for giving us the most amazing wedding photos and asking me to guest blog!

- Randi Morgan