7 Fun Ideas to Personalize Your Way to a Unique Wedding

Honeymoon Send OffSource: Boat Send Off

One of the best things about weddings is the way the couple lets their personalities shine through the decorations, vows, music, even the food choices—everything. It gives guests a chance to see who they are as individuals as well as who they are as a couple. Every couple wants to make their wedding perfectly personalized to them, but sometimes it can be difficult to sort through all the current and past and upcoming wedding trends to find the right fit.

When planning a wedding, it’s easy to fall in love with someone else’s decorations or buffet or first song or signage. Hopefully, this blog will help you take a step back from what everyone else is doing and think about what you really want and what will make your wedding day as unique as it can be.

While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with following a trend (especially a wedding trend, because there are so many incredible and ingenious ideas out there!), a wedding that changes things up is a wedding that will be remembered for a lifetime. And who knows: maybe you’ll spark some trends yourself. The best news is this can be a lot easier, though maybe not as awesome, than having an alpaca as your witness or leaving for your honeymoon in a boat.

One way to make your wedding unique is, of course, to personalize certain components. We’ve seen couples’ names written on everything from the placemats to the wall banners to the favors. Personalization can go beyond just your names, though. Decide what you want to share with your guests about your wedding and your relationship. Show your quirky or nerdy side. Show your silly and sweet side. Show your mischevious side. Have a good time with it! Your wedding is anything  and everything you make it to be.

1. Gift Bags

Gift bags are a common way to add some personalization to your wedding – and for good reason! There are tons of cute sayings, artwork, and designs to put on bags. Personalized bags can be used for everything from a “Will you be my bridesmaid?” gift to hotel welcome bags to favors at the reception.

There are different types of bags to choose from, too. Paper, frosted plastic, even canvas tote bags can be personalized for your wedding. Then you get to decide between artwork and words, a sweet or funny phrase and your names and wedding date, or all of the above! Different sayings work best for different situations and different layouts work best on different types of bags. You can find more ideas for personalizing gift bags here.

To take things up a notch, if you have time, hand-decorate your gift bags. You can easily get your names and wedding date or a sweet phrase printed on the bag and then sketch a design to match your decorations on the bags yourself. Show off our artsy side and wow your guests with your talents.
Personalized Wedding Favor Bag
Source: Gift Bag

2. Signs

Typically, you will see the same signs at weddings, telling you: where to sit, where the bathrooms are, where the reception is, what the food is, and so on. Sometimes, these signs have a fun, poem-like saying (you know the type – “please pick a seat, not a side; we’re all family once the knot is tied”), or they’ll share the couple’s “love story,” or display the wedding’s hashtag, but they often are lacking in the creativity and uniqueness factors.

Personalized signs can go beyond names and dates and worn out quotes; spruce up your wedding by sharing more information in a new way. Your “Reception this way” sign? Change it to a picture of the bride and groom holding an arrow pointing in that direction. If you’re offering his-and-hers signature cocktails, include the ingredients and an explanation of why you chose these particular drinks. Post a sign near the dance floor with the lyrics to your song and a note about why it’s your song.
Signature Wedding Cocktails
Source: Cocktails

Maybe you have an inside joke or favorite memory you can use. For instance, that night when, maybe after a few too many drinks, the groom stuck two Twizzlers in his teeth and pretended to be a walrus – they’re his favorite candy, so you’re serving them at the reception, so why not include that story as a reason for serving the candy? Bonus points if you have a picture of it. Extra bonus points if he recreates that moment at the reception.

If you want to improve a sign you found at someone else’s wedding, but can’t decide how, you can’t go wrong by adding pictures of the bride and groom acting out whatever it is the sign says.
Dance Floor Wedding Sign
Source: Dance Floor


3. Cups and napkins

Cups, napkins, and silverware are possibly the least-thought-about items at a wedding, but they’re so important and cups and napkins are such an easy way to add a personal note to your wedding. I you're keeping your decorations simple but still want that personalized element, these are the way to do it! Especially if you are having an outdoor or casual wedding, plastic stadium cups with your names and wedding date and a cute floral design are exactly what you need. Not to mention the cups can double as favors for your guests. If you’re having a more formal wedding but still sticking tight to a budget, consider these lovely frosted plastic cups – they are so elegant with a script font printed on them!
Personalized Plastic Wedding Cup
Personalized Wedding Napkins
Source: Cups, Napkins

4. Koozies

Forgetting the cups and sticking with bottles and cans? Or maybe you’re having an after-party bonfire and need to make sure your drinks stay cold? Personalize some koozies! Again, these can double as a favor – and they’re both fun and practical, so it’s a win-win for your guests.

