Today, weddings are all about personalization. Rather than choose a "theme," most couples want their big days to be as unique as they are and hope to fill their event with details that will make their wedding special -- not to mention stand out from the rest.
Here are some easy ways to make your wedding exude your personality, without breaking your budget.
1. Design your own logo or monogram. This is a very simple and affordable way to get a custom look while completely personalizing so many aspects of your wedding. Choose your favorite font and colors, then use the logo throughout your wedding -- from the invitations to the programs to the menus to your thank-you notes. I always design one for my couples and, from my experience, I know that you'll use it forever, which is another perk of having one.
2. Customize your menu. Infuse foods from your travels, your favorite restaurants, or family recipes into your event. Many chefs or caterers will work with you to devise a meal that really captures the cuisine you want, especially if you give them enough lead-time.
3. Dress up your photo booth. While photo booth props are very popular right now, many couples focus on those details and miss customizing the booth itself. Use personal photos to dress up the booth's exterior, or go with a company like The Photo Bank, which will wrap the booth with a large photo of your choice for an even more custom look.
4. Make your champagne your own. Use the champagne toast as a way to further show your personal style by outfitting each bottle with a custom label. You can adorn the bottles with your monogram, a photo of the two of you, or even a special message to your guests. Also, use your own champagne flutes (you may have been gifted these) on your sweetheart table for another personal touch.
5. Take advantage of the timing. If you're getting married around a holiday that's meaningful to you, create customized place cards as your favors and infuse some of the celebration into this detail. For weddings near Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), do green apples with your guest's names attached alternating with small jars of honey, for Halloween, do baby pumpkins, or for New Year's, noise-making place cards would really make an impact. (You could even take the holiday merriment a step further by using apple tree centerpieces marked with the table numbers, placing large pumpkins on the tables and marking them with the table numbers, or having glittery top hat centerpieces.)