Unusually Unusual

We recently asked our members of the Puget Sound Wedding Professionals group to share memories from weddings that had an unusual, different or creative twist on their event.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm not sure how common this practice is, but I was exposed to it for the first time last year and thought it was a great idea.  After receiving their engagement session images, my clients spent an afternoon at a local winery where they took part in a wine tasting and then made small batches of their own unique wines for the upcoming summer wedding.  The winery tended their wine until the fermentation process was complete, at which point the couple returned to bottle, cork, and label the wine.  They were able to select several photos from our engagement session to create gorgeous bottle labels.  The guests loved the personal touch and everybody wanted to take a bottle home!  These wines would make great guest favors or bridal party gifts as well.  Two Puget Sound Wineries I know of that provide this service are Classic Winemaker's in Lacey and Castle Bridge Winery in Kent.  

Katie Cann-McTaggart

R e d  S p a r r o w  P h o t o g r a p h y

www.redsparrowphoto.com

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We photographed a wedding several years ago where the guests at each table had to sing a love song of their choice before they would get released to the buffet line.  Most of the tables would all sing a verse together while other tables would let one brave singer sing solo and allowing that person to go to the head of the line. 

The bride and groom, along with all the guests were laughing and enjoying the selection of songs, some were sung off key, some with verses wrong, but it made for a fun way to get released to the buffet line.

We didn’t hear any objections to the singing from any of the guests, even the ones without singing voices since this was a group participation activity.

Monica

Family Affair Photography

www.familyaffairphotography.com

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are two great unique ideas that a bride of mine an I came up with. The boxes that look like a wedding cake are for cards that guests bring to the wedding. It was super cute and different than the usual basket etc. The other was the wall banner. What to do with a big ugly wall? Her theme was monograms so her friend painted the plain muslin and hung it on a dowel and then we up-lit. It was a great backdrop to the head table instead of the plain wall.

 
Melanie Benson

Melanie Benson Floral Design

http://melaniebensonfloral.com

 

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’d love to see a wedding catered by one of Seattle’s award winning food trucks – www.marinationmobile.com. They have the BEST food. The wedding could take place at a nice outdoor location with a place for the truck. The reception area could be decked out Hawaiian – Korean Style. Paper lanterns and grass skirts! Bright colors. I think I would be a fun, casual, delicious event. Maybe I’ll do it for my birthday!

www.marinationmobile.com.

Cheers! Rachel

www.rachelrauschphotography.com

www.photomusela.blogspot.com

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. We have an upcoming wedding that will have the ring bearer carrying a pillow with the bride’s ring and the flower girl carrying a pillow with the groom’s ring.

2. I’m seeing more rainbow weddings. The latest example is a bride that picked black dresses but then gave her bridesmaids a swatch of ribbon in either yellow, orange, pink, purple or blue and asked them to buy whatever shoe they wanted in that color. Their flowers will be that same color and the groomsman they are walking with will have a tie that is predominately that color and a matching boutonniere.

Barb

Top Hat

  http://www.tophatfw.com/index.html

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A while ago I got to photograph an Afghani wedding.  I also did the engagement party, which, though these are common in their culture, was bigger than most regular weddings I shoot! So while the music, food, and traditions were all different and a lot of fun, there was one in particular that was REALLY enjoyable to watch.  Dance battle for the cake knife.  When it came time to cut the cake, the groom's cousin danced onto the dance floor carrying the knife. Every attempt at retrieving the knife on Ajmal's part resulted in a graceful twirl away and no knife!  Thankfully, as the night had progressed, Ajmal's parents had been stuffing his pockets with moderately sized bills. Very quickly, a rhythm was established to the dance-- bribe, rejection. Bigger bribe, further rejection! By the time she decided to give in, I counted the dancer to have made somewhere between $150-$250!

And all for a piece of cake. I hope it tasted good!  I have to tell ya, I WOULD love to see this at more weddings.  (And maybe more traditional Afghani food!)

Jason Comerford Photography
http://www.jasoncomerford.com
http://jcomerfordphoto.blogspot.com/

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feathers and fishnet are a few other popular trends brides tend to overlook. Remember ladies, your the star of the show!

The Bella Look

Http://www.thebellalook.com

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Popcorn stand. Latte stand.

Angie

www.angiedphotography.com

http://angiedphotography.blogspot.com/

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

One of my best girlfriends got married at the Pantages in downtown Tacoma.  The ceremony was on the stage and the reception in the gorgeous lobby. That made it a unique wedding but she had other touches that made it a wedding to remember. They had decided early in planning they didn’t want a traditional cake so when it came to that reception moment for cake cutting the D.J. quieted everyone down and told us to listen. Off in the distance we could hear  the ice cream truck music and it was getting closer! The truck pulled right up to the door and everyone was invited to go out and pick whatever they wanted. It was such fun!

Barb VH

Top Hat formal wear    

  http://www.tophatfw.com/

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I recently saw this at a wedding, they had a ‘ring warming’ ceremony.  During a ring warming, the couple’s wedding rings are passed among their guests, who are asked to say a prayer or make a wish for the couple over the rings while holding them.  This intimate exchange injects all of the loving energy of the couple’s friends and family into the rings that they’ll be wearing for a lifetime.

It makes for a very inclusive element of the ceremony and further connects the couple with their loved ones in attendance. 

Nancy

Simply Celebrations

http://simplycelebrations.com/

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many weddings will have guests throwing bird seed or blowing bubbles as the couple exits and leaves the reception. 

At a wedding we photographed, the wedding party went out and stuffed the get-a-way car with helium balloons.  So, before the couple could make their escape, they had to let all the balloons escape from the car!  It had all the guests cheering and laughing.

Monica

Family Affair Photography

www.familyaffairphotography.com

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In reality all weddings are unique in their very own way, just as no two snowflakes are the same, no two weddings are the same either.