Koozies are a classic gift that never gets old. How do you bring new life to them? You could go the same route as your gift bags, and draw on them yourself, or you can make them into a game. Put a piece of paper inside for a version of Truth or Dare. Each paper should have a question or a dare for the bride and/or groom. You’re making the rules, so don’t write anything you’d be uncomfortable doing. Questions like “When and where was your first kiss” and “what color are you going to paint the bedroom in your house” and dares such as “Dance with as many people as you can during the next song” or “feed each other a bite of cake while blindfolded” are awesome because they are fun, simple, and sure to be enjoyed by everyone without being too embarrassing.
Personalized Can Koozie
Personalized Silver PlatedBottle Koozie
Source: Can, Bottle

5. Favors

When choosing a favor, and deciding if and how to personalize that favor, you have almost unlimited options.

One of the simplest options is to put your names and wedding date on the gift bag or box the favor comes in, and this is a great option for a few reasons. It will be easier for guests to identify what the favor is. You have more flexibility with what you can choose for the favor itself if you’re decorating the packaging rather than the item. Not all guests want a token with the couple’s name on it to remind them of the wedding for years to come. Sounds crazy, I know, but it’s safer to personalize the gift packaging if you’re worried people might not take or keep the favor if it’s personalized.

If you still want a favor you can personalize – and we don’t blame you – check out this blog for some fun ideas! Other than putting your names on any old favor, pick something that means something to you, and something your guests will enjoy for years to come.

6. Place card holders/escort cards

You might not think of putting your name on an escort card – I mean, it is supposed to say the guest’s name, right? Yes, but depending on what you choose for escort cards, you can add your names and wedding date to one side and it can double as a favor! Have you thought about using geode or agate as escort cards? Put your guests’ names on the top in a non-permanent way and your names on the bottom. They can be used as a paperweight or small jewelry holder or decoration after the wedding, and your guests can choose to hide or display your names.

You can also apply the Truth or Dare game here: using any type of place card holder you wish, add a piece of paper with a question or dare on it.

For an escort card that doesn’t use names, you can use photos! Find a picture of each guest with the bride and/or groom and write the table number on the back. You’ll bring back memories for everyone to share during the reception and it’ll be a nice little memento for your guests to take home.

7. Photo booth

I know what you’re thinking: nobody wants my name in the funny picture they take home with them; how am I supposed to personalize a photo booth? But you have tons of options. Start with the props: pull props from your lives, rather than traditional photo booth props. Do you still have your high school sports jersey? That’ll do! What are your favorite movies? You can pull inspiration from those. That trip you took to Vegas? Include a deck of cards and an Elvis costume. Do you have a stuffed animal collection? Throw in a few animals. Do you both love video games? Add a controller or two to the pile. You can also leave a chalkboard and colored chalk so your guests can write a note for you to hold up in their picture. Photo booth props don’t have to be all giant sunglasses and feather boas and mustaches on a stick. Don’t be afraid to think outside the booth!
Wedding Photo Booth
Source: Photo Booth

To literally think outside the booth, why not use an old van instead?

Your wedding is a celebration of your love for your soon-to-be spouse, and your ceremony and reception should reflect that. While the common wedding-themed sayings, signs, and decorations are cute, and some might seem perfect for you, there’s more to a wedding than what everyone else is doing. How can you make this wedding a truly unique experience for everyone who attends? Your love and relationship are special; your wedding should reflect that bond.





Elizabeth graduated from The University of Findlay with a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing. She now resides in Portland, Oregon where she is employed in the real estate business and is particularly enjoying the local cuisine. As a writer, Elizabeth believes in a quote from one of her favorite TV shows: "We have only two jobs on this Earth. The first: to learn. The second: to cope." A deep desire to learn struck Elizabeth when she was young, and now she hopes to help you cope by sharing information, and helping you apply the knowledge. Weddings and event planning can be overwhelming; sometimes it's okay to take a little advice from a stranger on the internet.

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