One thing that makes a wedding ceremony and reception perfect, is the seamless transition from one to the other, and the final touches that bring the theme to life in the smallest of details.
Last night, I saw an episode of Four Weddings on TLC, and the “event planner” had a St. Patty’s Day themed wedding…which ended in mechanical bull riding. This would’ve been cute if she was in Texas, if the theme was “country”, or if it had something special to do with the couple and everyone knew about it. As much as it’s fun, it doesn’t make sense, and when things don’t make sense at a wedding, your guests, and you, will notice.
Now, while I don’t believe in hitting guests over the head with your theme, or that you even need one, it’s important to look at the little things. Making your wedding original is getting more and more difficult with couples willing to basically hire Cirque de Soleil performers during their reception, but you don’t have to go crazy or break the bank for the little things.
We’ve all seen the cocktail napkins with the bride and groom’s name, followed by their wedding date. Everyone has a signature drink. And no one labels tables by numbers anymore, but by something meaningful to the couple. But what about those drinks that you bring back to your table long after you care what it’s called? When it’s the time of night where your guests order vodka tonics, and sit down because they need a break from dancing, why not surprise them?
With personalized swizzle sticks!
You can get really creative and there are hundreds of companies that can mass produce swizzle sticks that you want. Whether you want your newly monogrammed initials, your wedding date, or a pink flamingo with your reception location (it had better be Florida if you do that), the sky is the limit. This is just a little touch to really bring your wedding up that notch. If you’re having a signature drink, you don’t have to offer the swizzle sticks at that time. Keep them behind the bar and instruct your hall to not bring them out until after people have started dancing.
I can hear the conversations at the bar now, “Oh my! Look how cute this is!”, “What does this say?”, “Look, they put their wedding date on the stick!”
Can you hear it too?
If you don’t want to personalize them with any wedding details, just make them about your theme. If you’re doing a St. Patrick’s Day wedding, why not a shamrock or pot of gold swizzle? Getting married around the Fourth of July? They make firework swizzle sticks too. A really cool picture is of course a bunch of glasses clinking together with your personalized swizzle sticks.
We always make a big deal about how to make your wedding the absolute best, but we always emphasize that a wedding is about two people and the love they have for each other. Putting this little touch into your ceremony will share with your guests another part of you. Best of all, it’s inexpensive and a total surprise.
Did you use swizzle sticks at your last party? Would you like to see them at a wedding? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!