How to Personalize Your Wedding

Your wedding will be a very important event in your life, so enjoy it! Embrace what you love about yourself and your partner and plan an event that reflects what is special and important to you. Choose a theme or design that is significant to you and your partner and turn your wedding into something creative and new. Try to have fun with the location, decorations, and food and make this day uniquely yours.

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Deciding on a Theme

Remember that, above all, this is your day. Speak with your partner and try to settle on a theme that seems fun and interesting to both of you - a common interest or something you are both passionate about. You can structure your wedding and start preparing around virtually anything.^{[1]XResearch source}
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Draw inspiration from your favorite books and movies. Your decorations, location, and even attire can all be themed around your favorite book series. Programs can have your favorite quotes and you can dance to the soundtrack of your favorite film for your first dance.
- Make it medieval with Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones.
- Embrace fantasy with Harry Potter or Alice in Wonderland.
- Go futuristic with Star Wars or Star Trek.
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And also the places that you’ve been! A travel themed wedding could be a cute way to go through all the special locations and moments in your relationship while also showing where you want to go next.^{[2]XResearch source} Programs could be made to look like maps and each table at your reception could have an object related to future destinations.
Get decorations that show your team colors and maybe even divide your guests by who likes who. Some sport arenas and gyms are even available for booking wedding venues, so you could have a sport themed wedding in that kind of stadium.^{[3]XResearch source}
If you and your partner are really interested in music or theater, you could hold your wedding ceremony on the actual stage of a theater.^{[4]XResearch source} Setting up the venue is easy because there is already a middle aisle to walk down and plenty of seating. Programs could be made to look like performance programs and you could hold your first dance right there on stage.
Use traditional clothing and foods from your heritages to create an interesting clash of cultures.^{[5]XResearch source} The rich history and traditions of your families will combine and your older family members are bound to love it. Serve dishes from both of your heritages at the reception, regardless of how well they go together.
7
Go traditional. There is nothing wrong with choosing to hold a simple traditional wedding! It may not be the most unique and original starting point, but your wedding is what you make of it. Even if you do not want to have a particular theme, there are still so many other ways to add your own personal twist to the ceremony or reception.^{[6]XResearch source}
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How.com.vn English: Personalize Your Wedding Step 7

Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Specializing Invitations

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Write invitations by hand. Depending on how many people you plan to invite, this may become physically exhausting. Handwritten invitations are immediately more personal than any typed font could be - it’s your own personal font! Agree on a format, split a stack of invitations with your partner and start writing. They will not all look the same, but that’s the point! Each invitation will be one of a kind.^{[7]XResearch source}
- If writing the full invitations by hand is too time consuming, you can always type up the actual invitation and only write the name and address by hand.
2
Get creative with the envelope. Envelopes can take many forms, both manufactured and homemade. The invitation itself can be folded into a type of envelope, but it’s recommended to place it inside of something else to avoid being damaged. But why use regular envelopes when you can make your very own personalized invitations!^{[8]XResearch source}
- Create your own personalized envelope by vertically folding a standard sheet of paper into three equal sections. Unfold the paper then fold the two long edges in by an inch. Refold the bottom third onto the middle third and glue it in place on the edges. You now have a sealed pocket in which to place your invitation, then fold the remaining third down and seal it in place with tape or glue.
3
Create your own website. If you are feeling more tech savvy and want to avoid the whole process of mailing invitations, create a website for your special day and share the link with those you want to invite.^{[9]XResearch source} The website should contain details regarding time and locations of the ceremony and receptions. It should include further information for expected attire, parking, and a gift registry. You can include an option on the site to RSVP for themselves and whoever they are permitted to bring. Enabling guests to RSVP online is very useful as you have the further benefit of collating a database of guest's email addresses if you need to contact them with further details closer to the wedding.
- Many wedding websites have resources that can help you create your own site regardless of technical skill.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Picking a Location

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Pick a location that emphasizes your theme. The location of your wedding ceremony is important for many reasons, but it also lets you build on your wedding theme. Churches are the default option for many weddings, but choosing a unique and special location can add a more personal feeling to your ceremony.
- For example, rustic themed weddings can be held in the countryside or on a farm while nautical weddings could be held on a beach.
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Pick a location special to your relationship. Go back through your relationship and see if there are any special moments that happened in a place that you could revisit and could hold the venue. If you like the idea of revisiting important locations but none of them seem to work, you can always turn it into your wedding theme and include references to important places as decorations or table centerpieces.
- Special locations can include where any of your first moments happened, like where you first met or went out.
3
Make arrangements for seating. Depending on where you choose to hold your wedding, seating could either be troublesome to find or automatically included. Churches are convenient for that reason because they have pews to hold many people, but there are other spaces that have just as much seating. For example, some theaters, schools, and sport stadiums are available to book for your venue.
- If you want to hold your wedding outdoors, get creative and make the seating part of the theme! Hay bales, for example, can be used to reinforce a rustic theme and provide interesting places to sit.
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Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Making the Ceremony Unique

