With the huge popularity of the wedding industry, and all the ever-changing wedding trends, it can be hard to make your wedding stand out from the crowd. The only way to do this is to be true to yourself and your partner, and add personal touches that speak to who the two of you are and what you love. Here are some ideas to make your wedding day your own:

1. The ceremony: Get creative with your aisle runner, it’s one of the first things people see when they enter the ceremony site. A budget friendly option is to purchase a long piece of fabric in the wedding colours and run that down the aisle to add a pop of colour to the venue. Another option is to illustrate your love story on the runner, so as people find their seats, they are able to read more about when you first met, your first date etc. If you’re reserving seats for family, take the reserved signs up a notch by personalising them with names and a little note to each person. During the ceremony add another personal element by having an important family member or friend do a reading or sing a favourite song.
2. The ceremony send-off: If you don’t want seeds, confetti or rice in your hair, give guests other cute options to throw in the air. We love mini beach balls for a beachside ceremony, but other options are pinwheels or mini flags. These are bright and will photograph beautifully as they’re lifted or thrown into the air.
3. After-ceremony: If you’re doing drinks, make your bar spectacular. Have it carved out of ice, or add ice sculptures dotted around that are keeping drinks or bottles of champagne cold. To spruce up your cocktails even more, consider edible flowers with long stems instead of the usual stirrers. If you’re having signature drinks, rim the glasses with salt or sugar in your wedding colours to take it up a notch, or even better? Make the whole drink in one of your wedding colours. For your snacks, make it personal by choosing recipes with family history. If you’re Greek for example, serve bite-sized crackers with fresh tzatziki or mini dolmades and stuffed aubergines. This adds so much more meaning to what you’re serving up.
4. The reception: Want to get guests mingling and talking, especially if some people are seated with others they don’t know well? Serve a first course that people need to share, like a fondue with dipping options, or a cheese board with fresh fruits and meats. For your guest book, place it next to an instant-print photo booth with props. Guests can stick their favourite picture next to their note to you.

There are elements to add to every part of your big day to make it individual and unique to you and your partner. Go wild and think carefully about details, those are the things that set you apart from the crowd!