Those Crazy Little Extras

If you read bridal blogs and subscribe to wedding newletters, chances are you are bombarded with ideas of fun things to add on to your wedding celebration to make it so especially your own.


To the left, we have a signature cocktail served in an antique glass. Because, what is a signature cocktail served up in plastic or those thick stemmed all purpose wine glasses?


For beach weddings we love those flip flops (slippahs if you from here) where your footprints leave words in the sand.

If you go to this Etsy shop you can custom order them with your names, and of course "just married" is already there for a standard order.

Maybe they don't look all that, but for the photo op after the ceremony, may be irresistible.

Chair decor is a current trend.  Maybe just the bride and groom need the prince and princess of the event treatment, or possibly all the chairs require a slip cover, a bow, and perhaps a garland. Or at least the garland or mini bouquet on the aisle seats. And don't forget the carpet of flower petals if you are going all out with the chair covers and garlands.

Then on the tables all the small touches, like the place holders - not just a card, but something twiggy and sentimental. I am not meaning to poke fun at all these extras, as nothing is quite so special as a wedding. And nothing is quite as much fun as putting together all the little extras to make a celebration special.

From a practical point of view, you may want to consider that "less is more" whereas "more" is absolutely "costlier". You will rarely see an item by item price description of your choices until or unless you request that after you have done your ordering or you are in the midst of it and all signed up.

One way to save big on the cost of your wedding extravaganza is to put the money into the big stuff.  Photography is number one. Those photos in an album are with you for a lifetime.  How many people pull out their wedding videotape?  Do they get it moved over to DVD or does it ride out the change on the shelf?  Have one photo matted and framed. It need not hang over the fireplace. But on your 10th and 15th and 25th wedding anniversary you will like to be reminded of what that day did look like.

If you have chosen a destination wedding, the sense of place in that photo is all important.  A sweet hazy shot where your smiles are the main feature is lovely, but do choose a photo where you can see where you were, right in the picture.  Even a courthouse wedding deserves a shot of the sweeping staircase or the sturdy pillars in the front.

Ah, the wedding gown... To the right, a delicate Amsale Aberra concoction befitting the most formal of occasions. And you can make your destination wedding a formal occasion, and wear such a gown.  You are probably equally aware you can go to a bridal shop and buy a knock off gown at a far lesser price, or even rent a gown.  For most brides do not see themselves re-donning the bridal attire for another function.

If however you are planning a destination wedding somewhere tropical and hot, maybe with ocean or forest in the mix, non-traditional attire is entirely appropriate.  To the left, a rayon wedding dress available from jadefashion.com.  The bustle effect gives way to a softer, easier style, where your wedding lei will match the loveliness of your attire.

For your Hawaii destination wedding, if you want something extravagent to commemorate the occasion, it would not be the diamond on your finger but the shell lei.  These ni'ihau lei are made of thousands of tiny shells gathered from the sand of the island of Ni'ihau. The lei are crafted by a few remaining Hawaiian lei makers who are keeping the art alive.  The crazy little extras would be orchid lei for your guests.

The elegance of your destination wedding comes not so much from the amount of money you spend on the extras, but how you select the main elements.  That would be the venue, your attire, the music, and the sensibility of those you work with.

May your wedding be brimming with aloha.