When it comes to wedding entertainment the first thing that comes to mind is usually the decision between a DJ or a band, but what else could you include in your wedding that would keep guests guessing about what else you might have up your sleeve on your big day? Right now one of the biggest trends in weddings is the idea of going against tradition. If you have some extra room in your budget (maybe because you decided to have a fabulous micro wedding rather than a 200 person event), you should consider throwing something a little different into your reception to spicy things up. We promise not to tell anyone if you take an idea or two from us and make it your own 😉

1. Dance instructor

If you know that your group is always down for a spin on the dance floor, why not surprise everyone with a professional dance instructor to clean up their moves just a bit? This could be salsa dancing, maybe a traditional dance to promote your culture, or go crazy with a hip hop lesson. Everyone could learn something new and have fun while doing it!

2. Professional artist

Pick your medium of choice and then hire a professional for a few hours to come and live sketch, paint, or draw your reception or guests. You would leave with a lasting memory of the evening that is separate from the photographer and/or videographer and each of your guests could have a personal memory of themselves.

Interested in live illustration?  Check out my services here!

3. Mini Golf

This isn’t your sibling’s corn hole set (still a favorite yard game). Step it up a notch and take over any open green space with strategically placed mini golf courses! Multiple holes also means a few groups of people can play at once and clean up is simple. Golf competition anyone?

4. Bouncy House

This option certainly isn’t for everyone, but for those of us that are still a kid at heart (or need a break from dancing), having a beautiful white bouncy house is so much fun! Bonus: it’s great for any actual children that might be at your reception.

5. Snacks!

Ok this might not seem like your typical entertainment source, but can you tell me the last time someone brought out snacks and everyone in the room didn’t get excited?! One of our favorite ways to end a long night of dancing is with a late night snack, so why not just incorporate that into the timeline? About an hour before the DJ plays his final song, have munchies passed around. This could be French fries, milk and cookies, popcorn, or literally anything that you would want when you left after a long (but fun) night. 

Now, we aren’t trying to plan your wedding for you, but we are saying that any or all of these ideas could be mixed and matched to create the perfect wedding reception! And if you decide to include them just know that we would like to be included in the guest count because it sounds like you sure know how to have a fun time! 

Are you planning any fun surprises for your guests that we haven’t thought of yet??

Samantha Shammas, Author and Owner of SamiaLynn

After the big proposal comes the bridesmaids’ proposals.

Don’t know what a bridesmaid proposal is? It’s kind of like a “prom-posal” but for your bridesmaids. You put together a collection of gifts and notes, and then send it to your closest friends to ask them to be your bridesmaid (or maid of honor) when you tie the knot. Sometimes it includes jewelry with symbolic knots like necklaces or earrings, or coozies that have your wedding date on it, but we want to give you inspiration for gifts that your girls (or guys) will actually use!

Wedding day jewelry

Give your bride squad any jewelry you want them to accessorize with on your big day. Chances are they will wear it again, or at least have peace of mind knowing what they will wear to your wedding.

Custom sketches

Customize an illustration of you and your bridesmaid so that she can frame it as a forever reminder of your wedding day. Click here for custom sketches of you and your bride squad!

Custom wine glasses

Instead of getting anything with the word “bridesmaid” written on it, put her name and she will most likely use it every day and think of you, rather than sharing  the word “bridesmaid” around anything you gift.  This idea can apply to any “object”, we offer mugs, make up bags, and phone cases that you can custom design!

A shawl

This might sound cheesy, but if you give your bridesmaids something to keep her warm in her bridesmaid’s dress, she will use it for ALL future weddings and think of you! Something so simple could bring her years of fond memories.

Hair and makeup!

We know this isn’t really an “item” that can go in a bridesmaid proposal box, but offering to pay for your girls’ hair and makeup on your wedding day is a huge gift and would be widely appreciated.  Get a really pretty gift certificate to announce it, stick a few smaller objects in there and you have your box!

Whatever you choose to do to ask your bridal party to be apart of your big day, the most important thing is to make sure that they know why you couldn’t be who you are today without her. The priority of picking your bridal party is that each person knows she is so important to you that you want her to be a significant part of one of the most important days of your life.

