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Your Favorite Wedding Elements/Touches? The Devil is in the Details

radleybooradleyboo member
First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its Name Dropper
in Wedding Etiquette Forum
This may be more of a Chit Chat thread, but the other thread about a Black Tie wedding got me thinking about a very, very formal wedding I went to years ago in Chicago.  It was by far the most expensive, elaborate event I've ever been to.  Here are some of the things the Bride & Groom did that blew me away:

Full Catholic ceremony in an exquisite cathedral downtown Chicago with a full choir
Signed Papal Blessing from Pope John Paul II  (I'm not Catholic, but I assume this is not terribly common...)
Bride and Groom driven to Reception in vintage Rolls Royce Limo (drool)
White Glove Champagne service as you entered the hotel, with a strawberry on each glass, of course
Chicago Symphony Orchestra violin and viola players on grand staircase as you went up to cocktail area
Full Cocktail Bar with Top Shelf everything
White Glove passed appetizers including sushi and foie gras (which I don't like or eat for ethical reasons), all servers in white tie and tails
5 course meal paired with wines, with gilt menus at each place setting
2 white gloved servers per table
Full 12-piece band AND a DJ for down times


Your favorite details/touches don't necessarily have to be related to a formal event, I'm just wondering what you've seen and really liked at a wedding?  Could be from your own wedding, one you were in, or one you attended as a guest?  Tell us the good stuff!
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Re: Your Favorite Wedding Elements/Touches? The Devil is in the Details

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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its First Comment
    One thing that I'm doing for my family & bridal party is photo albums. The ones that have been received, I've gotten raves over. I have the rights to my photos so I have been going to Walgreens and Picaboo and creating books personalized to different people and giving them as after wedding gifts as I find deals like sales or groupon. Even my older nieces and nephews love it. So many of the family members don't see each other that often, typically weddings and funerals. So I figured since this was a happy time and everyone looked great, why not share the photos of the guests with my guests. Some of them are fancier books, but I've also done simple 4x6 books that were less expensive but seemed to mean a lot to the people that got them.
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    radleybooradleyboo member
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    Harry87 said:
    One wedding I was invited to, the bride and groom did not have a ton of cash, but they had enough. They couldn't afford to host an open bar, so they had the wedding on a vineyard and rented the ballroom for a "tasting". The bride and groom paid to bring in beer, and all the wine was open for guests to "sample" nearly full-glasses. Then the bride matched all her decor to the vineyard so that everything blended together smoothly (I hate when couples fight a room). I thought that was so smart.

    The day of my wedding the event planner at the hotel we had our reception at had meetings with potential clients wanting to get married there. So she let them into the ballroom, which had just been completely set up for our wedding. I guess three brides asked if my DIY decor was something they could rent for their weddings. That made me feel really good.
    This is so cool, I bet you felt good!  

    PS: Love the pic of Bowie from Labyrinth, I love that movie.
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    Jen4948Jen4948 member
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    Well, this was something that I've never seen at any other wedding, but when a cousin of mine was married, there was an artist in the background who made a painting of the reception as it was going on.  I thought that was neat and original.
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    PeledreamsofrainPeledreamsofrain member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Name Dropper
    Favorite details from our wedding:

    The wine ceremony
    Fondant chickens on our cake
    The aisle of pear trees to process down
    The time of year - fall leaves
    Our programs being on fans
    The salon limo driver was a Rod Stewart impersonator
    Our Honeymoon suite had a huge whirlpool.
    Our DJ recorded the ceremony and played scenes back on a screen at the reception.
    My dress was bitchin
    Don't make me mobilize OffensiveKitten

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    radleybooradleyboo member
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    @peledreamsofrain:  Could you pretty please post a photo of your fondant chickens?  I'm dying to see them...
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    harper0813harper0813 member
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    A very nice wedding I attended last August included:

    A 15-minute fireworks show
    An a Capella performance (which I do not usually like, but they performed on a stage set up outside with the word "LOVE" lit up at the top
    No bar - instead, there was a server for every three people in attendance that came around taking people's orders. So no waiting in line.
    Late night Polish food and sundae bar
    All the girls received Pashmina scarves as a favor
    Photobooth
    Ice sculpture

    The bride and groom work in the wedding industry.
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    radleybooradleyboo member
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    @zoberg: Everything about that sounds awesome.  Especially Polish food.  Nom.
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    gmcr78gmcr78 member
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    The first thing I like to see when I walk into a reception are the table settings and centerpieces.  To me, it sets the vibe of the event.  I am disappointed when the centerpieces are underwhelming.  I also like small details like interesting escort cards, favors, etc.
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    jenn5628jenn5628 member
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    Peledreamsofrain said:


