Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Take your cues from these brides on everything from transportation to wedding day décor.
For your bouquet (above)
Your wedding day might feel a little stressful, but this bride had a little trick to ease her way down the aisle: She included calming herbs like mint and rosemary in her bouquet.
At the table
We’ll just come out and say it: The wine-bottle-as-table-number trend is on its way out (if not out already!). For bride Merida Miller’s table numbers, her mom bent wire into the letters “E” and “L,” so when in place, they completed the phrase “Love” on one side of the number card and “Best Day Ever” on the other. Bonus: “I love the shadow in this photo that enhances the E,” Merida says.
For the guests
Originally from Kentucky, bride Randi Carpenter’s grandfather owned several Clydesdale horses which, over the years, became like members of the family. “The southern, equestrian theme of our wedding was an easy choice for me during the planning stages,” Randi says. “Since the horseshoe is a symbol of good luck, we thought that they would serve as the perfect wedding favor!” The ones she used at her wedding are from Keeneland race track in Lexington, Kentucky.
“We were visiting Keeneland at Christmastime and my mom and I thought that we’d ask some of the trainers in the barns if they had any horseshoes leftover from the fall races and sure enough they did! They gave us two huge buckets full of ‘used’ horseshoes.”
A bountiful backdrop
To create a little drama behind her cake table, bride Samantha Ehredt made an ombré backdrop from pink balloons (an idea her wedding planner, Logan Powell, likely found on Pinterest, she says). Affixed to three black 2’x4’s, the balloons worked to draw guests’ eyes in. “I think it’s extremely important to throw in personal touches that people will likely remember and never see at another wedding,” Samantha says.
For the to and fro
Go old school (literally!) with school buses to transport your guests from ceremony to reception, like bride Meredith McKee did by renting them directly from the City of Charlottesville. “Not only was it super fun for our guests to ride in school buses, but also they were much less expensive than a regular bus service,” she says.