Did we miss any fun bridesmaid proposal ideas that you think we should share?? Let us know in the comments!

Lauren Allen, Author

Lauren is a bridal consultant and self-published author, with a background in celebrity styling and bridal make up artistry. You can find her with an oat milk cappuccino in the morning, and a glass of Cabernet at night, her real passions. Get enough wine in her and she will tell you about her perfectly planned wedding. Just promise not to ask about the groom, that’s one detail she’s still working on. Lauren is based in NYC and her book “How to Be 23” can be found here

If any of you have also been living on Bridal TikTok these last few months, your head is also spinning with ideas for your wedding! Besides learning how to politely tell your guests to leave their little ones at home, and how to save money (but absolutely not time) by making all of the floral decor yourself, we have also learned how to step out of the expected to make your wedding day memorable for you and your guests. 

1. Welcome surprises! 

We all know that weddings never start exactly on time, which means that guests are usually left empty handed and mingling with strangers, unsure of what to do or where to stand. On Instagram we saw a recommendation to have guests put their drink of choice with their RSVP so that they could be handed a cocktail (or mocktail) upon arrival. GENIUS!! You could even have a little charcuterie board ready for guests to snack on while they are waiting for you to get all of the final touches taken care of without being rushed

2. Ceremony backdrop! 

The background of where you say “I DO” is a place for countless customization options. This could be a wall of flowers, a photo backdrop, a metal arch with flowers and greenery placed strategically. Just having your officiant and a few flower arrangements behind you is a thing of the past. Choose a backdrop that will represent who you are as a couple (and what type of decor you will decorate your house with because these pictures will be hanging on your walls forever). This is also an amazing way to bring in small businesses to your wedding day! This may feel like 1 of the million decisions you have to make, but to whoever you hire to create this backdrop, this will be their main focus. Hire a professional if you want it to be memorable! 

3. Photo ops! 

We all love a photo booth, but sometimes they can give us flack backs to our awkward prom date or a children's birthday party. Make your guests’ photos Instagram worthy by commissioning a custom photo background! This could be a huge floral backdrop, a sketch of you and your fiancé so it feels like you in every picture, or even just a print that is inspired by your other stationary. Your guests will line up all night to get a picture with the perfect background and lighting, so don’t forget a ring light to make sure they look amazing. Click here to order yours!

4. Your gown!

Even your wedding gown can be customized from head to toe if you are willing to put in the trust and imagination that it would require! If that sounds like a lot, you also have options of customizing dresses that you order from bridal salons. Some designers have customizing options when ordering like lining/unlined, extending/shortening the train, adding/removing sleeves. If the designer can’t make changes when creating the dress, there are also a lot of customization options that can happen in alterations. A tailor can build up a dress to make it more modest by ordering extra elements from the original dress, they can lower the back of the dress to show off your curves even better, or they can add beading to make the whole dress shine under the lights of your reception. You could even have a veil custom made to match your gown! Just keep in mind the changes that you want to make when considering your budget for your dream dress! 

What are you going to have customized to make your big day special?? Let us know below!

Lauren Allen, Author

Lauren is a bridal consultant and self-published author, with a background in celebrity styling and bridal make up artistry. You can find her with an oat milk cappuccino in the morning, and a glass of Cabernet at night, her real passions. Get enough wine in her and she will tell you about her perfectly planned wedding. Just promise not to ask about the groom, that’s one detail she’s still working on. Lauren is based in NYC and her book “How to Be 23” can be found here

“Do I need to hire a wedding planner?”

Hi! Sam here. Yes, you can plan a perfectly wonderful wedding without one, but I’m here to tell you that the longer I’m in the wedding space, the more I find myself telling people GET A PLANNER. To further drive home this point, I recruited wedding planner Kari Dirksen of Feathered Arrow Events to guest write this post so she can get into the details of why you need one. Tell ‘em, Kari!

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As a wedding planner, I am constantly educating my clients and potential clients on the importance of hiring a wedding planner and why everyone should hire one for their big day! You should always make room in the budget and hire one from the very beginning of wedding planning because you’ll be way less stressed and prepared throughout the process. I’m sharing my top reasons as to why a wedding planner is a great idea!

