“Everything was so special and I could see how much care had been taken. It was just wonderful to open up the envelope and find some beautiful special memories committed to paper and so stunningly interpreted. We really feel like you captured the feeling of the day, the tones and the dreamy quality. We adore art and to have pieces that actually feature one of our most important days is just amazing. So many visitors have admired our paintings and I think because in the UK it is more unusual to have a wedding painter, people have reacted with such surprised joy!”
-Charis Afan-Williams, Bride
Being intentional about your wedding day
“This is YOUR DAY. This is actually one day where you get to go as crazy as you want, be as extravagant as you want, create whatever you want. At the end of the day, you’ll never regret the extra $$$ you spent on those floating floral clouds because this is your chance to create a one-of-a-kind day that will blow everyone away. So do what you want. Don’t hold back.”
Manda Worthington, Mae & CO Creative
Friend, this is YOUR WEDDING DAY. Let’s make it purposeful, meaningful, and most importantly, memorable.
In this post, you’ll learn three deeply intentional ways to honor your wedding day (and guests).
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HONOR YOUR GUESTS
Based on a study by TheKnot.com, guests spend an average of $500-$1200 on every wedding they attend, and “after a tumultuous 2020, 68% of guests were willing to spend more on weddings, most commonly on a gift for the couple” (The Knot).
Guests are so excited to celebrate you and your wedding day, and for my brides especially, it’s important to make sure they feel well-loved in return.
“A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.”
– Andres Marois
IDEAS for your WEDDING DAY
- Write a handwritten note to each of your guests (or type them up and have someone write them for you). It’s heartfelt and meaningful, and it’s a great way to show your appreciation as your guests arrive on location or to the hotel they’re staying.
- One of my sweet brides and her husband wrote poems for each of their guests, which I think is so special – I mean, the amount of time it would take to write each of those poems is kind of A LOT – but how meaningful to your guests!
- Create on-brand welcome baskets for your guests. These could be bags with goodies inside, a nice bottle of champagne to say “We’re glad you’re here!” or anything else you can imagine.
- BE AT THE COCKTAIL HOUR! I can’t recommend a first look enough, because then you get the chance to maybe enjoy a French 75 with your new spouse then join your guests for cocktail hour. It’s such a lovely time to get to thank your guests for coming and enjoy connecting with them without feeling rushed.
Bottom line? Show your guests you care. A candy bar really doesn’t cut it anymore, I’m sorry to say.
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HONOR YOUR STORY
When I work with my couples, I want to know what matters most to them. Florals and design? People? Is it both? I want to know their story – as much as they want to share. This helps me know how to best serve them.
Brides’ Top Planner says this:
“A wedding or any special event is about layering! The only way you can make any event special is by making it personal. That personalization could be anything from a specialty drink to a menu or the end of the night giveaway. The bottom line is that the only way to make an event memorable is by making it uniquely theirs and trying to tell their story through the guest experience from beginning to end.”
– Pejy Kash Events
Friends — MAKE IT PERSONAL.
EXPERIENCE
So, how to honor your story? For one of my brides, this meant using flowers from the family garden in her floral arrangements. For another, this meant having photos of loved ones nearby to remember they are never forgotten. Yet another had such a close tie to her university that she and her husband invited the mascot to come and party with them.
INCLUDE YOUR PEOPLE
Maybe this means including your people – giving a meaningful gift to both your parents and your fiance’s parents. Wearing a refined version of your mother or grandmother’s wedding dress for your rehearsal dinner. A kind welcome speech that shares your story and lets your guests feel even more connected to you.
“Love recognises no barriers, it jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination, full of hope.”
– Maya Angelou
It’s those details that mean so much in the moment and will continue to be meaningful for years to come.
Honoring your story can be as simple as a single rose or as lavish as an entire breezeway covered in florals. But whatever your story is, choose a team (and a wedding planner/producer) that will honor your story and create magic for you.
If you want some suggestions, feel free to send me an email. I’d love to help you find your perfect vendors.
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HONOR THE NOSTALGIA
You have permission to feel nostalgic before your wedding, during your wedding, and after your wedding. You’ll feel nostalgic forever when looking back on your wedding day.
Part of being present in the moment is having the confidence that you will be able to look back on your day and remember how it felt.
PERMISSION TO FEEL NOSTALGIA
There are three ways to achieve this, and I’d recommend all three because our brains remember things differently as the days go on.
- Photography
- Videography
- Live Wedding Painting
“It is such a happiness when good people get together—and they always do.”
– Jane Austen
You’re not just collecting moments, you’re collecting memories. You’re finding a way to remember not just every detail of your day, but the feeling of your day.
Photography slices each moment into smaller bits that make it easy to see what happened and how it happened. You can print these photos and know that each time you look at them, you’ll take a moment for yourself and remember. And the act of remembering is self-care.
Videography adds in more storytelling elements with voices and sounds of your day.
STORYTELLING with a PAINTING
And live wedding painting? While photographers take 500-1000 photos of your day and videographers have roughly 7 hours of footage, a live painter is curating the entirety of your wedding day into one painting.
And for my clients, it’s more than just a painting. It’s a meticulously planned painting that captures the essence and aesthetic of your wedding day, that you and your guests get to watch come to life, shares the feeling of your wedding day, so you can remember how it felt to be there, the deep love you share, and have an heirloom you’ll share with your grandchildren.
Michelle Cousins of Michelle Leo Events, Brides Top Planner
, says entertainment is the most important wedding detail:
“Amazing entertainment! Your guests may forget what they ate, and they probably won’t remember what type of invitations you sent them or what style of flowers were on the table, but they’ll definitely remember if they danced the night away and had a blast or if they sat at their table all night bored and counting the minutes waiting for the party to end. Couples will never regret investing in quality entertainment!”
Michelle Cousins, Michelle Leo Events
A painting provides a way for you and your guests to slow down and enjoy the day. To see the beauty of your wedding day while they experience it. To watch magic unfold. To have a peek behind the curtain and be entertained by an artist’s creative process and your love story.
Live painting helps you and your guests enjoy the process. Enjoy the moment, and be present.
“We loved with a love that was more than love.”
– Edgar Allen Poe, Annabel Lee
So, friend, you just learned 3 (really more than 3) deeply intentional ways to honor your wedding day. You can honor your day, your story, and your guests at your wedding.
If you liked this post, let me know by liking it below. Share it with your friends getting married!
Now that you know three more precious ways to be intentional with your wedding day, what about intentional wedding dresses? I’ve got the most iconic wedding dresses I’ve painted teed up for you.
“After our first call, I could tell Courtney was super genuine and would do everything she could to make the perfect painting!
The painting is one of the things I got the most compliments on! Most of our guests had never heard of or seen something like that and they thought it was the most unique thing and an incredible way to capture our day.”
– MORGAN PEARSON, Bride
Interested in booking me as your live wedding painter? Learn more here, and if you’re ready, let’s chat.
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