     ETA: pardon my chest, it's the only pic I have that close of the chickens. :P

    @pele: you don't have to make excuses for your chest!
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
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    My wedding won't be for over a year but I am super excited about my escort cards that I have already begun making.  I'm a painter so I am hand painting each one (names to be printed on a vellum overlay) and will be presenting each on a miniature easel.  I sincerely hope my guests will notice them.
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    STARMOON44STARMOON44 member
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    One wedding had the cocktail hour down a long hall way from the reception.  As the guests left the cocktail room, each was handed a champagne cocktail.  For the walk.  It was so much fun.


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    xxstardustxxstardust member
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    Those of us who can make a tank top look shy are envious, haha. The chickens, and your cake topper as a whole, are adorable!
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    140 invited -- 118 are ready to party! -- 27 can't make it

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    PeledreamsofrainPeledreamsofrain member
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    Thank you! :D 
    Don't make me mobilize OffensiveKitten

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    loca4pookloca4pook member
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    Just out of pure curiousity, how much does it COST to have 15 minute long fireworks show for a wedding?
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    harper0813harper0813 member
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    loca4pook said:

    Just out of pure curiousity, how much does it COST to have 15 minute long fireworks show for a wedding?

    NO idea. I wondered the same. The bride and groom work in the wedding industry though, so they got a lot of things for free (including a planner) or discounted.
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    StPaul0102StPaul0102 member
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    StageManager14 said:
    My favorite detail of our wedding was the dramatic sonnet recitation at the ceremony and the tiding stones and Irish music at the reception. Everybody else waxed poetic on the food and cake, but I didn't get enough of either to truly enjoy it, sadly. My favorite details from weddings I've been to have been: A coffee/cocoa bar complete with flavored liqueurs, syrups, and extras. An acapella octet that performed classical music during cocktail hour. A ranch fountain (like a chocolate fountain). I don't know why this amused me so much, but it really really did. A Christmas wedding that featured rides in Santa's Sleigh.
    I love that you had Irish music at your reception. I'm trying to talk my FI into an Irish band for some part of our reception but so far I've been completely unsuccessful. He said he doesn't think it's "fun" enough but he also admitted that he's never heard Irish music live. I'm hoping to get him real liquored up at an Irish pub to try to change his mind.
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    KittenTrumperKittenTrumper
    5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment

    Well I think my favorite thing about my wedding will be the comedian that I hired to do a 20 min set about women/men and relationships.

    My favorite touches at a wedding I've been to: I really loved these fruit sculptures her venue did. They were in the shapes of all different animals during the cocktail hour. The bride had no idea they were there and never saw the cocktail hour and her videographer and photographer were outside so I started pulling disposable cameras off the tables to take photos for her so she could see them later.

    She also had a caricature artist that was wicked fun. Everyone was totally excited to get their portrait done.

     I trump all the Kitties with cuteness!!! Bhahahahaha!!!

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    lisabeatslisabeats member
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    StPaul0102 said:
    StageManager14 said:
    My favorite detail of our wedding was the dramatic sonnet recitation at the ceremony and the tiding stones and Irish music at the reception. Everybody else waxed poetic on the food and cake, but I didn't get enough of either to truly enjoy it, sadly. My favorite details from weddings I've been to have been: A coffee/cocoa bar complete with flavored liqueurs, syrups, and extras. An acapella octet that performed classical music during cocktail hour. A ranch fountain (like a chocolate fountain). I don't know why this amused me so much, but it really really did. A Christmas wedding that featured rides in Santa's Sleigh.
    I love that you had Irish music at your reception. I'm trying to talk my FI into an Irish band for some part of our reception but so far I've been completely unsuccessful. He said he doesn't think it's "fun" enough but he also admitted that he's never heard Irish music live. I'm hoping to get him real liquored up at an Irish pub to try to change his mind.

    I'm having an Irish band at my reception, and they are SO fun! They do a really good job of getting people excited and into their music--though, that really isn't hard with my family. They offer to work in and switch to more modern/popular music towards the end of the night that they play through a sound system. You don't have to do that, and can stick to traditional/pub songs if you'd like. I've always loved them, but I was so excited when my FI brought them up first after seeing them preform last summer. They're from Ohio, if that helps!
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    SpaghettiKittenSpaghettiKitten
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    A little extra Parmesan always does it for me.
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    annathy03annathy03 member
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    I went to one where the bride and groom were into swing dancing. They sprung for a full band and their first dance started traditional but then went into a swing routine.