#1 (and most important) reason to hire a wedding planner

We are there for YOU! If your venue also has a Venue Coordinator, they really are only there to serve the venue. A wedding planner however, services the couple. We are your advocates, confidants and experts in the field and during the event. Wedding planners will help you weather any storm. Both literally (rain plan, anyone?) and figuratively. One year, I helped move an entire wedding for a couple in one week whose original venue was evacuated due to a wildfire. This past year was a real doozy for couples everywhere. I helped so many of my couples postpone plans, reschedule vendors and be a go-between all the parties.

#2 We’re there to hold your hand through it all

I’m not only helping to plan your wedding, I can also help you design your wedding to keep things cohesive + beautiful. A wedding planner has an eye for design and knows all the details, both big and small, that will wow your guests.

#3 We read contracts

Yes, all the fine print. As a wedding planner, one of my jobs is to pour over your contracts to make sure you aren’t surprised with hidden fees, and familiarize myself with all the policies/guidelines and making sure that you sign a legit contract so that both parties are protected.

#4 We keep you on track!

Planning your wedding doesn’t have to be stressful with the right planner by your side. We will create your to-do checklists, timeline, seating chart, budgets, etc. Then we coordinate this information with all of your vendors to make sure everyone is on the same page to keep the big day as smooth as possible! One of the first steps I encourage newly engaged couples to do is to make an estimated budget. As your wedding planner, I can help you build this with realistic price expectations so you don’t accidentally misspend your budget on a few select items.

#5 It takes a village to execute a wedding!

Wedding planners have tons of relationships with people in the industry and are a great resource for the best venues + vendors. We can help you find someone not only within your budget, but also someone you are excited to work with + love their style. Researching the right vendors can take hours but we can help you narrow that down right away. Wedding planners will come to meetings with you, run your rehearsal, be one of the first ones on-sight to set up décor and one of the last to leave after packing everything up.

#6 We come prepared the day of the wedding

And with an emergency kit full of goodies to fix just about anything. I have seen a lot in my day. Ripped dress seams, table numbers flying off tables due to high winds…you name it. Over the years, I have expanded my emergency wedding kit to quickly resolve any crisis that arises.

#7 We keep the day running on time and troubleshoot!

A wedding planner’s job is to keep the wedding running as smoothly and stress-free as possible…but sometimes, things happen. Maybe it’s a vendor issue, or a guest concern; we find solutions so you can continue to enjoy your celebration uninterrupted. Most of the time couples don’t ever know of any minor mishaps because we have it under control.

#8 Hiring a wedding planner means you and your guests can enjoy the day!

I can understand the thought process that letting your friends or family help with decorations might save some money, but ultimately it’s not worth it. You want everyone enjoying the celebration worry free. Not stressing about moving chairs or setting things up.

No one has ever regretted hiring a wedding planner to help them with what is typically the most important day of their lives. You can still be involved and plan or design as much as you want but having an expert guide along the way never hurt anybody. Good luck planning and if you need a wedding planner, please head to our website and fill out our inquiry form at featheredarrowevents.com.

Happy Planning!

Kari Dirksen, Author

Kari is the owner of Feathered Arrow Events and host of The Local Table podcast. When this native Iowan farm girl isn’t in her office designing weddings or planning epic celebrations, you can find her learning how to make the perfect latte or traveling to Yosemite. She loves to give back and is a self proclaimed donut connoisseur. Follow her on Instagram @featheredarrowevents

Now that we are back to being able to schedule weddings, we thought you might want a few ways to make your Save The Date’s more unique! A simple card with an engagement photo and your wedding location/ date does the job, but why not leave a real impression?  Remember, this is the first piece of correspondence related to your big day, so use the opportunity to set the wedding tone!

1. Wooden magnets 

We know magnets with photo or collage were popular for a while, but why not get creative with the material?

2. Coasters

It doesn’t get better than something that is both unique and useful

3. Maps with the location circled

OR a save the date that folds open like a map? Très intéressant

4. Polaroids

The creative cousin to the typical save the date, especially for those going for a vintage theme!

5. Bookmarks

Literary couples unite! Also another dual purpose option

6. A custom illustration (from us obvi 😉)

You know we got you, click here!

7. A scratch off (lottery style)

Make it fun!

