Weddings are that special day (or weekend, or..week?) that you can really have your personality as individuals, and a couple, shine through. There are so many special touches you can add to any aspect of the events to wow your guests and have them saying “oh that’s SO them”. From the invites to the food to the reception entertainment, there’s a million options and sometimes, it’s the little things that make the difference.

So how do you decide? Let’s break these ideas down by personality or traits:

The foodie

Splurge on a 7 course meal or specialty food stations for a buffet. Bonus points for corresponding wine or drinks! I attended a wedding at a guest with a multi-course dinner and I can confirm it was the best thing ever. Need wine pairing recs? We go over all of this in a blog post! Click here to check it out.

The Fashionable One

Pretend like you didn’t see this one coming: live guest illustrations! Photos are always nice, but custom art as favors is the icing on the fashion cake. Click here to learn more about live sketching.

The Influencer

Hire a content creator! It’s a great way to get all your phone coverage for you to post later, without having to worry about it on your big day. Have more questions about content creators? We have a blog post about that too, just click here to read.

The Boozy One

Cocktail hour idea: have a tasting! Wine, liquor, beer, whatever goes with your food or wedding theme. This idea also works great for a welcome party if you’d prefer a smaller crowd.

The "Extra" One

Go all in on a grand entrance or exit (forget the sparklers or confetti). Arrive in a carriage, leave in a boat, skydive into the ceremony, use a smoke machine down the aisle, pick your “extra” level and go for it. Or take a page out of the Southeast Asian wedding book and arrive on a horse or elephant (but be sure to check with your venue first).

The Kid at Heart

Two words for you: Bounce House. Yes, wedding bouncy houses are a thing and they look SO FUN. They come in all white and you can add extra florals around it for a special touch!

The Fearless One

Another trend that I’ve been seeing around: tattoo artists. We’re talking real, permanent actual tattoos. This idea is obviously for a very specific type of couple, but maybe you can add a temp tattoo station for those guests who…aren’t quite as adventurous?

The Eco Enthusiast

Nothing drives crazy a green movement follower more than being wasteful; and from that standpoint, yes, weddings can produce a LOT of waste. So why not cut down on that a bit? I’ll list a few ideas below, but the one I think is the most innovative is “seed paper”. Paper made out of actual seeds so you can plant and water them when you go home and look at that your place card turned into tulips. Here’s more:

• “Paperless Post” save the dates (honestly, this is just easier for everyone)

• Use local blooms

• Reuse said blooms from the ceremony and bouquets into the receptions space

• Pick a menu with seasonal, local ingredients

• Rent, borrow, or thrift outfits, linens, and decor

• Use biodegradable confetti or balloons

• Hire a bus or shuttle for transportation to and from the venue

• Plant a tree for your unity ceremony

The Dancer

This is fun for both you and your guests because everyone knows you’ll probably have the best music for the dance floor. But aside from that, why not do a choreographed dance with your new spouse? Or during parent dances. If you don’t want to do it yourself (or are unable), hire professionals! Guests will love the dinner entertainment. Take it a step further and get dancers that relate to your cultural background.

The Traveler

As an avid traveler myself, I LOVE this as a theme. Plus, there are a ton of ways to do it:

• Make your invite suit into a passport with boarding passes

• Create your table numbers based off all the places you’ve traveled together

• Make a map as your escort wall

• Use an atlas and polaroid photos for your guest book

• Thrift vintage trunks and globes as decor

• Speaking of globes, get a minimalistic or chalkboard one and use as a guest book

Which of these do you identify with the most?

Let us know in the comments below what special touches you added to your wedding! We’d love to hear from you.

Samantha Shammas, Author and Owner of SamiaLynn

Photo by Melissa Stimpson Photography

Wedding entertainment can be as elaborate or as simple as you want to make it and can come in many forms. For most people, they want their big day to have unique elements that their guests will enjoy. I mean, the whole purpose of booking entertainment is for your guests right?

My particular service is illustrating live and I’ve been doing it since 2018. I’ve had couples reach out with many of the same questions about hiring a live artist so I’m going to answer them all below!

1. What is live illustration?

A live illustrator or artist is someone that comes to the venue itself and creates artwork on the spot. Depending on the artist, this can come in many mediums such as painting, charcoal, markers, or more and can be done on canvas, paper, or products. Everyone’s process is different so be sure to do a deep dive into your artist’s work and offering before putting down a deposit.

2. Who is the illustration made for?

There’s 2 different options: individual sketches for the guests, or one big illustration for the couple/client. Guest illustrations are usually done quickly within minutes (varies from artist to artist) while one big piece is done for the couple to take home at the end of the night, or shipped to them post-wedding. If this is a corporate event, some clients like to have a full scene done to commemorate a venue or special date.

Note: some couples choose to have both! A piece for them and sketches for their guests. This option, of course, requires 2 artists.