    Another the ballroom was two story and the bride ad groom entered onto a second floor balcony to the star wars intro. Nothing could have fit them better :)

    One of my BMs did one of those crazy awesome coregraphed father-daughter mash ups that included the robot and a whole host of other fun dance moves. She also had the WP enter to ghostbusters, I was a BM and that was a blast!
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    musicalcanadianbridemusicalcanadianbride member
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    We're having a ceilidh (Irish/Scottish) band for our wedding, too! They'll work in some more modern songs throughout the evening, but we're also having a caller (someone who calls the ceilidh dances). Can't wait!!
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    CreeperKittenCreeperKitten
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    SpaghettiKitten said:
    A little extra Parmesan always does it for me.

    I see you eating all that Parm....
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    Distasteful KittenDistasteful Kitten
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    StageManager14 said:
    My favorite detail of our wedding was the dramatic sonnet recitation at the ceremony and the tiding stones and Irish music at the reception. Everybody else waxed poetic on the food and cake, but I didn't get enough of either to truly enjoy it, sadly. My favorite details from weddings I've been to have been: A coffee/cocoa bar complete with flavored liqueurs, syrups, and extras. An acapella octet that performed classical music during cocktail hour. A ranch fountain (like a chocolate fountain). I don't know why this amused me so much, but it really really did. A Christmas wedding that featured rides in Santa's Sleigh.
    Oooooh did you have a band or did you just have the DJ play some?

    I love Celtic music and FI is Irish so I would like to incorporate some into our reception. . . I'd love to have a live band for at least a portion of the night, but I don't think we can swing that do to venue limitations and, well money, lol!


    PitaPata Cat tickers


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    SpaghettiKittenSpaghettiKitten
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    Okay, fun ruiners, here's me being serious: I just love live bands. I prefer them to DJs and get very excited when I find out that there's a band.
    photo spaghetticat.jpg
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    Gumby68Gumby68 member
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    I just got married on Saturday (yay, I'm married!), and our favorites and our guests favorites were:

    1. The entire event (including the rehearsal dinner) was 100% gluten free (I have Celiac Disease), but no one knew it until after everything was over. 
    2. We also only had gluten-free beer (5 different varieties), but we offered tastings because we knew the majority of the guests would be unfamiliar with the brands. 
    3. Our reception was at an air museum, so our guests were able to walk around the museum and look at different types of aircraft, ride 4 different rides we had open (flight simulators, space shuttle simulator, 4D theater, and a balloon ride). 
    4. My husband was unsatisfied with the photobooth software he found, so he wrote our own and it was like nothing anyone had seen before. The background was a few of the aircraft which was awesome, and the device itself was a 50 inch touchscreen tv on a rolling stand so people could move it to change the height or background. It took 5 pictures a few seconds apart, and when it wasn't in use, it played a slideshow of the previous pictures. All photos are available on our website for our guests to download. 
    5. We took dance lessons ahead of time where we learned to line dance, two-step, and waltz. Our first dance was a very simple waltz, but all of our dancing impressed everyone. 
    6. At the last minute, we found out we were well below our required food minimum, so we added a candy table that was a HUGE hit. There were 25-30 kids there, so between the candy and the rides, they said it was the best day ever. 
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    radleybooradleyboo member
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    Congratulations Gumby68!  That sounds like a great day!
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    kerbohlkerbohl member
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    StageManager14 said:
    My favorite detail of our wedding was the dramatic sonnet recitation at the ceremony and the tiding stones and Irish music at the reception. Everybody else waxed poetic on the food and cake, but I didn't get enough of either to truly enjoy it, sadly. My favorite details from weddings I've been to have been: A coffee/cocoa bar complete with flavored liqueurs, syrups, and extras. An acapella octet that performed classical music during cocktail hour. A ranch fountain (like a chocolate fountain). I don't know why this amused me so much, but it really really did. A Christmas wedding that featured rides in Santa's Sleigh.
    You have NO idea how badly I wanted a coffee/cocoa bar for my winter wedding.  But my venue is a church basement and the church won't let us bring in any alcohol, so there goes my dream . . . It'll just be plain boring coffee, cocoa, and apple cider.  I guess I'll have to compromise by having awesome non-alcoholic syrups and toppings. 

    I actually saw something on Four Weddings that I will be stealing for my wedding.  The bride and groom had collected pictures of each guest that was attending and made a slide show of photos they had of them with the guest.  I think it is a really cool way to show your guests that you appreciate them by taking the time to put something like that together.  I'll have it playing during the cocktail hour. 

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