Creative Wedding Ideas
 

I'm in the very early stages of planning a wedding and need some ideas! I'm looking to do something out of the ordinary (for example a wine tasting at a local vineyard). I'm having a creative block and was wondering if any of you had some ideas.

Every idea is a good idea, and may even spark a different idea, so please share.

Thanks in advance!

http://www.scottbeale.com/wedding/weekend.html

Those are the activities of two of my APO brothers that got married. They fit their personalities and interests well.

Here is an idea and a favor to ask you...
 

If you are going to do a wine testing you may want to do an italian themed wedding ex. Elegance in Tuscany.

Now here is how you can help me.

My fiance and I are in the running for the chance to win their ultimate dream wedding. Due to financial issues with both families (which is majorly due to serious family member illnesses) we, Lauren and Philip already pay for school and wouldn't have the money to get married anywhere but a courthouse.

YOU CAN HELP!

Click on the following link, click the bubble next to LAUREN AND PHILLIP and then click the box at the bottom to place your vote. You can vote every 30 minutes, and you can vote on multiple computers. So get to it! Help support a loving couple who deserve nothing less than not just a dream wedding, but a wedding their friends and family can share in that they will remember forever!

Click Here: [link expired]

Keep in mind....the contest ends Sunday at midnight so get clicking!!!!! :):):):):):):)

Have friends and family members host a luncheon or backyard BBQ at their homes. Give people a chance to relax and connect. Have a hospitality suite at the hotel you have blocked off for out of town guests and have neighbors and friends restock it with brunch and snack items from 7AM-10 PM during the wedding weekend. Don't go overboard planning sightseeing tours; you will run your guests ragged and it simply won't be a relaxing experience for anyone in addition to being yet one more detail you have to plan.

A wine tasting sounds like a nice outing -- why not make this part of your rehearsal dinner or bachelorette party?

Don't worry about entertaining the world during down-time-- recommend some local sites, but allow yourself a chance to relax and your guests the chance to just enjoy the weekend and relax, too. A rigid schedule only stresses everyone out and just gives you an unnecessary chore to plan and an added expense to add to the tally.

FYI..

Someone's already started your very own thread for you:

http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=83705

It's weird that people are willing to go vote for something/someone because someone joins GC and makes a post asking people to vote. If you've been around for a while, sure -- but why encourage crap like this?

Have you picked a date, or at least, a time of the year?

What level of formality are you and your fiance envisioning? Very formal, evening wedding, afternoon wedding, barefoot on the beach?

How many people do you think might be attending? Will you be inviting children? Will there be a lot of out-of-town guests, or will most of the guests be local?

This information will help us come up with some ideas. For example, a garden party at your house or your parents' house would be great for a small, informal group with children if the weather is nice, but it wouldn't be good for a large crowd or if you're getting married in winter.

Just to let y'all know...I am greek. I am a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma at Lynchbug College. We are a colony and we are being installed in February as the Eta Upsilon Chapter of Sigma. My fiance is also Greek he is a Sigma Nu at Lynchburg and in Mu Chi Chapter. I am sorry if I offended y'all in any way by posting this, but I thought that it would be a good way to spread the word through fellow greeks...was I wrong?

indiebride.com is awesome.

True, unless you're the kind of person who likes The Knot. ;)

Is he Philip or Phillip? I think you should figure that out. Most Phil(l)ips are pretty sensitive about it.

IT TOTALLY DOES NOT MATTER AS LONG AS HE GAVE HER A BIG ROCK.

I do like Indiebride, but it's basically just the Knot with an ornery attitude. Everyone there is obsessed with their weddings just as much as on the Knot, they're just obsessed with making it weird.

It is Philip, and I just was typing fast and miss spelled it by accident and didn't proofread. OOOPpps

The ring is just the right size :)

I am a little confused... are you looking for ideas for the wedding itself or for activites to go along with the wedding? Also could you give us a few more details that might help (what area of the country are you having this in? what time of the year? etc.)

I know my brother and his wife had a wedding that was Easter weekend. It was very different, but I liked it. They are somewhat laid back and had the wedding outside with an Irish band playing. Instead of a cake they had cupcakes that were each a flower. They gave out easter baskets to the wedding party instead of gifts and they also did easter cookies as favors and used easter grass and easter candy in the centerpeices. It worked because of the weekend, the same wedding in september would have been dumb.

LOL. I think Indiebride is like a thrift store -- there's a lot of gross nasty crap, but if you search through it you might find a few really cool things.

The best thing about Indiebride is the person who posts as Wesley Willis. ;)

I've been to some awesome, creative weddings...here are a couple of my favorites:

- An evening wedding with a dessert reception afterward. It was too late for dinner really, so they decided on cocktails and desserts instead. It was VERY elegant and I only heard raves about it.

- My best friend and her husband love baseball, so for their wedding reception they rented out the nice club area inside our local pro baseball stadium (Safeco Field, where the Mariners play). Their limo entered the stadium through center field, drove them around the warning track of the stadium for their grand entrance while the guests waved at them from the balcony, and we got to take photos on the field and in the dugout. They gave away bags of popcorn and peanuts as favors, had hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner, awesome tiered cupcakes instead of a cake, and all the beer, wine and soda you could drink. I think everyone there loved it and had a ball!

Oh, check with AXO Alum, she is a wedding planner!:)

I just heard today on the radio that Churchill Downs is now hosting receptions at the Kentucky Derby Mus. also you can get married in the winners circle if you are a horse racing fan.

