21 Creative Wedding Ideas

There is nothing wrong with the traditional white wedding, but sometimes it is nice to makes yours stand out from the rest…

Today´s weddings are all about options that reflect your personalities and style. We´ve compiled a list of our favorite non-traditional or unexpected wedding ideas to incorporate into every aspect of your big day.

Ceremony Ideas

Location
If you don´t host your ceremony in a house of worship or in the same location as your reception, you can get creative with your ceremony location and exchange vows at sunrise on the beach or at sunset from the rooftop of the tallest building in your metropolitan area.

Grand Entrance
Make your entrance especially unique by being escorted by your beloved pet or by arriving on a horse.

Reception Ideas

Venue Type
Think outside the banquet hall and bring your celebration to a naturally beautiful venue like a garden or museum. Your guests will enjoy strolling around picturesque grounds or appreciating timeless works of art.

Seating Arrangements
Add some visual interest to your setting by interspersing different shaped tables throughout the room or seating your guests at long tables for a family-style affair.

Catering Ideas

Ethnic Cuisine
If you have a strong heritage, have visited a favorite world destination together, or even just have an affinity for a particular variety of cuisine, revolve your menu around that ethnic specialty.

Family-style
Offer delectable comfort foods with a twist, served up family-style – a great icebreaker for your guests.

Seasonal
Take inspiration from the season and serve a menu that offers a theme of seasonal favorites.

Flowers & Decor Ideas

Au Natural
Consult Mother Nature for inspiration, and bring the outdoors in. Natural objects like stones, leaves, pinecones, even twigs can add an organic aesthetic to your reception décor. Place in rustic containers or scatter amongst pillar candles for added ambiance.


Consult your Inner Child
For the kid at heart, fill decorative bowls with your favorite candies – such as jellybeans and M&M´s - in your wedding colors.

Entertainment Ideas

Ceremony Music
If "Here Comes the Bride" doesn´t suit your style or personality, choose a song that does. There is no written rule that states you can´t make your grand entrance to a rendition of your favorite Beastie Boys´ song.

Non-traditional Instruments
If you desire live music over a DJ, consider tying your musician selection to the theme or location of your event. A beachside bash naturally lends itself to the sound of steel drums, while a trumpet quartet will sound impressive in an elaborate cathedral.

Photography Ideas

Creative Shots
Hire your photographer to follow you throughout your entire day (leading up to the "Do Not Disturb" sign, of course). While it may make you feel anxious to have someone photograph you as you get ready, these shots will help you to remember the joy and anticipation of every part of your big day.

Cake Ideas

Cake-free
If cake isn´t your favorite dessert, then don´t feel the need to serve it to your guests. Apple crisp, peach cobbler, pumpkin pie, cupcakes, or even glazed doughnuts are a hit at the dessert table.

Sugar-free
The end-of-meal offering doesn´t have to be made of flour and frosting. Think savory instead, and visit your local cheese shop to have them construct wheels of cheese in tiers and stacked to look like traditional wedding cake.

Attire Ideas

Wardrobe Change
Today´s brides are opting to wear not one dress, but two! Wear an elegant gown while you exchange vows, then slip into something a little more comfortable to round out the evening.

Anything but White
A white wedding dress symbolizes innocence and purity, but if that´s not your style, feel free to bring out your colorful personality by adding a splash of color to your attire. You can be as subtle as a colored sash and jewels or as bold as a fuchsia-colored dress.

Stationery Ideas

Ethnicity
If your heritage is important for you to represent on your big day, do some research and find a stationer who offers multi-cultural invitations and announcements.

Creative Touch
For more intimate, casual gatherings, request the honor of your guests´ presence in an innovative and entertaining way. Here´s an idea - have your invite printed on a balloon so guests have to blow them up to receive the message.

Transportation Ideas

Grand Entrance
If the size of your bridal party doesn´t warrant a stretch limousine, consider arriving on horseback, on the back of your husband´s motorcycle, or in the passenger´s seat of your dad´s antique car.

