Weddingbee Blog

I’ve mentioned before how helpful it was to be the MOH in Sister Starfish’s wedding right before planning our own. I learned a lot from her wedding. The number one thing I took away from her and BIL Starfish’s wedding was to make it personal.

A wedding is a celebration of a couple’s love for each other. It’s awesome to see the little details that really represent a couple. I was overwhelmed by the personal touches weaved throughout Sister and BIL Starfish’s wedding day. They created a day that really represented who they are. I hope our personalities shine through on our wedding day.

Here’s how they made it personal:

1. Including talented friends- They shared not only their love for each other on their wedding day, but the love and admiration they have for their friends. Three of their very talented friends were included in special parts of their day. A friend officiated the ceremony, and another played the piano along with a third friend who sang. The pianist and singer sang for both the ceremony and the special dances during the reception.

2. Including family traditions- They both are very family oriented and shared their love for their families by including special dances in their honor. BILS’s family did “the Turtle”, an old family tradition, and Sister Starfish dedicated a song to her family—the electric slide, a Starfish family staple at weddings.

3. Including everyone- Not only did they honor their family and talented friends, they literally included everyone in a special way. Their guestbook included pictures of each of their guests. The book had pictures from childhood through the present and every guest was in at least one photo.

4. Putting their own spin on tradition- BILS surprised Sister Starfish with her something blue, a David Yurman ring. I loved that Sister Starfish’s something blue was a special gift from her groom.

5. Having some cheese and sentiment- Sister and BILS wrote their own vows; people laughed and cried during them. They were really sweet. When they were done, the wedding party members each said a personal wish or piece of advice they had for the couple.

6. Including hobbies- BILS wanted to have his home brewed beer at the reception, but due to laws, he was unable. Instead he served it at the rehearsal dinner, where Sister Starfish also surprised him with a beer bucket groom’s cake that was completely edible. Sister Starfish was in theater most of her life, she and her officiant kept it fun by referring to the ceremony as “the show” and guests as “the audience”, with many other theater references I couldn’t follow.

7. Adding seasonal touches- They wanted a fall wedding that didn’t scream “country fall”. They ended up having many autumn touches, but in a modern way. They had an apple cider station and caramel apple martinis at the cocktail hour, with pumpkin and apple decor throughout the cocktail area.

8. Unique photo locations- they included the location of their first date, different areas of Boston, their beloved city, and fun locations like a firehouse!

9. Honoring their moms- BILS’s mother passed away before he and Sister S met. To honor her, he placed a rose at the seat next to his father during the ceremony. It was a sentimental way of including his mom. Sister Starfish wanted to do something special for Starfish Mom. She thanked her for everything she has done by giving her, her bouquet and doing a surprise mother daughter dance, I loved how they had different ways to honor each of their moms.

10. DIY details- Sister Starfish, Starfish Mom and  I created many personal touches for the wedding including the candy bar, menu cards, table numbers, flip flop basket, and flower girl headbands.

How did/do you plan to personalize your wedding?

* All photos taken by the amazing duo of Michael Sparks Keegan photography.