Looking for Creative Ideas

nbrown501

I am in the early planning stages of my wedding. I want to do something different for my guest at my reception. My coordinator has suggested that I have a candy bar at my reception. I think that they are really nice but everyone are doing those now days plus my brother just got married last year and they did one at their wedding. I dont want to duplicate there ideas so I have been wrecking my brain wanting to do something different and cost efficient. They also had a photo booth so I cant do that one either. Every time I look online at party favors they are all the same or ones I have seen and wedding before. I want to give my guess something different and memorable not cheesy same ole same ole.

Do anyone have any suggestions?

<a href="http://www.theknot.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Wedding Dresses"><img src="http://global.theknot.com/tickers/tte2026.aspx" alt="Wedding Countdown Ticker" border="0"  /></a>

schweetiec

my friend Joe is doing an action booth at our wedding. Its like a photo booth but its 'action' they will give you props and all that jazz and they have a special clicker where you can jump or do funny poses and they bring a crew to help you come up with cool ideas. Its fun because you can get more ppl in the pic.

But I dont think just because you saw someone do an idea means you cant do it. Its your wedding do whatever you want! 

Give you an idea of the action booth .

michgirl8

I totally know where you are coming from.  It is very frustrating.  But you should also keep in mind that just because you've seen the same thing on 50 pinterest boards and blogs, doesn't mean your guests have seen them 50 times.  I was just talking to someone who was mentioning how unique it was to use wine corks for escort card holders and I was like, really?  And then another person was so excited to see the fingerprint tree for a guest book idea.  In my head, I had already rejected those things, and a million others, because every time I turned around someone was doing them.  It was a good eye-opener. 

That being said, I also rejected the candy table and photo booth for the same reasons you stated.  And I decided not to worry so much about giving my friends and family a "unique" experience. Because ultimately they are there to celebrate our wedding, and if we actually end up married, and the food is tasty, the booze is free, and the music gets people dancing, your wedding will be memorable and a wonderful time for your friends. 

That's just my two cents.  But I may also be burned out on wedding stuff.  Don't think I won't be following up on here to see if anyone gives you any creative ideas that I could steal! ;-)

entropicbeauty

I hired dance instructors to come in and teach my guests how to dance...but it sort of went with my 1920's theme. The instructors taught my guests how to do the Charleston and the Lindy Hop, it was pretty cool and I'd never really seen it done at another wedding before.

Just start thinking outside the box - if you have a theme is there something that could easily tie into that without being over the top?

carpediem27

We didnt do it for our wedding, but I saw pic online that someone at my venue did a s'mores buffet and I thought that was an awesome idea. I would've done it if I had seen it earlier in my planning. The company that did it was called Weddings & More or you could DIY it! Also, someone on this board who got married some time ago did a popcorn buffet which seemed like a cool idea too.
HTH

Sue-n-Kevin

Michgirl8 has a great perspective, which is, just because we are all enthralled and consumed with the "wedding world" doesn't mean we've all experienced the things you have discounted because a family member did them.

Kevin and I have been to a few weddings as a couple, and we have yet to attend one with a candy bar OR a photobooth. These were young family members of ours, 2 in Wisconsin, 1 in Western Michigan. And, to be honest, I don't remember exactly what the favors were, or whether there even were any!

On some of the boards with more "mature" (my term for "old", LOL) ladies, as well as the Favor board, often people state that it's not necessary to even have them. The things I remember from most of the weddings we've been to are the really good meals and good times with family that I only see at weddings and funerals.

However, something we did, and the guests loved it, was an ice cream sundae bar, and later in the evening a snack of sliders & fries from Bates in Livonia. Our caterer (Holiday Market) set up the ice cream bar with 3 kinds of Ray's Ice Cream, plus their marvelous raspberry sorbet, and various toppings. They also picked up the sliders & fries from Bates, which they said they could not do for a comparable price, and the guests also loved this (especially the teens, 20 somethings, and Kevin's family who lives out of state and don't get to have Bates often).

As a guest at a wedding, to me, the surprise of the late night snack (it could be a coffee bar with Tim Horton Timbits) before hitting the road is much more memorable than favors. I'm so glad we did this, because guests are still talking about it.

FYI: Something I did with the sorbet was have the server put it in my champagne flute, and I poured champagne over it and it was a very yummy adult "float". Maybe something like that for the adults, and kid's can have it with ice cream and pop?

spartybride3

We had a lounge area with a couch, 2 chairs, & a table. We also did a french fry bar for our late night snacks w/various dips and we had a gourmet coffee bar. We also did 2 signature drinks during cocktail hour (from martha stewart..its called a couple of cocktails). 

A friend of ours had this whole michigan themed snack area with faygo, bumpy cake, coney dogs, & other things like that. You could also do like a 80's theme for the dancing & put out 80's props. Like michael jackson gloves, neon gloves, scrunchies, glasses (?). Just a thought!

I feel like everyone does photo booths & I've never liked candy bars/stations, but that is just me! 

zantster

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_looking-for-creative-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:88Discussion:21e3ab53-8328-4cfe-95e7-eefa149f09ffPost:2ad1a2f5-821a-44d3-867a-fd4a7b59e2d5">Re: Looking for Creative Ideas</a>:
[QUOTE] I decided not to worry so much about giving my friends and family a "unique" experience. Because ultimately they are there to celebrate our wedding, and if we actually end up married, and the food is tasty, the booze is free, and the music gets people dancing, your wedding will be memorable and a wonderful time for your friends.  That's just my two cents.  But I may also be burned out on wedding stuff.  Don't think I won't be following up on here to see if anyone gives you any creative ideas that I could steal! ;-)
Posted by michgirl8[/QUOTE]

This.  While we did decide to do favors I keep reminding myself that for every wedding<em> </em>I went to, what mattered most to me was good food, good music and good people and that it didn't take too long to get those things.  I've been to a wedding with a photo booth and didn't take part because I wasn't interested.  I was too busy being disappointed that though it was at the gorgeous colony club and truly beautiful in every way, the live band weren't able to pull it together so that people truly like myself would want to dance!  So that's my focus is to have people have a good time.  And I am thinking about adding the late night snack if anything.

KBLDC2012

I went to a wedding with a sunday bar and it was pretty cool except they only had two scoopers so the line took forever so keep in mind how you are handling the serving if you do it but I thought that was super unique. I agree that you don't have to do favors but I love when people do some sort of food that represents them. My mom, now husband, and I made 100 jars of homeade jelly for my shower favors. I have seen people give red hots, ketchup, or coffee beans as favors because it represents them.

I went to another wedding where they used a travel theme to represent the B&G and it was awesome. however, they gave really nice metal Bag ID tags with their names and wedding date engraved. I am sure it was expensive but I had no urge to ever use something like that with their information on it, so before you spend the money make sure it makes sense otherwise it's just a waste.

I had a photobooth and it was awesome and I have all the photos which are great memories but as a guest who's been to probably five or six other weddings with some sort of photo favors, it's becoming a little over done.

michgirl8

I did just think of one thing that my vendor suggested.  If you are having valet, have a little treat bag that the valet guys put in the cars as they bring them back at the end of the night.  A ltitle surprise for everyone.  I'm not doing it because my MIL had already negotiated a late night pizza snack and I thought another one in the car would be a bit much.  lol  I think the best thing to think about is what would make your guests' night more enjoyable or comfortable, rather than putting so much pressure on  yourself to be unique.  Once I made that my focus I calmed down significantly.  It's a lot of pressure trying to be so creative all the time!