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Decorate everything. Decorations are where your theme really shines. The three greatest places to decorate at a wedding are the aisle, the altar, and the tables at the reception.^{[10]XResearch source}
- For the aisle you can roll out a red Hollywood carpet or attach beautiful bouquets to the end of each row.
- The stage or altar that you are getting married on should be simple enough that all the focus is on you, but have enough character so that all the picture will be uniquely yours.
- Table centerpieces at the reception are limitless when it comes to decorative potential. You could use simple items like candles, river stones, or vases with flowers, or you could place a prop or item relevant to your theme on each table.
Vows are a perfect way to add a personal tone to the ceremony and be yourself with your partner. If you want to write your own vows, agree on a format beforehand with your partner so they match in terms of tone. You can make them funny or personal and sentimental. Just be creative and read other vows for inspiration.^{[11]XResearch source}
If you happen to have a close mutual friend who is a talented singer, consider asking them to sing at your wedding. If you have a close friend who could not be a part of the wedding party but you still want to include, offer to let them read a particular passage from a religious or otherwise significant text.^{[12]XResearch source}
4
Have a loved one officiate the wedding. It’s a relatively simple process to become an ordained minister. If you and your partner have someone special that you would love to officiate your wedding, they can! It’s a quick and free process to become an ordained minister online and in return they’ll be able to officiate weddings and sign the marriage license.
- Be careful, though, as some states do not officially recognize marriages officiated by someone who became a minister for a day to do so.^{[13]XResearch source} Check your state’s requirements to ensure that you can pursue this option.
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Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

Customizing the Reception

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Hire a caterer or someone you know. One of the best parts of any reception besides the music and conversation is the food. If you have a particular food in mind, chances are you will be able to find someone willing to cater it. Many business and restaurants have special catering deals, so scout around and see who you could afford.^{[14]XResearch source}
- If you have a close friend who is a great cook, consider asking (and paying) them to cater your wedding. If they could not feasibly cook for your entire venue, they could also just cook for your rehearsal dinner instead!
You can start off your first dance by dancing to a classic wedding song like “Amazed” or “At Last” then switching halfway through to a more exciting and modern song instead!^{[15]XResearch source} If you want to really impress your guests, consider taking some dance lessons with your partner before the wedding and impress everyone with your new skills.
3
Customize your cake. Obviously choose a flavor that you and everyone else will enjoy, but take some creative liberties with ordering or making a very unique cake. Custom wedding cakes can come in any size or shape, so browse several sites and try and find one that is fun and has something to do with your theme.
- Cakes can be customized using little decorations and cake toppers that relate to your theme. If you cannot find official toppers, you can just use figurines or make your own references by drawing them in frosting.
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Expert Q&A

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Question
How do I make my ceremony special?
Hope Mirlis
Wedding Officiant & Marriage Counselor
Hope Mirlis is a registered Wedding Officiant, an Ordained Non-Denominational Minister, and a Certified Yoga Instructor specializing in pre-wedding mental health. She is the Founder of A More Perfect Union, a premarital counseling business. She has worked as a counselor and officiant for over eight years and has helped hundreds of couples strengthen their relationships. She has a MFA in Dramatic Arts from the University of California, Davis.
Hope Mirlis
Wedding Officiant & Marriage Counselor
Expert Answer
Talk to your officiant ahead of time so they can add special touches to your ceremony. I like to give couples a list of adjectives and figure out which ones really resonate with them. For example, if a couple describes their perfect ceremony as fun, personal, and full of laughter, then I would try to bring in some element of levity to the ceremony. Then, they can use flowers and music to reflect a fun attitude, and their seating arrangement can make the ceremony feel more personal.
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Can you have a reception months after the wedding?
Community Answer
Yes. Sometimes people elope or get married spontaneously but still want to have a party to celebrate. I wouldn't recommend having a large wedding with a reception at a later date, though.
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Tips

Consult a wedding planner. They can help you pick out a theme, bargain with caterers, and order your decorations for you.^{[16]XResearch source} Even if you want to do this wedding all on your own, consider talking with a wedding planner to see what themes are hot right now or what potential deals you could get.
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