Take It Personally

Every bride asks me: “How can we make our wedding reception different? What can we do to make it memorable?” I always have the same answer: “Personalize it! Don’t worry about trying to outdo someone else or copy what someone has already done.” When you stop and think about it, often it’s not the big things, such as the venue, flowers or band that make a wedding memorable. Rather, it’s a few small, personal touches that can make a reception stand out in the minds of the participants and guests for days, weeks, months and years to come.

The best way to personalize a reception is to choose a theme or certain look and carry it through the entire event. For instance, design a logo or monogram with your initials and use it on your invitations, napkins, menus or wrapped favors. You can even use a gobo light effect to project your design onto a dance floor or the wall behind your buffet. A great way to kick off the evening is to serve up a signature cocktail. Do you love Italy and all its charms? Serve up Bellinis. If you are spending your honeymoon in a tropical location, serve piña coladas with an umbrella garnish as a send-off cocktail. If your honeymoon includes snow skiing, serve a hot toddy in an Irish mug with cinnamon sticks.

Sometimes the venue for a special event may not be the décor you prefer, like a civic center, Knights of Columbus hall or a church gymnasium. Try covering up unattractive walls by hanging pipe and draping fabric from ceiling to floor. Use a color that compliments your wedding flowers and attendants’ dresses. For an even more dramatic flare, up light the walls and wash them in color. When I am catering at the Waxahachie Civic Center, I prefer using the stage area combined with Ballroom I and II because that gives you access to their theatrical lighting. Having the right spotlights on your buffet, dance floor and cakes can give your reception a much more professional and dramatic look.

Another area where you can really personalize your event is with your cakes. I have catered many receptions with the standard groom’s cake shaped as a guitar, fraternity letters, favorite sports equipment and even an armadillo made with red velvet cake. The one groom’s cake that really stands out in my mind was a replica of the Chrysler Building. The groom was from New York and the bride wanted to show all his family and east coast friends a little touch of the Big Apple at their Texas wedding. I suggested Ellis County’s own, Charlesa Sims, to make the cake. As usual, she outdid herself by replicating the building, down to every last detail.

When Andrew and I were married in 1992, we had a very large reception with more than 700 friends and family. Because of our huge guest list, we not only wanted to choose a menu that would be unique, but serve food that could go a long way. Paella, the famous Spanish rice dish, was the new culinary rage at the time. We decided to serve paella for one of our action stations. Our guests were thrilled and it was something different from the standard pasta stations of that time.

Today, comfort food items are a popular choice. We recently set up a station with the bride and groom’s favorite home-style goodies including gourmet mac and cheese, mini corn dogs and barbecue sliders. Another creative way we have personalized an event is to offer an Asian station and serve sesame noodles in monogrammed Chinese take-out boxes. Offering late night bites is also becoming increasingly popular. Keep the dance floor packed by having waiters pass around your grandmother’s famous chocolate-chip cookies and small glasses of milk. Root beer float shots or homemade ice cream sandwiches have been hits as well. Ending your wedding on a sugar high note is the sweetest way to close out the night.

A hip idea for personalized party favors is PicFlips (www.iloveflipbooks.com), a mobile flipbook studio that is quickly becoming the new trend at area events. For a pretty reasonable fee, they set up at your event and shoot short silent films. Guests can choose fun backdrops and an assortment of hats, feather boas and other props to play out their story. Not only does it provide entertainment, but within minutes the films are made into a picture flipbook and your guests have a fun custom keepsake.

These are all just a few ideas you can incorporate as you set about planning your wedding. Remember, the most important thing is that your reception brings you happiness and joy. You should have the wedding of your dreams and of your pocketbook. You don’t have to spend outrageous amounts of money to have a beautiful and memorable wedding. All you have to do is make certain that it is personable and from your hearts.