3. What’s the difference between digital and paper?

Paper sketches are exactly how it sounds: illustrations drawn on paper with markers/pens/pencils (or whatever medium that artist uses). I use 5x7” (13 x 18 cm) paper and put them in plastic protectors. Digital sketches are still hand-drawn, but emailed to guests the next day. I also provide a link for guests to be able to purchase a physical print to be shipped to them if they’d like to order one. I can sketch at the same pace for both mediums, so the preference is really up to you and what will work best for your event!

4. What event can I hire an artist for?

If you don’t choose to have an artist at your wedding, most couples have a few events aside from the big day. This includes bridal showers, engagement parties, rehearsal dinner or welcome party, bachelor/bachelorettes, and day after brunch. All of these are a perfect opportunity to wow your guests with a fun and unique favor for them to remember your special day or weekend.

5. How does it all work?

I can’t speak for other artists, but this is how I do it:

• I arrive at the venue 30 minutes prior to set up

• When someone wants an illustration, I have them put their name/email on a sign up sheet

• After they sign in, I take a photo of them (so they don’t have to wait around and can enjoy the event)

• I complete the sketch in the order on that’s on the list

• They come pick it up at the end of the night, or if the sketches are digital I will email it to them the next day

• If the couple/client chooses overtime, the guest will receive it after the event

6. You mentioned overtime, what is that?

I can only sketch so many people in the designated hours, so once my sign up sheet is full, I will cut the list off for the rest of the time that I’m there. Some quotes may include a limited amount of overtime. If the couple decides they’d like more guests to get drawn, they can pay a per sketch rate or have me stay additional hours. I will complete overtime illustrations after the wedding and ship it to the couple within a week or two from the invoice payment (US addresses only). All sketches will have guests’ names on them for reference.

Pro tip: put the overtime sketches in your thank you notes for distribution!

7. how long does this all take?

For individual guest sketches, most artists work at relatively the same pace which is 5-15 minutes per illustration depending on how many people are in the sketch and how intense their outfits are to draw. This works out to around 6-8 people (or 3-4 couples) per hour. For this reason, I do recommend hiring more than 1 illustrator if you’re having over 75 guests.

For a full scene illustration, it usually takes a minimum of 5-6 hours or more depending on the size and intensity. Some artists will finish by the end of the night and some will complete it post-wedding and work off a photo.

Hiring a live illustrator is the perfect way to memorialize your special day. Regardless if they’re sketching individuals or a big scene, your guests will love to watch the process and remember it for years to come. If you choose to have guest sketches, they’ll be leaving the wedding with a favor that they truly love, as it was made JUST for them. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Interested in live illustration? Click here to fill out the form and I can send you a quote! I will travel to wherever your event is (I love to travel!), however, please be aware that anywhere outside of Boston, DC, and NYC will have additional travel fees.

Check out these live illustration reviews!

“Samantha is an incredibly talented artist! I was lucky enough to have Samantha at my wedding in Red Bank, NJ for live illustration for my guests and she was fantastic! She has great communication throughout the planning process and even found another amazing sketch artist to join her for my wedding to accommodate the amount of guests I had. She is easy to work with and open to all of my ideas, even sketching the first dances! My guests have not stopped texting me raving about Sam and how much they love their sketches. This was the perfect addition to my wedding, to give my guests not only a memorable experience but a custom illustration that will last a lifetime!”

- Sarah, 2023 Bride in NJ

“Samantha was super friendly and great to work with for our Bloomingdale's Spring Fashion event. She was efficient in creating sketch illustrations for our guests! During the planning process, she was quick to respond and an overall great vendor to add to our list. Looking forward to doing more events with her in the future!”

- Karen, Event Coordinator for Bloomingdale’s in VA

“Samantha is nothing less than amazing!! She was one of our guest portrait artists at my wedding in 2023, and I have only positive things to say! She is so warm and friendly and her portraits all came out perfectly. We used these portraits as our guest favors and our guests couldn’t stop talking about how cool they were and loved their photos! 100/10 would recommend Samantha for any event or portrait you’re looking to get!”

- Kate, 2023 Bride in GA

“Samantha was great to work with while planning to bring her talents to our wedding day. At the wedding, guests raved about her beautiful sketches! She was a hit and we are so honored to have had her at our big day!”

- Ashley & Bob, 2023 couple in PA

“I cannot say enough good things about Samantha, or recommend her highly enough for any event! We were looking for an artiist to do live sketching at our wedding, and we found her website and impressive work online. Samantha was very responsive and so easy to work with before the big day, and on the day itself, she was truly one of the hardest working people at our wedding! Our guests raved about how they loved getting her sketches of them, and Samantha did a sketch of my husband and I as well, which we are currently having framed! Her sketches are incredible and were such a unique and special part of our day. She's the best!”

- Andrea, 2021 Bride in NY

“I had her at an event over Valentines day weekend and she was FANTASTIC. Rave reviews by all. She was the hit of the event. Thank you!”

- Brian Curry, event in DC

Samantha Shammas, Author and Owner of SamiaLynn

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