More wedding ideas

By Sarah

I attended my third wedding of the year this past weekend and again was amazed by the creativity of the bride and groom. So, I thought I’d pass along a few of my favorite ideas:

Trolley: A trolley took the wedding party and significant others on a tour of downtown Dubuque before arriving at the hotel. Not only was it a romantic way to travel, but the trolley also had much more room than a limousine.

Personal touches: The bride and groom used the skills of friends and family, including asking a friend to sing in the ceremony and a bridesmaid, who graduated from culinary school, to make the cakes. Those not in the wedding party gathered the morning of the ceremony to help decorate the reception hall, which made us feel excited and involved.

Simple décor: Alternating green and cream-colored plates with a candle held in a jar surrounded by glittery fake fall leaves was all that was needed to dress the tables, and it probably saved a ton on flowers.

DJ requests: I’m not sure whether these were requested by friends or whether the bride and groom gave the DJ a list, but he periodically played a song that was personal to the bride or groom and got them up dancing with the crowd. It might not be a bad idea to give the DJ a short list of songs to play and why they’re important to you.

Kid fun: They had coloring books and toys for kids to play with during dinner, which helped keep them from getting too antsy.

Buffet outside: The food was served outside the reception hall, which kept guests from lining up around tables, congesting up the room, and making other guests sitting at tables feel awkward.

Brunch: The bride and groom had a separate room in the hotel where guests could gather for brunch, and while people ate and talked, they opened gifts, rather than making people watch them open gifts for hours.