Where to get creative ideas for weddings

Lovecast lets you host a livestream befitting your wedding day by offering the highest quality video plus a personalized event page to share your registry and collect virtual guest photos. Its easy-to-use mobile app broadcasts your wedding with a one-click link for guests to watch and participate.

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Here Comes the Guide. Serve carnival food:. Pop champagne before the ceremony! Dress your groomsmen up like superheroes:. Stay comfy by wearing running shoes under your wedding gown:. Elisabeth Arin Photography. A round of mini golf could also be an entertaining and fun way to kick off this new chapter in life. Lissa Ryan Photography. If you're having a destination wedding, fill welcome baskets with locally made crafts, food, and drinks that reflect the locale.

Nothing makes more of an impact than demonstrating to your guests how much you care about them," Jackson says. Be sure to include a handwritten note, a gift card to your favorite coffee shop or bakery, and something locally made—be it a bag of old-fashioned hand-cooked peanuts or chocolate-coated espresso beans. Greg Finck. Give the bubbly some wheels for a whimsical feel.

For guests who don't drink, consider having a sparkling lemonade stand or even a sorbet cart. Josh Elliott Photography. Help wedding guests get to know you and your partner better by creating a cute infographic of your relationship to display as a sign on welcome tables. Jackson also suggests incorporating a custom illustration into your save the date card that unfolds to tell the story of how you and your partner met, where you went on your first date, and where you became engaged.

Beatrici Photography. Personalize the bridesmaids' bouquets by selecting flowers that pair with each girl's birth month.

Stick to a single color pink peonies, pink tulips, pink roses or color scheme jewel tones to unify the look. Elyse Hall. Your guests will have worked up an appetite from the dance floor by the time they leave for the night. Send them home with a midnight snack anything from shoestring fries to popcorn to eat in their hotel for a favor that will actually get used.

What guest doesn't appreciate a sweet treat? Jackson suggests surprising guests with a turndown service when they arrive back at their hotel following the rehearsal dinner. Other confections to consider include a trio of macarons, a cupcake, a warm cookie, or gourmet chocolates.

Shelly Anderson Photography. Are you a wanderlusting pair with a travel theme? Go the extra mile and use leather luggage tags to hold the escort or place cards. For a summer wedding, consider using beach balls or seashells as escort cards.

Nikole Ramsay. Want to create an unusual color scheme? Take cues from the works of a color-happy artist such as Rothko, Van Gogh, or Pollock.

Also, a pop of an unexpected color—like chartreuse—can make an otherwise neutral palette really stand out. Branco Prata Studios. Chat it over with your photographer first but another cool idea is to recreate a special wedding moment like the cake cutting or the wedding exit from your parents' nuptials.

BAKE Photography. Show your gratitude by having it expressed in elegant calligraphy on a large sign for all to see. Lillywhite Photography. Have your best man emcee a trivia quiz about the two of you—ask each table to work as a team to come up with the answers.

A round of "I Spy" or Bingo could also be played. Design your ceremony seating in a circular fashion so guests can get a degree view. If you plan on getting drone shots of your wedding, then just think how cool a winding spiral will appear from above. Take into consideration the type of wedding altar you choose. You'll want your seating to complement the altar, not compete with it. Ryan Ray Photo. Make guests find their seat by first locating a funny picture of them on an escort card wall.

This couple scoured the Internet for months to find the most amusing photos of their guests for this DIY masterpiece. Alternatively, Jackson recommends using "escort cards that were old black and white photos of the bride and groom throughout the years for lots of laughs and conversation starters at the dinner tables.

Tim Tab Studios. Write your soon-to-be spouse a heartfelt message on their wedding shoe for a sweet surprise on the big day. If you're feeling sneaky, slip a secret message to your ring bearer or flower girl to pass along prior to or during the ceremony. Bless Photography. Instead of the traditional three-course dinner, have your guests sit down to a family-style serving for a more intimate gathering.

Use this as an opportunity to mix up couples and encourage conversations among different guests. Ryan Ray Photography. Does your groom have a thing for bowties? Create a bow tie bar during cocktail hour where guests can swap their ties for one. Chelsea Seekell Photography.

Including your pet on your wedding day? Have the most meaningful phrase from your wedding vows embroidered or needlepointed on the ring pillow. Display in your home—it's the ultimate keepsake. Anything that you get customized for your bridesmaids will also serve as a memento of your big day. Jackson recalls a Colorado wedding where custom embroidered denim jackets were made for the bride and her bridesmaids.

Alex Carlyle Photography. Hang a series of photos of both of you as children at the reception. Guests can schmooze and peruse during the cocktail hour. Christie Graham. Katie Pritchard Photography. Crystal glasses in shades of blue and wicker baskets complement a southwestern ranch wedding with boho flair. Having a post-wedding brunch the next day? For a garden party theme, mismatched fine china sourced from a flea market will lend a dose of whimsy.

Kortney J Photo. A few design tweaks will put a modern twist on a vintage look. Alternatively, an heirloom engagement ring or a garter made from your grandmother's wedding veil can serve as your "something old. Add goofy photo booth strips to table numbers for a playful touch—not only does it show off your personality as a couple, but it serves as a fun conversation piece for guests.

From a wedding planner's perspective, Jackson shares, "We like to make little nods to the interests our couples shares. For a couple who spends time together walking in parks and birdwatching, a subtle bird motif will personalize their wedding invitation and be repeated through the use of specially selected fabrics and china," Jackson says.

Are you both art lovers? Let it inspire your big day. This couple had each of their favorite paintings printed on the menus. For an art gallery wedding, Jackson suggests displaying mini painted canvases on easels—not only do they make pretty escorts cards but they'll also serve as meaningful mementos. Create one large floral centerpiece out of several mini vases.

