10 Ways to Make Your Wedding Day More Intentional and Meaningful
10 Ways to Make Your Wedding Day More
Intentional and Meaningful
Your wedding day will be one of the most amazing and meaningful days of your life, and it should of course, reflect who you are as a couple. You want to create a day that is filled with so much love and joy that you and your guests remember forever. In the midst of all the planning and preparation, it can sometimes be easy to lose sight of what truly matters. Whether you want to have a small intimate event like an elopement or a huge 500 person wedding, you want to try and remember what the day is really about. It’s about you two and the love you guys share. It’s a day to celebrate your love and commitment to your partner, and to share that joy with your loved ones. Something I think is important for every couple to do is take a step back and consider how you can make your wedding day even more intentional and meaningful for you and your loved ones that you want to share the day with. I’ve put together this guide of 10 ways to make your wedding day more intentional and meaningful. So, whether you’re planning an elopement with just the two of you or a wild party, these tips will help you create a wedding day that is truly unique and meaningful.
1. Make Your Ceremony Personal to You
Your wedding day is all about you and your partner, so make it personal! You can personalize your vows, incorporate meaningful symbols or objects in the ceremony, or choose music that holds personal significance to you.
2. Choose a Meaningful Location
Whether it’s the place you first met, a destination that’s close to your heart, long time family church, or a family home, choose a location that’s meaningful to you and your partner. This could be for the ceremony or the reception! Sometimes this may not be possible but if you can choose a meaningful location, it’ll just make the day that much more special for you.
3. Write Your Own Vows
Personalize your wedding vows. Your wedding vows are a chance to express your love and commitment to your partner in your own words. Think about writing your own vows or incorporating some personal touches into your vows that reflect your relationship and the promises you’re making to each other. If that’s a little too much for you, you could always write letters to each other that you can read to each other in private. You could do this during a first look or even some time during your reception so you guys can get a little break and have a moment to yourselves.
4. Prioritize Meaningful Connections
Even with the crazy business of the day, don’t forget to take the time to connect with your loved ones. Whether it’s having one on one conversations, sharing memories and stories with your guests, or simply just being present in the moment with the people around you, building those meaningful connections is what makes your wedding day truly special. Especially if you have guests that travel a long way to celebrate with you, take the time to really take that in, appreciate it and connect with those special people in your life. It may be a while before you see everyone in one place like this again.
5. Incorporate Family Heirlooms
Incorporating family heirlooms into your wedding day can add a sentimental touch. It can be as simple as wearing your grandmother’s necklace, using parts of your mom’s wedding dress or veil, or using your parents’ wedding cake topper.
6. Include Your Village
Your wedding day isn’t just about you and your partner – it’s also a chance to celebrate your village, the people who have supported you guys along the way. You could try incorporating your people into your wedding day, whether it’s through a big group dance or having loved ones participate in your ceremony somehow.
7. Focus on Quality Over Quantity
This one relates to a couple of the other tips but I think it’s good to highlight it on its own too! So, instead of trying to please everyone or having a huge guest list for your wedding, focus on creating an intimate and meaningful experience for yourself and your loved ones. Try prioritizing the quality of who you are inviting over quantity. Not only will this help make your day more intentional because you will have only the most special people in your life there but it will also help keep the cost down if that is important to you. You don’t have to invite every single family member. You don’t have to invite all of your high school and college friends. Think carefully about the people who you truly want to share this day with and try to just invite those people. This is of course especially important when eloping as you’ll only have a small handful of people there with you. This is usually immediate family members and just your absolute closest friends. Don’t over think it. The people that come to mind first are probably the ones that you want to invite. Prioritize the moments and connections that really matter, and let go of the rest.
8. Non-Traditional Entertainment
Make your wedding unforgettable with some kind of non-traditional entertainment like a live painter, fire dancers, or a surprise performance by a family member or friend who has a special talent. If you (bride or groom) have a skill like great vocals or are talented at playing the guitar, maybe add a special song in during the wedding ceremony or the reception. This would be a huge hit with not only your partner but also your guests!
9. Meaningful Food
Incorporating your favorite foods in to your wedding day is a great way to make it for meaningful for you two. After all this is YOUR day, you should have food that you actually like there! This goes for not only the dinner at your reception but everything you will eat the whole day! Don’t forget to plan what you will be eating for breakfast and lunch too as well as any snacks, treats, or drinks you may want! If you love McDonalds- order some for breakfast so you can eat that while you get ready in the morning! Order your favorite coffee or make your favorite mimosas! Get donuts to eat throughout the day. Have a farm to table meal for your reception dinner! (Check out these guys for that! )
Have a couple food trucks that serve each of your favorite foods! Want burgers? Get a Swenson’s Food Truck! Do you love burritos? Get a Barrio Food Truck! If you don’t like cake, have a dessert table with your favorite desserts! Don’t want to do a huge wedding cake? Just have a small one for you two to cut and share and have another treat for guests like cupcakes, cookies or donuts. Will it be warm outside during your reception? Have a s’mores bar! There are so many options for food on your wedding day, you definitely can be super intentional with the food you choose for your special day. Eat what you want!
10. Take Some Intentional Time to Reflect
With all the joy and excitement, it’s so important to take a moment to reflect on the significance of the day and express gratitude for the love and support of your partner and community. The day will go by SO fast. I know it seems like you’re spending so so much time planning your wedding and getting everything ready but when the day actually comes, it will fly by and be over before you know it. Soak it all in and remember that the magic of the day is something that will stay with you forever. One way to do this is to have your officiant mention taking a moment during the ceremony to take in all your guests and appreciate them all coming out to support you. I always think this is such a powerful time during a ceremony. Another way to do this is to take some time to be alone with your partner. Having a first look is a great way to have a few very special minutes between just the two of you (and your photographer/ videographer of course 😉). Another way I love for couples to have an intimate minute with just the two of them is right after the ceremony. You both will be feeling this epic high from finally being married!! AHH! It’s just an exciting time and even better when you get a few minutes to really soak it in together! My last option is to take 10-15 minutes to be alone with your partner at some point during the reception. It’s been a looong day up until this point and you probably having even had the chance to talk to yourselves much or at all. Take 10 minutes, grab a drink and snack and take a walk outside and just enjoy each other.