Favor Ideas

Something Useful
Give your guests something they can enjoy for years to come. A small bag of seeds to plant will remind them of your big day every time they smell the flowers.

Donations
With a high emphasis on karma these days, give something back and make a donation to your favorite cause in lieu of knickknacks. Your guests will appreciate the altruistic gesture.

Get even more creative wedding ideas at Elegala.com - Elegant Galas Made Simple

Looking for wedding ideas? Borrow them from other brides!

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We couldn't agree more. Let's face it, original wedding ideas turn only turn into wedding trends after thousands of brides say "I want that," and proceed to copy it into their own weddings. So if you're looking for the next hot wedding idea, look no further than other recently planned real weddings for inspiration. Here you can view wedding pictures and read real stories for tons of wedding ideas you can "borrow" from brides across the country.

How to Plan a Unique Wedding - Creative Ideas to Set Your Wedding Apart

here is nothing wrong with the traditional white wedding, but sometimes it is nice to makes yours stand out from the rest…

Today´s weddings are all about options that reflect your personalities and style. We´ve compiled a list of our favorite non-traditional or unexpected wedding ideas to incorporate into every aspect of your big day.

Ceremony Ideas

Location
If you don´t host your ceremony in a house of worship or in the same location as your reception, you can get creative with your ceremony location and exchange vows at sunrise on the beach or at sunset from the rooftop of the tallest building in your metropolitan area. Get more ideas for wedding ceremony sites.

Grand Entrance
Make your entrance especially unique by being escorted by your beloved pet or by arriving on a horse.

Vows and Readings
Not a new concept, but speaking from the heart by writing your own wedding vows or incorporating personalized poems and popular wedding readings or even humorous wedding ceremony readings into your ceremony will surely grab the attention of your guests.

Reception Ideas
Venue Type
Think outside the banquet hall and bring your celebration to a naturally beautiful venue like a garden or museum. Your guests will enjoy strolling around picturesque grounds or appreciating timeless works of art.

Seating Arrangements
Add some visual interest to your setting by interspersing different shaped tables throughout the room or seating your guests at long tables for a family-style affair.

Catering Ideas

Ethnic Cuisine
If you have a strong heritage, have visited a favorite world destination together, or even just have an affinity for a particular variety of cuisine, revolve your menu around that ethnic specialty.

Family-style
Offer delectable comfort foods with a twist, served up family-style – a great icebreaker for your guests.

Seasonal
Take inspiration from the season and serve a menu that offers a theme of seasonal favorites.

Flowers & Decor Ideas

Au Natural
Consult Mother Nature for inspiration, and bring the outdoors in. Natural objects like stones, leaves, pinecones, even twigs can add an organic aesthetic to your reception décor. Place in rustic containers or scatter amongst pillar candles for added ambiance.


Consult your Inner Child
For the kid at heart, fill decorative bowls with your favorite candies – such as jellybeans and M&M´s - in your wedding colors.

Entertainment Ideas
Ceremony Music
If "Here Comes the Bride" doesn´t suit your style or personality, choose a song that does. There is no written rule that states you can´t make your grand entrance to a rendition of your favorite Beastie Boys´ song.

Non-traditional Instruments
If you desire live music over a DJ, consider tying your musician selection to the theme or location of your event. A beachside bash naturally lends itself to the sound of steel drums, while a trumpet quartet will sound impressive in an elaborate cathedral.

Photography Ideas
Creative Shots
Hire your photographer to follow you throughout your entire day (leading up to the "Do Not Disturb" sign, of course). While it may make you feel anxious to have someone photograph you as you get ready, these shots will help you to remember the joy and anticipation of every part of your big day. Read more creative wedding pictures.

