Weddings Unstuffed: Five Fabulous Ideas for the Event of a Lifetime!

The time has come to cast off the shackles of traditional, cookie-cutter weddings that cost too much, bore guests and become indistinguishable from every other wedding we’ve all attended. You can do better! I’m not suggesting you abandon all the trappings of the traditional wedding. Wear white if you must—just make it a white sundress or all-white golfing apparel. Let’s look at five unusual, low-cost, totally fun wedding ideas. I’ll provide the spark—use your own creativity to pull it all together!

High on Love—Look for nearby mountain resorts or state parks in the mountains for cabin rentals. Many resorts have cabin clusters that can accommodate large numbers family and friends. Have an outdoor or indoor wedding (most resorts and state parks have main lodges,) and treat your guests to a catered picnic (fried chicken, potato salad, biscuits and honey, iced tea, good down-home cooking!) Then, instead of a first dance, you, your groom and your guests can take your first horseback ride as husband and wife, or catch your first fish in the lake or stream, relax in rustic chairs or play paintball with your guests.

BBQ, Blues, a Bride and Good Brews—Perfect for a big, shady backyard or a nearby park. Get married in a house of worship or in your bare feet in the backyard. This idea primarily concerns the reception, where you and your guests can have the time of your lives. Hire a good, local BBQ restaurant to cater (ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs,) have cold beer and other beverages, and hire a local blues singer, a blues band or both, rent tables, a portable dance floor and invite your guests to dance, or just sit back, relax and celebrate your special day with great food and great music, surrounded by love. Knock your guests’ socks off at their tables with place card holders that look like mini-grills, with legs and tiny wheels, a lid that comes off to reveal a tea light and place cards in the shape of hot dogs and hamburgers!

Together FOREver!—Golf fanatics, pay attention! You don’t have to belong to a fancy country club to have a fantastic, golf-themed wedding and reception, during which you and your new husband can play your first round together as a married couple. Most large cities and towns have public golf courses, and they usually have a clubhouse with facilities for a small wedding and reception. Invite your guests to come dressed for a day on the links. You can get married in a gown, and then change into golf attire for the reception. Have a buffet catered, and after family and friends have had time to eat, drink and toast to you, invite them to join you in a round of golf—as players or spectators. Of course, you and the love of your life should be a twosome and tee off first, followed by foursomes of family and friends.

Marriage, Music and Moonlight—Think spring and fall (still on daylight saving time) for this wedding idea, when the weather is cool and pleasant in the evening. Find an outdoor venue (but always make sure the venue has an indoor location in case it rains.) Get married outside in the early evening with twinkling lights to decorate the trees, bright lanterns overhead, etc., have a catered buffet dinner, rent a portable dance floor and hire a small, local band that plays a variety of music for both older and younger guests (Frank Sinatra and rock ‘n’ roll,) and enjoy dancing under the moonlight until the sun comes up.

Wedding Bells and Baseball in the Park—Here’s my favorite! Find a local public park with a baseball field or look for a home or farm with a level yard big enough for a baseball game. Once again, get married in a house of worship or in your bare feet on the ball field, and make your reception a ballgame in the park. The bride captains one team, and the groom captains the other. Invite your bridesmaids, groomsmen and guests to play. Those who aren’t up at bat or don’t care to play can root for the bride’s team or the groom’s team and dine on catered ballpark food, like hot dogs, pizza, peanuts, nachos, ice cream, pretzels, beer, and all that other fine cuisine. As with any event you’d like to hold in a public venue, check with the local government for permit requirements and guidelines.

Do something wonderful and unexpected to assure your spot in the Wedding Reception Hall of Fame, where only truly unusual, uniquely enjoyable wedding receptions are honored. You will become an icon, and future brides will follow in your footsteps—down the aisle and into history.

Susan Hawkins is a writer for My Wedding Favors where you can shop for place card holders and wedding favors.

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