Don't serve me. I'm sick of weddings. I cry so much at the ceremony that I'm not moist by the reception.

I'm thinking of proposing to my girlfriend March 31st, at around 11:59pm or so. You see up here in Seattle, if the tide is right, you might get to see a cacoon shell in a pool if you are lucky. It sets the mood.

Anyways.I'll say something like, " Temeka, will you marry?"

and then in about a minute or two when she finally calms down from her shock and jubilation, I'll say, "APRIL FOOLS MUTHAF*CKuh! I make it rain I make it rain I make it rain on theeez hoes!"

Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride
Nobody's gonna slow me down, oh-no
I got to keep on moving!

Here's a new one:

Elope, and do the ceremony at your GLO's National Convention!

That's what my husband and I did...

Miss Diva,

What's your budget? That will help us get an idea of what you can do.

I have a friend who got married at a Renaissance Festival. Nearly everyone came in costume of that period.

Another friend rented out a yacht and got married on the Hudson River in the summer at sunset. It was very posh (black tie) with a hired orchestra.

Went to a traditional Scottish wedding (where else.. but Scotland) but you can do it here as well. This one was at an old Medieval church. There was a piper at the door in full Highland's dress playing as we entered the church. If you aren't Scottish... so what?

Not my cup of tea...but believe it or not, Seaworld in San Diego offers wedding receptions. It's in the glass enclosed pavillion overlooking Mission Bay. And yes, you and your groom can have your formal picture taken with Shamu.

Other unusual places to get married: a hot air balloon. That's for a small wedding.. they usually only take up to ten passengers.

You can get married in an old historic building.

Or on a tall ship. I don't know where you live, but Star of India in San Diego offers them as does Wavertree in NYC. Many tall ships offer this service, so look it up on the internet and check it out.

DisneyWorld has a fairytale wedding package that even includes a coach.

If you call up your local chamber of commerce and tourist offices, they can probably give you some more ideas.

In some part venue depends on location.
Where are you planning this wonderful event?

My girl friend and I just about walked into a beautiful sun rise wedding at a historical Life Saving Service Museum on a beach.
And two of our friends had a wonderful wedding on the Federal Dunes in P-Town.

The vineyard idea sounds rather interesting and nice.

If you are thinking about a destination type wedding, I would suggest this travel agency-my girlfriend and I have used them several times for trips and all have been great:
http://www.roadslesstaken.com/Home_Page.htm
http://www.roadslesstaken.com/Destin...e_Weddings.htm
http://www.roadslesstaken.com/Destin...l_Weddings.htm
http://www.roadslesstaken.com/Destin...d_Weddings.htm

While down at the Royal Hideaway, saw a very nice beach wedding. Night before they set up a candle lighted table on the beach for the couple.

My bro just called to say that he and fiancee are getting married at the courthouse on Thurs.

Their's has been a very complicated relationship b/c he's divorced and she's divorced and then remarried/widowed, several kids of different ages between them.

I truly hope works for them. They defintely deserve it!

You can get married at Waffle House!

...

Seriously! Last time I was there, it said that on the back of the receipt. It also says people will throw dry grits at you instead of rice if you do this.

Lol, but I wouldn't recommend it.

PS - Congratulations!!

Check to see if you have a local botanical gardens.

Art museums are also very popular to have the ceremony and the reception.

If you want just the people very close to you, consider a cruise wedding as well.

Historical houses are always a nice place as well.

A sorority sister from church is getting married on Cinco de Mayo--they will be getting married at the church, then having the reception at a wonderful Mexican restaurant here.

Our local zoo does weddings. It has a beautiful rose garden, or other sites more out in the open. I bet you could take some cute photos!

I think most weddings are lame, but it would be the shit to get married at a sporting event or a really awesome brewery.

we had a cigar roller at our wedding which was a big hit

we also had an espresso bar with liquor shots for some awesome coffee.

The reception was in an old tutor mansion--what a great day!

Good Luck

Must have been...getting drilled in algebra and what have you ;) No, I love Tudor style as well.

Try www.indiebride.com as well. Lots of inexpensive/innovative ideas. Some are off the wall so if you're really traditional it might not be for you.

If/when I ever do a wedding, the goal is to do it as fun, inexpensive and awesome as possible. I don't really care for a lot of the "cultural expectations" crap...we're getting hitched, let's celebrate! And NO NO NO garter/bouquet toss for me. Someone on here mentioned a flower dance...where the DJ/MC/someone has all married couples go out on the floor and dance. Then he has people who have been married less than a day sit down (ie, the bride and groom!), then move through progressively larger chunks of time. The last couple standing (meaning the couple married longest) gets the bride's bouquet. I think that's a wonderful way to do it!

LOL @ tutor. Hee.

I don't know about the flower dance idea -- it seems nice in theory, but has the potential to make quite a few people feel like shit, too.

Friends of mine did this and called it the "anniversary dance." The bride did a bouquet toss separately, but it was a nice representation of lasting love.

APO is for lovers :)
 

MissDiva,

How's the wedding planning going?

One great (and cheap) way to make Save the Dates is going to www.vistaprint.com and make business card magnets or use their flat cards to make Save the Dates.

Also, personalize your wedding as much as possible. My Future Mother-in-Law and I are making white chocolate dolphins for favors to go with my ocean themed wedding.

One cool thing I saw that I really liked was a cake that looked like a stack of books with titles of books that the couple had both read and enjoyed because they're both librarians. I thought it was AWESOME!