Cake Ideas
Cake-free
If cake isn´t your favorite dessert, then don´t feel the need to serve it to your guests. Apple crisp, peach cobbler, pumpkin pie, cupcakes, or even glazed doughnuts are a hit at the dessert table.

Sugar-free
The end-of-meal offering doesn´t have to be made of flour and frosting. Think savory instead, and visit your local cheese shop to have them construct wheels of cheese in tiers and stacked to look like traditional wedding cake.

Attire Ideas
Wardrobe Change
Today´s brides are opting to wear not one dress, but two! Wear an elegant gown while you exchange vows, then slip into something a little more comfortable to round out the evening.

Anything but White
A white wedding dress symbolizes innocence and purity, but if that´s not your style, feel free to bring out your colorful personality by adding a splash of color to your attire. You can be as subtle as a colored sash and jewels or as bold as a fuchsia-colored dress.

Get even more wedding dress trends in the Eleglala.com wedding dresses guide.

Stationery Ideas
Ethnicity
If your heritage is important for you to represent on your big day, do some research and find a stationer who offers multi-cultural invitations and announcements.

Creative Touch
For more intimate, casual gatherings, request the honor of your guests´ presence in an innovative and entertaining way. Here´s an idea - have your invite printed on a balloon so guests have to blow them up to receive the message.

Transportation Ideas
Grand Entrance
If the size of your bridal party doesn´t warrant a stretch limousine, consider arriving on horseback, on the back of your husband´s motorcycle, or in the passenger´s seat of your dad´s antique car.

Favor Ideas
Something Useful
Give your guests something they can enjoy for years to come. A small bag of seeds to plant will remind them of your big day every time they smell the flowers.

Donations
With a high emphasis on karma these days, give something back and make a donation to your favorite cause in lieu of knickknacks. Your guests will appreciate the altruistic gesture.

So just what is Elegala.com anyway?

I've received quite a few inquiries recently from brides and vendors who want to know more about Elegala.com, its mission, and its place in the world of wedding planning. So here you go!

Elegala.com offers similar wedding planning tools and advice to biggies like The Knot and Wedding Channel, although on a smaller scale (I like to call it a "boutique" wedding website). What sets it apart, however, is the uncluttered design, lack of banner ads and pop ups, straightforward step-by-step planning approach, and focus on the reception site as the key element in the planning process.

To my knowledge, Elegala.com is the only resource to offer venue-specific planning tools such as vendor lists, catering menus, wedding packages, and ballroom floor plans to help brides plan events at their reception site. (you can browse the directory of wedding venues and services here.

Brides can rest assured the venues on Elegala.com have been chosen through a rigorous selection process - involving much more than simply forking over money to be listed on the site. Each vendor is then hand-selected by one of these premier venues. This referral-only process connects brides to only their area's best venues and vendors, saving them the headache of sifting through an oversaturated directory of hundreds of vendors of unknown quality found on other wedding websites.

So there you have it - feel free to contact me with any additional questions about Elegala.com.

Super Bowl Sunday and Other Wedding Dates to Avoid in 2009 and 2010

So you’re ready to set the date and want to pick one when all your nearest and dearest will be available and enthused to share in your wedding day. This list of 2009 and 2010 blackout wedding dates will help you avoid booking a wedding date that may inconvenience you and your guests. We're not saying that any of these days are off-limits, (and if you've got your heart set on one of them - go for it!), but you may want to check around before setting your wedding around these types of days (get the full wedding dates list here, including actual dates for all of these holidays/occurances in 2009 and 2010)

1) Days of Religious/Cultural Observance - i.e. Christmas, Easter, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Kwanzaa
2) Holidays/Three Day Weekends - i.e. Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day Weekend
3) Other Major Holidays - i.e. Valentines Day, Mother's Day
4) Major Sporting Events - i.e. Super Bowl, World Series
5) Potentially Unlucky days - i.e. Friday the 13th, Ides of March
6) Days of Remembrance - i.e. September 11, Pearl Harbor Day

New Ring for New Years - Kick Start Your 2009 Wedding Plans Now!

