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From east to west to everywhere in between, wedding planners are coming up with unique ideas to inspire couples everywhere. Here are some of our favorites.

Eastern Chic

Gerbera daisies wend their way up sleek glass cylinders: an East Coast wedding's stylish take on traditional table arrangements.

Natural elegance graces this table by David Beahm Design in New York City. Forest-green mosses nestle among colorful sweet William and luxe green orchids. Antique votives add charm. Photography: (top) Yves Samuel; (bottom) Philippe Cheng.

“Eastern brides have an up-to-the-minute urban perspective. They know what they want,” says Melissa Paul of Philadelphia’s Evantine Events. According to Francesca Abbracciamento of New York’s Francesca Events, “The New York bride knows just what to expect from a really great party!” Many sophisticated brides are choosing to hold an after-party in a different section of the venue, perhaps decorated as a jazz lounge, to keep the fun going.

The classic East Coast soirée, hosted in a glamorous old-world location (think New York’s opulent St. Regis Hotel), is as popular as ever. Also high on the list is the ultrahip loft wedding—an upscale urban event held against a backdrop of city lights.

East Coast couples who want an outdoor wedding might choose the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, a historic colonial home in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County or their family’s house on the New Jersey shore.

Stationery is important to East Coast brides, so event planners make careful decisions about everything from choosing colors for the escort cards to the fonts for the table cards. “These details are the cherry on the sundae—they show you’ve thought things through,” says Paul. Abbracciamento adds that she often spends 30 percent of her time working on the cocktail napkins, bar menu, signage and other wedding paper.

In this region, brides will forgo theme weddings for a unified color scheme (of black and white or shades of green) and subtle, sophisticated touches that show thought and attention (specific wines chosen to match each course at dinner, for instance).

Abbracciamento says that ethnic and cultural flavors have made their way onto many wedding menus. “These are flavors not often tasted at a black tie celebration—I’ve seen Indian, Greek or even barbecue!” she says.

Paul says that menus must contain something that specifically celebrates the couple’s taste and style. “One pair loved having Sambuca after dinner, so we did this Italian coffee bar with cordials and Sambuca. The bar was all decked out in candles and placed in the middle of the room, making it very warm and approachable.”

Guests’ comfort is always a top priority for these brides, says Paul. At a sit-down dinner, for example, smaller tables, set for 6 instead of 14, are gaining in popularity; so are long, but very narrow tables, which allow guests seated across from each other to converse easily.

Paul says it’s no longer “death by flowers.” She might fill a ceiling with hundreds of minimalist globes, or hang a row of low chandeliers over a long table to cast a subtle glow over the diners. In many cases, large platters of food, for a dinner served family style, might take the place of the customary elaborate floral arrangements.

A big new trend? Surprises. “Just before dessert, brides and grooms are doing something unexpected. For example, a bride or a groom may arrange to have musicians serenade their partner or their parents. They might use a doo-wop quartet or a small gospel group,” according to Paul.

The traditional first dance is getting more sophisticated—and elaborate. Some couples treat guests to a tango or samba demonstration, and then invite guests to join them!

Edith Wharton, anyone? The novels of this early-20th-century author may have inspired a new trend. “It’s very old New York chic to hold a lunch instead of a dinner celebration,” says Abbracciamento, who’s getting more and more requests for lavish lunch receptions, with an emphasis on beautiful tableware, crystal and luxe linens.

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