Leave Your Paper Guestbook in the Stone Ages with Signing Stones

Not all wedding traditions are set in stone, but your guest book can be. Instead of using a traditional bound paper book for your guests to leave you a message in, consider having them each sign a stone. Guest signing stones are a unique and interesting way to capture your guests' names and good wishes for your marriage, and your guests will love this fun guest book alternative. 

Why? You may be hesitant to let go of the idea that you have to have a guestbook at your wedding, because that’s “what has always been done.” Here are a few reasons to reconsider:

• A book will eventually be placed on a bookshelf, or maybe even in a box, and won’t be looked at except for perhaps on your anniversary.
• The stones can be displayed in a vase or bowl or in a garden or terrarium, where they can be enjoyed by everyone.
• No tradition is forever. If you want to change something, change it. This is your wedding and you can have whatever sort of guest book you’d like!

How? These signing stones are super simple. All you need to do is set up a table near the door to the reception hall. Scatter the stones on the table with a couple markers (a fine point permanent marker writes well on stones) and a note telling your guests what to do. Then relax and let your loved ones write a special message to you and your spouse!

Another great way to incorporate this natural accent in your wedding is to write your guests’ names on stones and use them as placeholders at the tables. Provide one or two markers at each table. Your guests will be able to write their note to the bride and groom while they are enjoying the reception. This will also give them all night to think about what they want to write.

Tell us in the comments below what you think about a stone guest book!

Image Credits:  Glass Vase with Decorative Base, Square Concave Glass Vase with Guest Signing Stones, Stone Place Cards

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.

Eloping: Not Just for the Money

Many young girls spend a lot of their time dreaming about having a big, elaborate, beautiful wedding. Usually, as they get older, these dreams remain the same. But more and more women are choosing to have small, intimate ceremonies – or no ceremony at all.

In the past, eloping has sometimes been looked down upon as a way to avoid a scandal. Today, it’s becoming more acceptable, and much more practical.

Perhaps the most common reason to elope is to save money. It’s no secret that weddings are expensive. Renting a venue, catering food for hundreds of people, paying a professional photographer, and everything else really adds up to a big bill. Eloping means you can spend more money on your honeymoon – or save more for the future.

You’ll also be helping other people save money. You won’t have a bridal party who will have to buy dresses or rent suits. You won’t have guests who have to buy gifts for you. Your guests won’t have to spend money on travelling.

There are quite a few more valid reasons to consider eloping.  There can be a lot of drama with weddings. Family members not getting along, friends feeling excluded, and stepping on the wrong person’s toes can all be avoided by keeping the guest list to just the two of you.

An elopement also increases the intimacy of your marriage. A big ceremony often ends up being a big show for your guests. When it’s just you and your partner, you can focus on each other and your love and commitment to each other. 

If you’re concerned about money, or any of the other examples listed above, but still want to celebrate with a large group, there are ways to do that. You could have a small ceremony with just your immediate family and then have a large reception. You could also elope and have a reception when you return from your honeymoon.

The most important thing about eloping is to make sure you and your partner are both in agreement. Talk through all of your options and make a decision together!

Image Credits:  'We Eloped' Couple on Beach, Eloping is In, Elopement Ceremony

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.

Shades of Green + Ivory - A Romantic Garden Wedding Inspiration Board

We often see a few bold colors as the main focus of a wedding, but sometimes the most elegant and beautiful color scheme can be found in the simplicity of a single color in several shades, with soft neutral accents. This can be illustrated by a color scheme of soft shades of green and ivory.  

This color pallate is perfect for a spring or summer garden wedding. These colors would also bring a natural feel to your indoor wedding where you want to bring a natural feel to an indoor space.  Mismatched bridesmaids dresses and plant favors will add to the natural feel of your wedding, and an ivory wedding cake with green accent flowers will tie in perfectly. 

There are so many floral options available to compliment this color scheme.  Succulents and Dusty Miller are perfect for bringing different shades of green and textures to bouquets, boutonnieres and centerpieces.  Bay or olive leaves can be used for garland or in centerpieces, and ivory flowers will look stunning with the greens in the background.

Image Credits: Boutonnieres, Centerpiece, Bride's Bouquet, Eat Drink and Be Married Napkins (Find these napkins here), Bridesmaids Dresses, Ivory Wedding Cake, Boutonniere, Table Setting, Succulent Favors, Cocktails, Garland

Driving off into the Sunset: A Honeymoon on the Road

If you’re having trouble choosing the perfect location for your honeymoon, why don’t you choose all of them? Take the road trip of your dreams!

Before you start:

1. Plan your route. What cities are you dying to visit? What landmarks have you always wanted to see? Mark every place on a map so you won’t miss anything.
2. Make sure your vehicle is up to par. Take it to a garage to get everything checked out – you don’t want to break down somewhere on the open road! If your car isn’t very dependable, you might want to rent one.