If you’re among the nearly one million brides-to-be who received an engagement ring over the holidays, it’s time to ring in the new year by scratching the first few items off your wedding day “to do” countdown. Kick start your 2009 wedding plans now!

Unfortunately, for most newly engaged women – the excitement of finally finding “the one” is dampened by a hard dose of stress and anxiety. Sure, you’ll find about a gazillion wedding planning checklists out there, but they all tend to overwhelm more than they help, and all essentially fail to address the fundamental question: “Where do I begin?”

After you’ve announced the exciting news and taken some time to bask in your newly engaged glow, it’s time to get cracking. Here are the first three wedding planning tasks you absolutely must accomplish before anything else. Cross these items off your wedding checklist – and you’re on your way.

Plan your wedding settings and overall style

One of the first and most important steps on planning a wedding is selecting your ceremony and reception locations and choosing an overall style or theme to personalize them. This can be pretty overwhelming for a bride-to-be, since there are so many options and ideas out there. This guide to wedding settings and style walks you through it with step by step guides to planning your wedding ceremony and wedding reception. Once you've got these basics down, their theme weddings guide offers step by step advice on incorporating a specific theme into your day (anything from an outdoor affair to a green wedding). The alternative weddings guide offers unique ideas for weddings that go beyond the conventional.

Tackle the First Three Steps of Wedding Planning

Unfortunately, for most newly engaged women – the excitement of finally finding "the one" is dampened by a hard dose of stress and anxiety. Sure, you´ll find about a gazillion wedding planning checklists out there, but they all tend to overwhelm more than they help, and all essentially fail to address the fundamental question: "Where do I begin?"

After you´ve announced the exciting news and taken some time to bask in your newly engaged glow, it´s time to get cracking. Here are the first three wedding planning tasks you absolutely must accomplish before anything else. Cross these items off your wedding checklist – and you´re on your way.

Step 1: Determine Your Budget -
Every decision stems from the wedding budget. Before you can plan anything, you must know how much you can spend and who plans to contribute. Your budget will determine the type of wedding you can have - from how many guests you invite, to where and when you host your wedding, right down to the specific blooms in your bouquet. And with the ever increasing cost of weddings, financing the event is often a group effort; the bride´s parents no longer need to take out a second mortgage just to fund the upcoming nuptials. You´ll need to talk to your families about who will pay for what, and arrive at a total wedding budget. This complete wedding budget guide will walk you through the process.

Step 2: Tackle the Guest List -
Some "checklists" suggest setting a date and commencing other wedding plans before this step, but Elegala considers the guest count is the most vital decision after the budget. Here´s why: Capacity is one of the most important criteria in finding a suitable wedding venue – more so even than style and vision - and you must secure your location before you can successfully plan anything else. Trust us, cramming 300 people into a venue that seats 150 will not go over well. You don´t need to have the list finalized just yet, but you´ll need an estimate from both sides of the family (and yourselves) right away to avert countless planning headaches down the road. This complete wedding guest list guide will help you get started.

Step 3: Set on a Site and Date -
Only once you have an estimated budget and guest count can you begin searching for a place to hold your event with any accuracy. Remember – many reception sites book over a year in advance, so you really can´t decide on a wedding date until you have officially booked your venue with a signed contract. Find as many reception sites that meet your budget, capacity and overall style quotient as you can. Use our wedding reception site search to find venues in your area, and narrow down your list. Then schedule appointments to tour each wedding venue and meet with the manager. After that—it´s decision making time.

There is one wedding planning truism that we hold dear. As you may have heard it said, once you find your wedding venue, everything else falls into place. Once you have accomplished these steps, you will find the rest of your planning task list a piece of, ahem, wedding cake.

Don´t stop now - this complete ideas and advice guide will walk you every step of the wedding planning process, from setting the theme and style to managing every wedding detail