Are you ready to transform your wedding into an unforgettable masterpiece? To infuse your classical wedding day with a touch of modern flair and some fresh ideas? From stunning decor to personalised touches, let's explore elements that can elevate your wedding day experience.
I’m Nazlee, and I oversee an award-winning wedding venue where we’ve had the pleasure of hosting countless beautiful weddings. Having recently tied the knot myself, I’m excited to share insider secrets and top tips from both sides of the aisle. If you’re passionate about crafting a curated wedding experience, then be sure to sign up to my Instagram where I’m posting all my tips for making your wedding day the best it can be.
Today, we’re diving into tips and inspiration to elevate your celebration and transform it from special to absolutely extraordinary. I’ll give you everything you need to seamlessly incorporate these ideas into your own wedding day. You’ll quickly see that it’s all in the small touches - now lets get into it!
1. Embrace Artistic Entertainment
When we talk about wedding entertainment, we usually think of music - a band or DJ, but what if you were thinking of something outside of this scope? In comes the artistic entertainment - this is a little creative touch that’ll keep your guests interested and make your wedding truly unforgettable and if you can’t already tell, I love this one!
When we think of wedding entertainment, our minds often go straight to music - a band or a DJ setting the mood for the evening. But what if you could add a unique, artistic touch that goes beyond the expected? Enter artistic entertainment - an unconventional twist that will captivate your guests and make your wedding truly unforgettable.
Think: a live painter at your wedding, capturing the essence of your special day on canvas. Your guests will love seeing the work come together, plus it’s the perfect sentimental wedding gift to yourselves - imagine ending the wedding day with a painting to hang in your home. The live artists are so talented they usually finish the painting on the same day so you’ll have your painting long before you even see your wedding photos!
At my wedding, we had the pleasure of Emily, our live painter, capturing the ceremony’s essence absolutely beautifully. We were so moved by her work that we hung it up as soon as we got home, where it always brings back those wonderful memories, every time we look at it. With a live painter, you have the ability to personalise the artwork, choosing exactly what you want to have featured. Whether you want certain guests included, a specific detail highlighted, or just the two of you in focus, the artist can tailor the painting to your exact desires. For us, incorporating the delicate script embroidery from my veil into the painting was a heartfelt touch that only a skilled artist could render so beautifully, and Emily did a great job.
Another way to add an artistic flair to your wedding is by having a sketch artist or caricaturist during your drinks reception. These always go down so well, it gets everyone laughing during the drinks reception and it’s the best favour for your wedding guests - both personal and really fun - could it get any better than that?!
2. Create An Interesting Tablescape
Your wedding breakfast tablescapes should not be overlooked - this is where your guests will be spending a lot of their time, so make sure it’s a memorable experience. This is your opportunity to infuse your creativity and personality - think coloured or patterned tablecloths, interesting napkins, coloured or textured glassware - the list is endless!
When it comes to floral arrangements, think beyond the traditional. While bud vases and delicate foliage are timeless choices that will always be beautiful, you could also experiment with bold colours, unusual shapes, or even more sculptural flowers. Let your imagination run wild, this is where you can really add some character.
Now, this isn’t for everyone but you could even consider incorporating fresh produce into your table decor. Whether it’s a vibrant display of summer lemons for a June wedding, or apples and pomegranates in the colder seasons, fresh produce brings a dynamic burst of both colour and texture. Really think outside the box with this one, bringing in moss or other seasonal foliage you can make your wedding tables so much more fun and leave a lasting impression.
3. Add Floral Embellishments
Floral embellishments are emerging as a prominent trend in bridal fashion right now, offering a modern option instead of more traditional bows. I’m not quite sure if I can say ‘flowers are the new bows,’ but they’re definitely something that we should be paying attention to.
Whether delicately scattered on a veil, intricately woven into a hairpiece, or adorning a gown, the accents infuse bridal looks with striking femininity. Bel Powley recently showcased this trend in her stunning Miu Miu wedding dress, featuring thousands of crystal and floral appliqués on an elegant A-line silhouette.
There are lots of different types too - they can be delicate and feminine or more graphic and fashion forward.
