There’s nothing I love more than people taking charge of their own wedding and making it true to them. The more I shoot weddings, the more I become impressed by the special touches that couples choose to incorporate into their special day. Certain traditions these days are on the “out” like bouquet and garter tosses and “new” traditions like the first look and choreographed first dances are coming in! You should know that you can make the day whatever you want. If you want to have BBQ instead of filet mignon – you CAN! If you don’t want to wear a veil – you don’t have to! If you’d rather serve pie than cake – gimme some apple! The great thing is, your wedding is exactly that… YOUR wedding. No one can tell you what is right and what is wrong. There’s no formula that must be met. Write your own vows, wear TOMS instead of high heels, or have your best friend sing your first dance song. Literally – the options are endless. Don’t overthink it if you want to do something that you “haven’t seen done before”… it will make your wedding special and memorable!

At Candice and Mike’s wedding – Mike made a special vow to Candice’s children. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room!

To make it even sweeter, Candice’s son, Kai, made a special speech during the reception saying he was happy that his mom found Mike and that they got married because he is happy she is happy. (TOO CUTE!)Instead of flowers – Susanne’s mother made her a herb and spice bouquet using cinnamon, cloves, and other dried spices.
Rent a classic car! How fun for photos!Kellie and Brian had a destination wedding in Chicago and had their reception on a boat!Kara-Lee and Dan blended their families together by mixing sand during the ceremony.Instead of a “traditional vanilla” cake, they had their favorite, red velvet!To top it off, they had several desserts and served chicken & waffles and doughnuts at the end of the night! They also incorporated where they met (Starbucks) into their favors for their guests!Instead of just being escorted by her dad, Cassie had her mom part of that moment too!
Cortney & Jack had “cakelets” instead of one big cake!Mia and Michael flew around the world to spend their wedding day with their close family and friends at a camp that they rented out for a long weekend!Mia honored her British husband by adding in this detail!Mia and Michael surprised their guests by having a mariachi band!! It was a non-stop dance party!
Karoline & Bjorn incorporated where they met into their favors! They met while working at a bakery in Atlanta! Their favor was a slice of their favorite pound cake! How cool is that?!
Kristen & Mat’s “guestbook” was a memory box full of sweet words and encouragement!Kristen & Mat served pie because neither of them really likes cake that much! The pie table was a HUGE success! Apple pie a la mode??? YES PLEASEMorgan wore a custom-made gold gown over wearing traditional white… and jaws dropped! Stunning! Morgan and Dan’s cake was anything but ordinary! Dan proposed to Morgan on the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and their cake had replicas of that moment at the top! Aside from their epic cake, Morgan and Dan surprised guests with ice cream cookie sandwiches! (I got Nutella cookies with vanilla ice cream – to die for!)At Sam and Angela’s wedding, Sam’s mom sang during the ceremony! Not a dry eye in all of the vineyard!
Tara and Gregg brought their puppy to portraits!Too cute…Instead of one cake, Tara wanted individual cupcakes!After their ceremony, Alissa and Dave’s guests showered them with sprinkles outside!So maybe you want to do a Michael Jackson medley for your first dance… or have your talented best friend serenade your father-daughter dance…or have natural wood tables instead of using tablecloths…Go out there and “do you” and enjoy the heck out of your wedding day!

VIEW MORE RECENT POSTS BELOW