8. A calendar page

Give your date announcement a twist, or even a fun way to tell people you’ve changed your date?

9. Anything unique to you and your fiancé’s love story- sports related , or cooking (like wooden spoon)

We always say, the more personal the better

Have you ever received a save the date that really stood out to you? Let us know in the comments!

Lauren Allen, Author

Lauren is a bridal consultant and self-published author, with a background in celebrity styling and bridal make up artistry. You can find her with an oat milk cappuccino in the morning, and a glass of Cabernet at night, her real passions. Get enough wine in her and she will tell you about her perfectly planned wedding. Just promise not to ask about the groom, that’s one detail she’s still working on. Lauren is based in NYC and her book “How to Be 23” can be found here

Going into 2021 we all have high hopes and low expectations of the year. 2020 brides are fighting to get 2021 dates, but no one really knows what this year is going to bring. The only thing this is sure is that weddings will be happening 7 days a week whether there’s 25 people or 250 people allowed to congregate. (Thank you Zoom for bringing us all together when we can’t actually be together!) During these nuptials there will be a few trends that really stick out. 

1. Masks are cool!

Whether you like it or not, masks are there to stay for a while. If you are gathering in a large group of people, our suggestion is to find a fabulous cotton mask that matches your outfit and rock it like any other statement piece. If you are willing to go the extra mile and keep it on for pictures, you will even save on makeup because anything below the mask doesn’t matter! We’ve even seen brides have masks made to match their gowns. This may be scary to think about it, but showing that to your future children will be one crazy story!

2. Outdoor venues

More than ever couples are searching for venues with as much open space and fresh air as possible. Not only will ceremonies be outside, but cocktail hour will be fireside and the reception will be under a beautifully decorated tent. Guests should bring an extra layer for warmth, but most venues will have a large collection of space heaters to keep the reception warm and cozy. 

3. Less is best

Any head count you had assumed you would end up with years ago is now being cut in half. Couples are having to be picky about who gets to spend their special day with them. Sorry distant relatives, if you aren’t willing to have the couple over for Sunday dinner then you probably won’t be invited to the nuptials. Some couples are holding out for the large party and we love that for them, but those are weddings that will happen much later in the year.

Side note: no matter how big your wedding, if you’re getting married in 2021 and haven’t ordered your wedding dress yet, it’s time!

4. Mood lighting

Since everything is now being set outside lighting is more crucial than ever before. Electricity? Who needs it? We have candles galore! And if that’s not enough we can add a few (or as many as you can find) twinkle lights all around the tented reception to shine like the stars that are glowing above the tent. So romantic!! 

5. Weekday weddings

Every couple that had to cancel their wedding in 2020 filled up their venue’s schedule for every Saturday in 2021, so weekday weddings are now taking over. If the specific venue is a priority and you got engaged after 2019, you will be getting married on a Thursday and starting a long weekend of being newlyweds by Friday morning! With most of America working from home right now, and restrictions on head counts, the people who are an important part of your wedding should have an easier time attending mid-week than ever before. 

6. Skip the skippable

There are so many overwhelming little details that go into wedding planning that we think can be cut off of your to-do list. Menu cards, ceremony schedules, and guest gifts are just a few of the extra headaches that end up getting left behind and forgotten about. Spend your money on the food/experience rather than the stuff that will be left behind after the DJ plays the final song. Keep what is really important to you and ditch the details that don’t bring you any joy. 

We aren’t exactly sure what 2021 is going to bring, but we can’t wait to watch love win over everything! Your wedding day is about you and the love of your life vowing to stand by each other’s side through the good and the bad. Let’s be honest, a pandemic is just a test of this promise that if you got this far in the blog, we know you’ll be just fine. Let us know which of these trends you’ll be incorporating into your wedding this year!

Lauren Allen, Author

Lauren is a bridal consultant and self-published author, with a background in celebrity styling and bridal make up artistry. You can find her with an oat milk cappuccino in the morning, and a glass of Cabernet at night, her real passions. Get enough wine in her and she will tell you about her perfectly planned wedding. Just promise not to ask about the groom, that’s one detail she’s still working on. Lauren is based in NYC and her book “How to Be 23” can be found here