For the ride:

1. Pack lots of snacks and drinks. Grocery stores tend to be cheaper than gas stations.
2. Put together an emergency kit. Include a battery-powered radio, flashlight, jumper cables, first-aid supplies, tire repair kit, flares, and extra batteries. It’s also a good idea to have an extra blanket or two. 
3. Prepare games and entertainment. The last thing you want is to get bored in the car and start bickering. You can make a few CDs with your favorite music, come up with a few games to play, and tell (or read) stories to each other.
4. Pack a camera and take plenty of pictures along the way. Each time you stop, get the pictures developed. You can make a scrapbook or photo album while you’re driving.

Where to go:

If you’re still not entirely sure of where you want to go, there are many websites that will help you plan your trip. Some will give you routes that they have already mapped out, but others will give you suggestions and assist you with the technicalities of planning. 

If you have the time and money for it, try to plan one stop in every state. Here are some of the most popular destinations within the United States:

• San Antonio
• San Francisco (the Golden Gate Bridge)
• Hollywood
• Las Vegas
• Washington D.C.
• Chicago
• New Orleans
• The Grand Canyon
• Mount Rushmore
• Yellowstone National Park
• Yosemite

If you don’t have any particular places in mind, you could pick a highway and drive up and down that, stopping wherever and whenever you feel like it.

• Pacific Coast Highway: 1,700 miles from southern California to the Olympic Peninsula
• Florida State Highway/Overseas Highway: 600 miles from Jacksonville to Key West
• Newfound Gap Road/Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive: a total of 606 miles through three national parks – without the semi-trucks, billboards, and traffic on other highways
• U.S. Highway 2: 3,300 miles (if you drive the 700 miles it covers in Canada!) through mountains, the Great Plains, small towns, and Glacier National Park
• U.S. Highway 395: 1,300 miles from southern California to the Canada border

There are so many things to do and so many beautiful places to visit. So why should you stay in one place? Grab your spouse, a map, and a trustworthy car and hit the road for a honeymoon full of adventures!

Image Credits:  Couple in Car with Luggage, Grand Canyon, Pacific Coast Highway

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.

Introducing...The Bridal Party

Everyone knows the wedding is about the bride (and maybe a little bit about the groom). But the bridal party plays a huge role, mostly behind the scenes, and they deserve to be recognized for their hard work.

 

There are easy ways to make sure the bridal party gets this acknowledgement, but there are also creative, fun ways to introduce your closest friends and family to all of your guests.

 

Traditional Introductions

Make sure your MC or DJ knows the correct order the bridal party will be entering in the reception, as well as how to pronounce their names. The minimum the DJ should say is their first and last name and role in the bridal party. Something else you can consider adding is how they each know the bride or groom. Another fun tidbit to add is just a fun fact about each person. For example, “John Doe is the best man and was the groom’s roommate and wingman in college—he’s the one who introduced the groom to the bride!”

 

Don’t forget to introduce the ring bearer and flower girl!

 

It’s common to put information about the bridal party in the program for your guests to read, and while this is helpful, it can be impersonal and doesn’t give them a chance to put names to faces.  Consider putting in a small photo next to each member of the bridal party along with a short bio.  Weddings are about joining two families, but the bride and groom need to facilitate this, and the best way to start this is to introduce the bridal party.

 

Other Tips for Formal Introductions

 

Make sure your bridal party is comfortable with each other. Even if they don’t know each other before the ceremony, encourage them to spend some time together, since they will be walking and dancing together all day.

 

Enter the reception hall excited. When your guests see you and your bridal party having a great time, they will be more excited and will participate in the festivities more eagerly.

 

Communicate well with your DJ or MC. If you have hired a professional, he or she will have lots of ideas for how to spice up your introductions and can facilitate the whole procession.

Creative Introductions

 

Encourage your wedding party to do something fun as they enter your reception.  Choreograph a dance routine and have the members of your bridal party waltz, tango, or wobble their way into the reception hall. Let each couple decide individually which dance they want to use for their entrance.

 

Use props: find toys or other props that fit your theme and have your bridal party use them during their introductions.  This bridal party entered to the song Thrift Shop sporting their best thrift store attire.

 

 

Still not sold with these introductions? Consider this:

 

 

At this wedding, the bride and groom put together a meet the bridal party table. All you need to do is put each person’s name, picture, and some information about them in a picture frame. Here are some ideas for what to include in the information section:

• How they know the bride/groom
• Where they’re from
• A fun fact
• A funny quote from them that was said at some point during the wedding planning

These picture frames don’t have to be for just the bridal party, either. You can include the parents of the bride and groom, the ring bearer, the flower girl, and anyone else you think deserves one!

 

However you choose to do the introductions, make sure you include a big thank you to all those who helped to make your day special.

Image Credits: Wedding Party Photos, Wedding party booklet, Thrift Shop Entrance, Meet the maids and grooms

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.