Be quirky and original...

CAPTURING the essence of a wedding is important and there are all sorts of quirky sideshows if you don’t fancy the more traditional format. This doesn’t imply that traditional weddings are on the wane, far from it. But what is on the increase is the way in which one can add a little extra humour and enjoyment and the whole object of the exercise is to create different themes that will be transformed into a keepsake to be displayed for years to come.

Without doubt the advent of the wedding planner is the reason why this trend has emerged and more and more couples are now coming up with their own ideas to add that extra something. Here’s a few examples:

The Guest Recorder: This is a fantastic way to capture the essence of your wedding day and savouring the fun and enjoyment of guests throughout the evening. Let’s face it, you and your partner cannot be everywhere at the one time and it often happens that you’ll only spent a few minutes at most chatting with friends which can often leave you missing out on the fun. Many couples now set up a special recorder screen where guests can come to have their personal messages recorded. This can be a lot of fun as friends and family will have let their hair down by the time they decide to say a few words and even though you may need to delete one or two messages afterwards, you’ll have some incredible funny and warm memories to savour for the rest of your days from those who matter most.

Guest Books: This is another simple and effective way of gathering the thoughts of those present on the day. Many stationery retailers provide books with a customised wedding theme. Buy a couple of them and place them in strategic places where people are most likely to see it - on the bar is always a good place (people will encourage each other to write something) or in the lobby (for those who wish to take a private moment to put pen to paper). Ask your bridesmaids to make guests aware that you’d appreciate their participation.

Thumbs Up: This is a novel way to create a piece of art using your guests’ thumbprints. For example, you can purchase a large, standalone piece of canvas with a tree painted on it, but only with bare branches. Beside the canvas is a special inkpad and guests are encouraged to press their thumbs into the pad and transfer the print onto the branches, thus creating the tree’s leaves. They have the option to sign their name under their thumbprint. (Note: Don’t forget to leave simple instructions beside the display so people know what you want them to do). The Thumbs Up option may not be to everyone’s taste as it could get messy especially with children around, but it sure is a lot of fun.