Flowers hold deep symbolic meaning, representing love, purity, and new beginnings—making them a choice that can add even deeper impact to your wedding styling. You can even choose specific flowers to personalise your look in line with your preferences and wedding styling.
If you’re intrigued, but hesitant to commit fully to the trend, then removable elements like gloves, overskirts, or detachable sleeves provide a practical solution. These pieces allow for a versatile bridal look, offering the option to add or remove floral embellishments as desired throughout the celebration.
During my own bridal photoshoot, I had the pleasure of styling a gorgeous overskirt adorned with delicate silk organza flowers by Maggie Sottero. The skirt was so long that it created so much drama, but the flowers gave it a soft, romantic feel. This is the perfect way to add a touch of floral embellishment to your wedding day look without committing to it all day as the skirt can so easily be detached.
Whether you choose to adorn your gown with subtle floral details or make a bold statement with intricate appliqués, florals are the perfect way to add a little sprinkle of grace and elegance to your bridal looks.
4. Channel a Night Club
As your wedding day draws to a close, the dance floor becomes the focal point - and no one wants a dreaded empty dance floor. Now, while I could talk all day about how to keep your dancefloor buzzing all night long (leave me a comment down below if you’d like to see that), this is a new trend that’s been taking over.
Ditch the cheesy love songs and go all out with the kind of music you’d actually love to listen to on a night out - and transform your evening to have a nightclub feel.
Start by setting the mood with dynamic lighting, dimming or even turning off the main lights to create the energy and vibe of a sleek club. Take your time to choose a DJ or band that you know will really get everyone up and dancing and send them a sample of songs that you and your guests will love, to give them an idea of the group’s taste.
Inside Tip: If you’re not sure what music your guests will be into, you can include this in your RSVP. Either get it printed on your RSVP cards if you’re using traditional postal invitations or include it on your wedding website - so while your guests are letting you know if they can make it and choosing their meals they can also tell you what songs will get them up and dancing!
Enhance the experience even more with interactive elements like a photobooth, which doubles as a fun addition to your guest book. Or even a surprise performance to keep everyone on their toes - this can either be someone well known (if you have the budget) or one of the guests, if you have someone particularly talented in the group Either way it’s a great fun surprise for everyone.
You can even go a step further and create a lounge area with stylish seating arrangements for guests to take a breather without leaving the excitement.
And don’t forget the drinks - curate a cocktail menu featuring your signature drinks - this will always go down well.
Turning a cheesy wedding dance floor into a sleek club is such an effective way to enhance your wedding day experience and end on a high note.
5. Choose a Multi-Day Celebration
One of the ultimate ways to elevate your wedding is to keep the party going with multi-day celebrations.
This used to be more popular for couples getting married abroad, as all their guests would have travelled to their destination so they would be available for a variety of events surrounding the wedding day. However, you can still have a multi-day celebration if you’re getting married at home, whether it’s a grand luncheon the day before, a second party the day after or just a big group brunch at a local café the next morning - this is a really lovely way to make your special day last just a little longer and really make the most of having all your loved ones gathered together.
If you want to plan a ‘wedding weekend,’ consider starting with an intimate dinner the evening before, inviting close friends and family. This is brilliant for getting everyone excited about the main wedding day. Similarly, hosting a relaxed brunch for some of your guests the morning after the wedding day is another great way to cherish your time with your guests. This is what we did for our main wedding day at Offley Place, and it worked really well for us.
The wedding day itself goes by so quickly, so it’s a really nice way to extend your time with your friends and family and make sure that you actually get to see everyone - and not just to quickly say ‘hello’.
If you have a large guest list, you can keep pre- and post-wedding events really intimate and pared back, with just your inner circle. This is the perfect way to have the best of both worlds in terms of both a smaller and larger celebration.
You can even choose to have different groups of guests at the events before and after your wedding. Perhaps you want to spend the night before with all your friends getting excited all together, but you’d rather spend the day after your wedding having a wind down with your close family. Give it some thought, as there are so many options. The flexibility of multi-day celebrations allows you to customise the experience to reflect your vision and personality.
By incorporating these elements - from personalised details to artistic entertainment and multi-day celebrations - you can take your special day from ordinary to extraordinary. These are the little touches that make a big difference and leave a lasting impression on your guests.
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