Personalize Your Wedding

Throw a party that truly reflects the two of you! We've found 50 creative ways to celebrate your unique sense of style.

Musical Notes

36. At your cocktail hour, play music that's both unexpected and reflects your personal tastes. Go for a steel-drum, bluegrass or mariachi band.

37. Give your parents a surprise trip down memory lane by arranging to use their first-dance song for your own.

38. Have a friend with a great voice? Ask him or her to take over the mike and sing a rockin' tune that'll get all your pals up on the dance floor.

Photo Finish

39. Most brides and grooms arrange to have color photographs taken, but why not ask your shutterbug to take black-and-white wedding pictures as well? They're elegant and timeless (like old movies), and, if you hire a pro who uses a photojournalistic style, the photos will capture the story of your big day, rather than just the elements.

40. Ask your wedding videographer to create a "love-story" video in addition to your wedding video, suggests Steve Wernick, co-owner of The 4Ever Group, a videography service in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . This eight- or ten-minute "mini documentary" might feature the two of you talking about how you met and why you fell in love, and include location shots of where you live, where you had your first date and so on. "Some couples arrange to have their love-story video shown on a big screen at their reception, just before they're introduced," explains Wernick.

"It's a great thing to pass down to your children and grandchildren, too."

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