The First Rule of a Wedding Day is THERE IS NO RULES!
by Ryan Musch, fhphotographic.com

The standard. This simple two syllable word has subconsciously been branded on the mind of every bride for generations. You’re told there is a certain way of doing things, the “standard” way. So after listening to this, you plan your wedding accordingly. The wedding day comes and it is the same as 2.7 million other weddings on that very same day. Two weeks later you’re sitting in Starbucks thinking, “wouldn’t have been neat if I had done this”?

This scenario has been a common one that people tell me about all the time. Guests at weddings will discuss how fun something is and how they wished they would have done it at their wedding.  The out of the box ideas are the lasting impressions that your guests will take with them out of your wedding day. The thing you need to ask yourself as a bride is how you can put your own special touch that shows your personality to friends and family.

The 21^st century wedding is like no other. Now is the perfect time to get married. The industry has boomed in the past decade with ideas that have finally been put into practice. Brides can now find anything their imagination gives them and find a vendor that can show or create specifically what you want. You can find it now with one click of a mouse or one phone call through a directory. In the 40 plus weddings I attend a year, I continue to see new ideas and fun moments that I take with me. From choreographed light saber battles to body surfing brides to guests being served cake before dinner; every time I think I’ve seen it all, the next week’s weddings surprise me.

So how do you break out of the standard? The following are just simple thoughts and ideas you can keep telling yourself:

1.       You are a unique bride.   There are no other brides that match your personality and features. The wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, create it like you are the star of the show (sorry grooms, its true…) and create it in a way the guests will know it’s your wedding.

2.       Think big…start small.   It is very easy for a bride to feel overwhelmed to the point of submission. Isolate one piece at a time instead of looking at the overall scenario. The more you put the smaller pieces into place the big picture develops on its own.

3.       Quirky and clever.   You don’t need the groomsmen in Rambo outfits to be different. The subtle things will show your personality. I shot an engagement session in Wrigleyville last month. We ran into Ronny Woo Woo (Cubs fans, you know him), now they decided to have a “Woo Woo” table at the reception with a picture we took of the three of them together. I can already imagine a conversation the bride could be having right now:  Person A: “Your tables are numbered.”   Bride: “Yes”.   Person A:   “Woo Woo is not a number”.  Bride: “Yes”.  Person A:  “But your tables are numbered”.  Bride:  “Yes”…so on and so forth…. The subtle things the guests will discover throughout the day can make it all the more fun.

4.       Creative does not equal expensive.   OK, so maybe most of the time it does. You don’t need to hire the Russian Circus to provide dinner theatre though. Brainstorm your thoughts with friends and family. Together, you can surely create what’s on your mind.

5.       I can ask for help.   If you are reading this, chances are you know a good wedding planner. If you don’t have the time or creative juices, a wedding planner can put together what you have in your head and do all the little things it takes to get done. No hassle, no headache, it gets done.

6.       I am not my Mother.   We all love our mothers but sometimes we disagree. Many great ideas are shot down by loved ones and it’s quite unfortunate. They want to keep it simple and smooth. Let’s remember though that just because they didn’t do something at their wedding does not mean you cannot do it at yours. You are a new generation bride, things are quite different (example: 1980 – Reagan, 2009 – Obama). 

So in conclusion, always remember that this is your wedding day. Have as much fun with it as you want. Before you do the Electric Slide towards the unity candle however, please check the regulations at the ceremony site.