Invite guests to take one on their way out. If both of you are literary nerds, then a stack of your favorite books could be used as an informal centerpiece. You could even take it a step further by assigning a different genre to each table.

If you really want to think outside the box, then modern carnival sweets are the way to go. For one wedding, Pineapple Productions served maple bacon funnel cakes and strawberry chili cotton candy from a moving ferris wheel. Photo by Patricia Lyons , planning and designing by Pineapple Productions.

Lisa Ziesing for Abby Jiu Photography. Consider incorporating custom artwork into your invitations and mementos. Washington, DC, his We used the artwork on the wedding invitation and on playing cards that were given out as guest favors at the end of the night," Jackson says. Toast the woman who has had the greatest impact on your life, then hand her your bouquet as a tribute. Another idea is to give your flowers to the couple married the longest.

Ask them to share a few words of wisdom with the crowd as a sweet sentiment. Headley Lyons , Planning and designing by Pineapple Productions. While time-consuming, I cannot think of a better way to let each individual guest know how much you appreciate his or her presence at your wedding," Jackson says. Instead of wearing a boutonniere, this groom had the shawl collar of his tuxedo outfit with flowers and greenery. Often a pocket square is chosen in a fabric that matches the wedding colors, however, this groom took things one step further and chose a floral pocket square that coordinated with the rest of the day's floral design.

As you're in the middle of wedding planning, think through how your wedding guests will experience the day and come up with creative ways to make their experience even more memorable. Rachael Ellen of Rachael Ellen Events encourages couples to "think about how they want the wedding to feel rather than just look.

This helps me narrow in on specific design directives to help them achieve not only something inspiring but a feeling that is important to them and central to their celebration. To ensure guests were able to totally disconnect and be present during the wedding, this couple set up a phone check station, much like a coat check station.

This bride chose not to have bridesmaids or a wedding party. Instead, she invited her nearest and dearest over for a champagne toast on the morning of the wedding as a fun way to start the day. This couple combat that issue by creating a charging station for electronics at their wedding. Directions for guests on the wedding day, from seating assignments to other signage, need to be practical, but they don't need to be boring.

Think outside the box when it comes to seating charts, escort card displays and place cards. Wedding guests received bottles of wine at this wedding which doubled as both wedding favors and escort cards. Bells calligraphed with guests' names served as both escort cards and wedding favors at this outdoor wedding in California. At this wedding , calligraphed canisters of fragrant spices were put at each place setting to let guests know which seat was theirs.

When it comes to dreaming up your wedding menu with your caterer, take a moment to think about the foods you like to eat. There's no rule saying that you have to serve a simple chicken entree at the reception. Consider a hip food truck or even a mobile bar to wow wedding guests. Instead of having serving roam cocktail hour with a tray of champagne flutes, the waiters at this event wore flutes of bubbly.

Food stations are a fun activity for guests. At this festival-inspired celebration, freshly spun cotton candy was on offer. During their pre-wedding portraits, this couple made a pit stop for ice cream. It's your day, by all means, do and eat! Up-level your signature cocktails with personalized ice cubes that showcase your monogram. During their wedding portrait session, this couple stopped for a quick bite at In 'n' Out burger. If your wedding date is during the hotter months of the year, think about fun ways to keep guests cool and refreshed.

In honor of their Michigan wedding locale, this couple included Michigan-shaped chocolate-covered ice cream bars on their catering menu.

Paper straws are the eco swap most often used in place of plastic straws. However, they can sometimes become soggy and unusable. This couple combatted that problem by serving edible straws made of tamarind in their signature cocktails. Coffee lovers, consider adding a fun coffee station to cocktail hour for wedding guests to enjoy.

If tea is more your speed, take a note from this couple's display of freshly-brewed tea. Live bands and photo booths aren't the only forms of entertainment you can include in your wedding. Melissa Williams of B. Astonished Events recently planned a wedding where a dance troupe performed.

There were ten flower girls who danced down the aisle for the ceremony and they opened up the performances during the reception with a dance routine before the bride and groom. An acrobat wowed guests by performing on a metal hoop on the dance floor at this reception.

Instead of rolling about the dance floor, this acrobat stayed put and impressed with stationary stunts. If you grew up loving the county fair, consider renting a Ferris wheel for your wedding as an homage to the magic of festivals and fairs.

Guests at this nautical wedding were treated to entertainment from performers dressed as mermaids. These newlyweds hosted a camp-themed wedding complete with an archery station.

Things got heated at this reception, thanks to daring fire eaters. For ballet fans, consider hiring ballerinas to dance at your event. At this ceremony, ballerinas wowed in swan-inspired outfits. Get the party started by hiring a dance troupe to kick things off at the wedding reception. To celebrate the groom's profession as a basketball player, this couple had arcade-style basketball hoops set up at the reception.

The sky is the limit with reception decor. Don't limit yourself to standard centerpieces and run-of-the-mill draping. Connect with your event designer to dream up something truly magical. Pillar and votive candles will help visually set the scene at the reception but think about scentscaping your event by sprinkling candles in your favorite scent throughout the day. Scent is closely tied to memory so anytime your smell your chosen scent in the future, memories of the big day will come flooding back.

For their Lion King-inspired wedding, this couple commissioned a chalk artist to create a mural with lions. Sofas are commonly seen at weddings as part of lounge groupings but feel free to get creative with your furniture. This couple suspended circular seats for guests to lounge in. Even the table numbers were rustic at this country wedding. Calligraphed horses told guests which table was theirs. Inspired by cut-paper Papel Picado banners, this couple commissioned an artist to create a dramatic paper chandelier and matching table runners for their tented outdoor wedding reception.

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