by Traci Jo Shaffer

Created on: May 25, 2009

Something old, Something new: Personalizing your wedding

He's popped the question and now is the time to start planning the rest of the fairy tale-your wedding day.

* * Plan a theme for the wedding of your dreams.

Are either of you movie buffs? Have a soloist sing your favorite love song from your favorite movie.

At your reception,recreate a scene from your favorite movie. Have your friends dress the part.

Arrange for those scenes to come to life throughout the evening. the movie set can also inspire your food selection, for instance, if your movie set is an island, then seafood would be a must. You can also name menu ideas after famous movie lines such as "Go ahead, make my day" and "life is like a box of Chocolates" for triple layer fudge.

Request that waiters and bartenders dress as favorite cinema legends.

Give your guests celebrity names on the name cards such as "Burt Reynolds" then your guests real name underneath the celebrity's name. Your guests like to be involved as well.

* * Step back into time with all the romance and elegance of Victorian wedding.

Vintage dresses for your wedding gown and the Bridesmaid dresses will be perfect.

The groom and best man can wear top hats.

Parasols are one of the accessory options.

Ribbon streamers tied in Love knots will lend a Victorian charm to the candelabra and bouquets.

Invite guests to dress Victorian style if they wish.

Menus or name cards placed in a mini decorative Victorian frames will provide your guests with a lasting treasure.

Your theme may also center around your honeymoon destination. These are just a few ideas, you can probably come up with your own.

Creating an affair to Remember. You don't need to decorate the steeple to wow people.

Church decorations will set the ambiance for your ceremony. Don't go all out unless money is "No Object".

It also depends what time of day the wedding takes place.

Greet guests with fragrant flowers as soon as they enter into the church. Consider an arrangement of Gardenias or a single bloom placed in a shallow decorative dish of water at the guest book table.

Keep the season in mind for the decorations.

State your love for each other under an archway of flowers.

Recruit a miniature bride and groom ( Children love to drees the part ) and let them Greet the guests at the door and pass out little netted bags of birdseed for the exit of the bride and groom or little bottles of bubbles.

* * Say Cheese

Your photos and video will help tell the story of your wedding day.

Recruit your friends to snap photo's throughout the ceremony and at the reception.

You could take ribbon and tie a little note to each disposable camera for your guests to take pics adn to keep as a memory of your glorious day.. The guests will have those memories.

* * Charming Ideas for your bridesmaids Luncheon

Have a tea party like you used to have when you were little.

For favors, fill an antique cup and saucer with an orchid bloom.

Encourage everyone to wear a wild hat and give the prize for the most creative one.

Serve Queen of hearts tarts, for the invitation write, "Don't be late for a important date-"

So the HONEYMOON'S OVER. . . It doesn't have to be.

Invite both sets of parents over for Dinner to your new home, watch the wedding video and look at the snapshots of the wedding.

Remember, In a world where the big things have little difference,it's the little things that make a big difference. At this point it's your memories of your big day, your wedding day.

Something old becomes something new.

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