How can you truly enhance your wedding day? If you’re planning a wedding, you’re sure to have asked yourself this question at least a few dozen times. To give you a helping hand in your decision making, we’ve put together a list of fifteen easy and effective ways to create a truly memorable wedding day that you and your guests will remember for many days to come.
3. Get Creative with Your Transport
4. Hire a Live Wedding Painter for the Day
6. Make Your Cake Table into a Focal Point
7. Enhance Your Decorations with Foliage/ Floral Archways and Installations
9. Get Creative with Your Table Names
11. Add to the Evening with Some Photo Booths
12. Use Music to Amplify the Ambience
14. Personalise Your Cocktail Napkins
15. End the Night with Sparklers
1. Signs
Wedding signs can be a great way to welcome your guests while also adding a fun, aesthetic touch to your big day. Whether you use them to outline the timings of the day or to reserve certain seats at the reception, they can be a fun yet informative addition to your wedding décor.
2. Think about the Weather
Regardless of whether you’re planning a winter wedding or one in a warmer season, it can be worth keeping the weather forecast in mind. If it might be cold, you could supply your guests with cosy shawls, blankets or knits to keep them warm. If there’s potential for rain, you could provide umbrellas. Remember these additions don’t have to be purely functional; why not make a statement by tying them into your theme and colour scheme?
3. Get Creative with Your Transport
Transport can be another way to make your wedding day come alive. Here at Pynes House, we’ve had a number of couples (and guests) arrive in vintage buses and cars. Check out our recommended ‘Quantock Heritage’ bus supplier here.
4. Hire a Live Wedding Painter for the Day
Hiring a live wedding painter can be a beautiful way to capture special moments of your wedding in an artistic way. You could ask them to paint certain moments like your ceremony or reception, or even more intricate details such as your wedding cake. You can find details of our recommended artists here – watercolour artist Charlotte Atkinson creates bespoke painting commissions and live event paintings and you can find out more about award winning Botanical Illustrator Charlotte Aygyrou in this blog post.
5. Create a Relaxation Area
It’s no secret that wedding days can be quite long and so having some dedicated chill-out areas can be a great idea. From the Morning Room to our extensive stately gardens, we have a variety of relaxation areas for you and your guests to enjoy here at Pynes House. Take a look at our beautiful staterooms and outdoor garden areas here.
6. Make your Cake Table into a Focal Point
We’ve seen many gorgeous cake tables here at Pynes House and they’re a great way to create an easy focal point during the wedding day. From flowers and foliage to candles and cupcakes, you can create a cake table to seamlessly match your wedding style. For some inspiration on wedding cake suppliers, check out our recent blog post on Some of our Favourite Wedding Cake Suppliers in the South West, or head over to our supplier list here.
7. Enhance Your Decorations with Foliage/ Floral Archways and Installations
These are always a beautiful addition. Foliage and floral archways can be used to form a magical backdrop for your indoor ceremony, or even to adorn the outdoor garden balustrades. They can also be quite versatile which means you may be able to relocate them to another area during the day if needed. Floral installations can also make a show-stopping and memorable table centrepiece. Check out some of our favourite florists and our recommended tree & greenery suppliers on our supplier list here.
8. Add in Some Garden Games
The expansive gardens at Pynes House are a great place to enjoy some garden games. From playing croquet on the lawns to setting up mini golf in the front courtyard, games can be a great way to involve your guests. For the more adventurous couples, you could even go as far as a carousel – we’ve had some great ones at Pynes House over the years!
9. Get Creative with Your Table Names
Table names can be a fun way to weave some creativity and personal touches into your wedding. Using a different country name for each table is often a popular option but don’t be afraid to think outside the box and go for something a little different, such as the names of your favourite songs or beaches around the world. It can also be a great idea to have a tent card on each the table to explain your table name choice. If creative table names take your fancy, why not check out our recommended stationary suppliers here.
10. Use a Custom Monogram
Creating a custom monogram of yourself and your partner’s first initials can be an easy way to add a personal touch to your wedding. You can incorporate it into wedding signs, table numbers and even favours.
11. Add to the Evening with Some Photo Booths
Photobooths can be a great addition to the evening celebrations and they’re a great crowd pleaser for kids and adults alike. They can also be a perfect source for memorable photos – if you’re looking to take it a step further, you could even include a few photos with your thank you cards, as a fun surprise for your guests.
12. Use Music to Amplify the Ambience
From roaming bands to DJs and cellists, music can be the perfect way to set the scene for your wedding day. For even more personalisation, why not ask your guests to write down a few songs on the RSVP card and then give your favourites to your music providers. If you’re after some music and entertainer recommendations, click here to browse our recommended suppliers.
13. Dancing Shoes
A small detail which can make a surprisingly big difference to the night is providing flip-flops to evening guests who have endured a long day in heels. Whilst it might not seem like an essential, you’ll be surprised how many people will thank you for it!
14. Personalise Your Cocktail Napkins
Personalised cocktail napkins are becoming increasingly popular and can be a great way to add something bespoke to your big day. Whether you print a few fun facts about your journey as a couple or include some trivia questions about yourselves as an icebreaker for guests, they can be a perfect opportunity to add a personalised twist to the day. If you’re willing to go a step further, you could also work with your stationary supplier to tie them into your overall theme (click here to see our recommended stationary suppliers).
15. End the Night with Some Sparklers
It’s no secret that sparklers make beautiful wedding photos – many of our couples choose to walk through an aisle of sparklers outside the front of the house (much like they would do for a confetti shot) and the end results are incredible. Not only great for photographs, sparklers can also be a fun way to get everyone involved in the evening, adding another memorable aspect to your big day.
Whatever stage you’re at in your wedding planning journey, we hope that these fifteen creative and memorable ideas offer some helpful inspiration and advice. For some more how-to guides for your wedding day, why not take a look at our Civil Wedding Ceremony Guide or recent post on Choosing Your Wedding Suppliers. In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you so please get in touch, or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Image credits:
Image 1 by Abi Riley Photography and Keith Riley Photography / Gallery 1 by Tom and Lizzie Redman / Gallery 2 (from left to right): Image 1 by Amy O’Boyle Photography, Image 2 & 3 by Rebecca Goddard Photography / Gallery 3 by Tom and Lizzie Redman / Gallery 4: Images 1 & 2 by Amy O’Boyle Photography, Image 3 by Miss Gen Photography / Gallery 5 by Richard Skins Photography