70 Wedding Tips + Ideas [Part 2]
👉Tips 1–25] Read this post!
👉26] Create a shared wedding album on your iPhone! Have someone’s role be adding all your guests to the shared album, as well as encouraging people to upload as many photos + video as possible 😉. It’s so fun to look back on your wedding + see so many moments from your guests’ perspective.
👉27] We encouraged morning journaling for our guests — giving them a handout that said: “We love spending our mornings journaling together [coffee in hand, of course!]. It’s our favorite way to start the day + we’d love to share it with you. Here’s some of our favorite prompts that we encourage you to do this morning — pick one, or all!” [We shared 4 prompts!]
👉28] MORNING WEDDING MOVEMENT! I know I already talked about wellness activities, BUT here me out: incorporate your favorite way to move on the morning of your wedding day. Go on a walk, solo dance party, 30 minute pilates, hit the hotel gym, etc. Get those endorphins flowing ⚡️
👉29] We had our parents + siblings individually write letters for us to read our wedding day. We left it opened ended, asking them: “What would you want to tell us on our wedding day?” It was so special to read together the morning of our wedding 💓
👉30] Consider getting ready solo. I really wanted to be in my own energy while getting ready [+ be in *my feels*] + I wanted it to be AS RELAXING AS POSSIBLE. My friend gave me + Isaac an acupuncture session before we both went our separate ways to get ready + it was so calming.
👉31] If you’re incorporating new jewerly into your bridal look — buy pieces that you know you’ll wear again. I bought simple gold hoop earrings + it’s so fun to wear them now + remember our wedding. I know a lot of people incorporate vintage family pieces, which is so nice, too!
👉32] Do a first look with your parents 🥰
👉33] Ask yourself: “Is there anything I want on the wedding altar that is important to me + my partner?” If you know me, you know how important purple tulips are to me. We had two purple tulips in a vase next to where we sat in the chapel.
👉34] When choosing a song to walk down the aisle to, play the song multiple times + visualize yourself walking down the aisle. I also did this with songs throughout the ceremony + reception. This brought me clarity on which songs carried the energy that I wanted to incorporate during our wedding weekend.
👉35] A moment I wish I would have stayed in a bit longer: The moment with my dad right before walking down the aisle. I surprised him with my Grandma’s favorite song “Amazing Grace” + it was so special, but I remember being so nervous + worried about crying [because I had already cried SO SO much while getting ready — we had to redo my makeup three times lol]. We had beautiful moment — but it was brief. I wish I would have stayed in that moment a bit longer… even if it meant risking tears!
👉36] We had our siblings stand up with us. I feel like coordinating bridal parties can get stressful, especially with trying to have an even number while walking down the aisle. This eliminated all of that stress! Our siblings walked down one by one.
👉37] I still had bridesmaids though! For choosing dresses, I gave them a color pallet + they picked their dresses [+ did an amazing job 👏]. While they didn’t stand up beside me, they got front row seats at the chapel 😌
👉38] Consider incorporating a prayer, reflection, or simply a “pause” with your bridesmaids +/or family prior to heading to the ceremony [or first look!] to quiet your mind + help yourself be FULLY present. Also, it’s a beautiful moment for gratitude!
👉39] A “surprise” down the aisle: Our 3 flower girls held a single flower down the aisle… each flower [white orchid, pink peony, yellow rose] represented our moms’ + grandma’s favorite flower. Once the flower girls handed our moms + grandma the flowers, they put them in the vase with our purple tulips after the “blessing” [more on the blessing below].
👉40] Flower idea: Preserve your wedding flowers! Press them into a necklace or piece of artwork. I wanted to do this so badly… but my poor bouquet ended up in the freezer somehow!
👉41] Incorporate a blessing at the start of the ceremony. My dad walked me down the aisle + as we walked by my mom in the front row, she stood up with us… as well as Isaac’s parents + my grandma. Instead of the traditional “giving away the bride” — we wanted to incorporate both sides of the family. They stood beside us + extended their hands to us, while a blessing was shared.
👉42] For those speaking at your wedding, I recommend giving them a time limit + ask for an outline to make sure everything flows. Our ceremony went extremely overboard lol [also due to a ring pass we did lol… we thought it would take 5 minutes, but I it took close to 20 🙄]
👉43] Something I wish I would have done: Made eye contact with everyone during the ceremony. When I walked down the aisle, my eyes were laser focused on Isaac [which I loved], + during the ceremony I was so so present to Isaac + my family. I don’t necessary “regret” it… but I do wish I would have taken a moment to look at everyone… especially because we were in a loveseat in the chapel facing our community!
👉44] Highly recommend doing a DOUBLE DIP after your first kiss [like this ; )]
👉45] A note on photos: If you have particular photos or moments you want captured, I recommend being as specific as possible with your photographer! I wish I would have gone through the itinerary with our photographer + shared the intention behind our itinerary + any “musts” to capture. Our photos were amazing, but there were some moments missed since I didn’t communicate our priorities — for example: photographers don’t typically capture food at a wedding… however, food was one of the most important elements to us + I wish that was captured more! Also, if you have any “inspo photos” — share that, too!
👉46] SWEETHEART TABLE IS THE WAY TO GO, IMO 😌. Also, loved the vibe of a long table under the stars. It was so dreamy. [ALL. THE. STRING. LIGHTS!]
👉47] On saying hi to everyone — Since we had a Welcome Dinner open to everyone on Friday, we were able to say hi to most people on Friday! However, there were a few people who just attended Saturday’s ceremony. I wish I would have made announcement to “say hi to us at the sweetheart table if we didn’t see you Friday!” For the people who did come up to talk to us — we loved it because it because we were able to have an intimate conversation… rather than us quickly walking by everyone at the main table to say hi.
👉48] If you can incorporate family + friend touches — do it! My mom made her special homemade pesto recipe for Saturday’s dinner, we used our grandmas’ favorite cookie recipes for dessert, we had a wind chime seating chart with old photos of our parents’ + grandparents’ wedding, our cousin made flower crowns for the flower girls. + our friends helped with the DIY decor + printables. We loved including so many special touches from our family + friends.
👉49] Consider including your favorite recipes at your wedding dinner. I know this isn’t always possible when working with a catering company, BUT, if you do have the flexibility — we loved that our meal included our favorite recipes that we eat almost every week as a family. We even shared the recipes with all of our guests after! Cloth + Flame took our favorite recipes + then “upleveled” them 🤤
👉50] If you don’t like cake, don’t have a cake 😋. We loved our dessert table — we had tiramisu, almond croissants, + cookie recipes from both of our Grandmas who have passed.
👉Tips 51–70] Read this post!
Our Wedding Team
So many thanks to all of these incredible people who made our dream wedding possible! Want an intro to any of these people? Let me know!
💛 Camp: @campwandawega
💛 Photo + Video: @reeseandrenee
💛 Pop Up Design + Food: @clothandflame @nickrusticus
💛 DIY Details: @alyssakk15 @sarahkclem @kaevass
💛 Wellness Leaders: @cali.kristinesc @cataldanasager @itsmaryjewel @adrian_on_spaceshipearth
💛 Acupuncture + Massage + Fire Twirling: @meliss__rae @taniahugheslovely
💛 Day Of Wedding Planner: @katiemonster365
💛 Floral: @inthebrambles @la_tulipe_design
💛 Hair + Makeup: @bpiacenti
💛 Dress + Veil: @aliceinivorybridal @alexandragrecco
💛 Suit: @blvdier
💛 Music: @kevinparismusic
💛 Violin: @justnathaniel.mp3
💛 DJ + Light Show: Jeff Quay
Love,
Elisabeth