Unique Wedding Ideas – Invitations, Bouquets, Cake Toppers, Favors and Guest Books

Host Bee on Monday, July 5th, 2010

The Best Of Everything Wedding!

Since my wedding in 1990, the world of weddings and the choices available to brides has grown into an overwhelming array! Where to start? Themes? Favors? Flowers? While this list definitely won’t cover all of your bridal needs, there were just a few wedding things that I loved and made me wish for a second try at wedding planning! Some of the suggestions are over the top and others are very simple, but either way, I think you’ll agree that they’re special – like every bride!

Unique Wedding Invitations

From Posh Paperie – For a look that is completely unique to your celebration, the stylists at Posh Paperie understand that the invitation sets the tone for the entire event! From the colors to the theme to the location, you can be sure that you’ll have an invitation as individual as you are!

Embellishments for Bridesmaids

From Emerson Made – Add a lovely and distinctive touch to any bridesmaid dress with the handcrafted floral sashes from Emerson Made! Dahlias, roses and more in a variety of colors, will add a custom look to even the simplest dress and the sash is a gift that your bridesmaids will enjoy long after your big day!

Bridal Bouquet

From Fantasy Floral Designs – I am in awe of the sentimental and exceptional bouquets hand crafted by Amanda Heer at Fantasy Floral Designs! Each bouquet is one of a kind and features “flowers” that were once vintage brooches. The combination of colors, styles and shapes gives the traditional bouquet a new, yet “old” look – classic, yet eclectic!

Wedding Cake Toppers

Although it seems that most wedding cakes are topped with flowers, it’s nice to have an option that you can enjoy on those future anniversaries!

For a Sophisticated Wedding – From The Knot: A Set of Three Scrolled Initials for the Bride and Groom

For a Sentimental Wedding – From The Tinsel Trading Company: handcrafted from vintage papers and trims, this Three Tiered Box by Wendy Addison is just exceptional!

Unique Wedding Favors

From Kat’s Krafts - It was incredibly hard to narrow down just one wedding favor, but the custom made Elegant Origami Fortune Teller was my favorite! Like the “cootie catchers” from your grade school days, these favors are crafted from paper but now feature lovely calligraphy and wedding related questions!

This wedding favor is a stand out for several reasons:

You can purchase these or make them yourself
The fortuneteller encourages mingling between your guests
And can be customized to coordinate with the wedding décor!
DIY Instructions from Martha Stewart

Keepsake Wedding Guest Book

The best guest book may not be a book at all! Rather, be inspired by the tone and setting of your wedding and create a visual, lasting keepsake. Have guests inscribe their names onto:

Seashells
Polished rocks
Small glass Christmas ornaments
A Wishing Wall*
Fabric squares to be later made into a quilt
An object specific to the wedding locale such as a vintage set of skis, a life preserver, a gigantic Champagne bottle (known as a Nebuchadnezzar!), an LP record or an airplane propeller!

Reception Activity

Old Fashioned Photo Booth – Consider renting an old-fashioned photo booth for guests to use at the reception! The photos can be printed onto paper that’s customized with the bride and groom’s names or monogram and the wedding date and guests can create an “on the spot” scrapbook with one copy, while taking a second home with them.

Wedding Gift

From Documents and Designs – A framed seating chart! I love this idea that memorializes the name of every wedding guest in a beautiful calligraphic keepsake. Each framed chart can be customized with a monogram, decorative accents and wedding details! Here’s a lovely example: Antique Seashell Seating Chart

A Sparkling Sendoff

From Sparklersonline – Make even the last minutes of the evening memorable with a sparkler lit farewell for the bride and groom. Purchase 36” sparklers from the aptly named website, Sparkle, and attach a cute, decorative tag reading “Sparkler Sendoff at 10:30 p.m.” Follow the safety guidelines on the site and be prepared for amazing photos with the perfect finishing touch! (sparklersonline.com)