Personalization 2024

Ways to Personalize Your Wedding

When it comes to your wedding day, there is no cookie cutter template for the perfect environment. Instead, finding the venue, the décor and the customs that will make your wedding day memorable is more like choreographing a dance between the couple, their expectations and how they want to involve their family and friends in the event.

One thing couples usually agree on is that they would like to offer something unique to their guests on the day of their wedding. They also enjoy seeing their own individuality and identity reflected within the new union and assuring that the events of the day are a distinctive occasion that expresses something special about their decision to get married to each other. This is where personalization can make a big impact on the celebration! Just one look at your friend’s wedding album or a celebrity wedding in a magazine will demonstrate how very modern and on brand a personalized wedding is. Yet, if not approached thoughtfully well in advance of the wedding day, it can become just one more stressful to do list item, or worse yet, a hodge podge of confusing activities and tokens for your guest to wade through to get to the dance floor.

But don’t fret! This quick guide will help you consider what makes a wedding personalized, what methods of personalization have worked well for others, and how our team can help you rest assured that your efforts will be noticed and appreciated!

Photo credit: Trisha Jones Photography

Personalize With Words

Once you have chosen your venue, it’s a good time to consider how to tie your personalization into the geography of the space in a meaningful way. Would your name in lights do it? For example, couples who get married in the Grand Gallery space often opt to put their names and wedding date on the Paramount Theatre marquee. This is a grand gesture that is befitting a theater but it’s also a practical element that gives each and every guest a wonderful heads up that they’ve arrived at the right place, as well as providing a perfect photo opportunity for all. This feature is included in the Grand Gallery wedding packages and is available for an additional fee for Meyer Ballroom weddings.

Other examples of environmental personalization might include placing signage around the venue that reflects the couple’s background, or that welcomes visitors and makes them feel like part of the event. Paramount and Meyer Ballroom event coordinator Morgan Montgomery describes her favorite version of this, “I love it when couples have a welcome mirror with their names, date, and a script that says something like ‘You look great, now have a seat’.’

Paramount and Meyer Ballroom Rentals manager Jordan Scherpe-Lencioni also advocates for well-chosen signage, “Unique signage with the couple’s names on it are great for wedding décor or even a photobooth backdrop. Couples can then take the personalized décor home and have it on display. Items that say ‘Bride’, ‘Groom’ or ‘I do’ tend to get stale when on display in your home over time, but your last name will be timeless!”

Personalize With Pictures

One very personal touch is photos! Looking beyond the ubiquitous photo booth that gets every wedding party started these days, there is the idea of a curated photo journal. Every couple has pictures of their adventures together as a duo and it’s a cute way to tell your love story. Jordan thinks it’s very classy when couples size up the photos and stage them around the entrance, “A lot of times we will see them put engagement photos in the poster frames in the atrium or at the dining tables.”

Other wedding photo ideas include photos of beloved family members who were unable to attend, and that sometimes includes pets who would willingly wear a tuxedo for their special human pawrents.

Photo credit: Kim Ritchie Photography

Thinking Outside the Box

Speaking of pets, there are many ways to include them in the nuptials even when they are unable to attend in person, says Jordan. The most interesting way? “Signature drinks. We offer both alcoholic and non-alcoholic recipes, but couples can also come to us with their own creations. We love to see when they name the drinks after their pets or memorable places that they have visited as a couple.”

Event Coordinator Molly Speckman chimes in, “Signature drinks are always very cute! I love when couples name them to fit their personality. Even better if they have customized champagne flutes!”

The options to personalize your wedding are endless, and they say something powerful about you as a couple and about your love for each other. Will you include your culture/s? Will you highlight your mutual hobbies? Did you write your own vows? Will you hire a calligrapher to hand write each seat name plate? Did you choreograph your couples wedding dance together? Whatever you decide to do to personalize your wedding day, it will be a thoughtful way to include each guest and to leave them with a worthwhile snapshot or memento of your union that will last a long time. And that is priceless.

Photo credit: Kim Ritchie Photography