17 Unique Ideas to Make Your Wedding Memorable

“Time flies over us but leaves its shadow behind.” 

- Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist.

You can spend months, or even years, planning your dream wedding day. But here’s the thing: Time flies when you’re having fun. And on a day as joyful as your wedding, it can feel like it’s over in an instant. So, it’s a good idea to make your wedding day full of moments that will last forever in your memories. 

Drawing a blank on unique things to do at your wedding? We’ve got you covered! Below, discover 17 creative ways to make your wedding memorable, from your journey down the aisle to your getaway at the reception. No one will forget your big day any time soon!

What makes a wedding memorable?

A lot of elements can go into making a wedding feel “memorable” for you, your partner, and your guests. One way to do this is by including elements you don’t find at most weddings. For instance, you might host at a special venue, like the zoo.

Photo by @tirath.shergill

You can also up the memorability factor by using elements that will remind you of your wedding day later. For example, if you serve a pumpkin-flavored cake at a fall wedding, the smell of pumpkin spice could bring you right back to your wedding reception – when your partner fed you the first bite.

You can customize just about every feature at your wedding with non-traditional or offbeat elements. It’s up to you to decide how far you want to go!

How can I make my wedding more unique?

Consider the following ideas to kick start your memorable wedding journey. 

Host at a special venue

Your wedding venue will create your overall vibe. So, choosing a unique spot can up the memorability factor. Some off-beat and beautiful wedding venues to consider include the following. 

A HISTORIC LANDMARK

Is there a local building or location that speaks to you? If so, consider hosting your ceremony on the site. You can add your wedding day to the vast assortment of events that have taken place there over the years. It’s like adding your names into a page in history!  

ON A BOAT OR YACHT

Plenty of couples get married overlooking water, like a lake or beach. But how many can say their ceremony took place on the water? 

Ling’s couple Dylan and Maria hosted their wedding ceremony and reception on a dinner cruise near their local university. Not only did this up the memorability factor of their wedding day, but it was also super affordable, as they explained on our podcast.  

Photo by @imfg.photography

YOUR FAVORITE VACATION VENUE

Is there a specific destination that you and your partner love to explore, like the beach or the mountains? If so, consider choosing a destination wedding at your favorite vacation spot. You’ll get to share the beauty of this special place with your loved ones and have new memories to cherish the next time you visit together.

AT A LOCAL ZOO OR AQUARIUM 

Are you and your fiance animal lovers? Why not include animals in your wedding ceremony by hosting at a zoo or aquarium? Ling’s couple Savannah and Caleb tied the knot with schools of fish wishing them good luck in the background. It’s a little bit tough to forget a wedding with such unique guests!

Photo by @astewartphotovideo

Pick a unique season

If you want to stand apart from the crowd, consider hosting during an off-season. 

Currently, winter is the least popular wedding season, which could give you plenty of opportunities to play with fun themes and decorations – like a Christmas wedding full of evergreen accents and sparkling florals. Check out our blog for more information on how to choose a meaningful wedding date.  

Create an unconventional wedding theme

Your wedding theme can also set the overall tone and atmosphere on your special day. By choosing a standout theme, it’s easier to blend other unique wedding elements into your day. Consider the following theme ideas to stand out from other couples. 

A HOLIDAY WEDDING 

Choose a wedding date near a holiday, and incorporate the spirit of the season into your ceremony. For instance, a Halloween wedding is perfect for couples who love all things spooky and moody, while a Valentine’s Day wedding with bold pink and magenta could up the romance.

A DARK AND MOODY WEDDING DAY

While you might associate weddings with sweet and soft color palettes, you can turn this tradition on its ear by choosing a wedding theme with darker or richer color tones, like Twilight Purple or Burgundy and Black. If you want to go the extra mile, you could even don a wedding dress in a more dramatic shade, like black!

A FANTASY WEDDING 

Are you and your partner obsessed with imaginary places? Now is your chance to create a literal fairy tale wedding by honoring your favorite fantasy world. Rustic flowers and decorations could help you evoke hobbit vibes, while a wedding surrounded by tall, elegant trees could help you feel like an elvish princess. It’s a fun chance to feel transported to a new world for your special day.  

Make your own floral arrangements 

There’s no better way to customize your wedding day than to make floral arrangements, like your bridal bouquet, yourself. You can ensure that they match your vision precisely, so it’s perfect for perfectionists.  

We suggest using faux flowers for DIY wedding projects, since they don’t wilt or require water. You don’t need to worry about timing it just right or taking special care not to jostle the petals. Order them in advance and make your projects on your schedule, so your decorations are ready whenever you need them.

Tip: Try inviting your bridesmaids and other family members and friends to a DIY party, where you can all create your floral arrangements together. You can start making memories together before your special day even arrives. It’s a crafty and creative bridal shower that will also help up the memory factor on your wedding day!

Unique and memorable wedding ceremony ideas

Your ceremony contains the biggest events from your wedding day – like walking down the aisle, exchanging vows, and sharing that all-important first kiss. Get ideas on how to enrich these moments below.

Write your own vows

Writing your own wedding vows is the quintessential way to stand apart from the crowd. After all, no one else will express their love and devotion to their partner in the same way. So, grab a pen and write down a customized message to share with the world. Just make sure you have tissues on standby in the crowd. 

Incorporate your culture

Every culture has its own traditions and rituals for weddings. So, honor yours for a unique celebration. Ling’s couple Daniel and Miyoko honored tradition by putting their own spin on a tea ceremony. They even donned hanboks over their suit and bridal gown that matched their lavender color palette!

Photo by @theinmansphoto

Create a memory box 

If you’re open to playing the long game for a memorable wedding, consider creating a wedding time capsule. 

During your ceremony, you and your partner will each add an item to a special box, like handwritten letters to each other, and seal it away. At an anniversary years later, you can open the box and read them for the first time. It’s a chance to relive your wedding ceremony years after the fact, and start a memory that lasts throughout the years. 

Carry unique floral arrangements 

Beyond making your own floral creations, you can also incorporate memorable touches into the flowers you’ll wear or carry down the aisle. Here are a few unique floral arrangement ideas to spark your creativity. 

A Crescent bridal bouquet

Have you always been a moonchild at heart? Channel your love of the night sky by carrying this celestial crescent-shaped bridal bouquet. You can up the moodiness by using darker flowers to build the arrangement, like black roses.

A BRIDAL PURSE 

Instead of carrying a traditional bouquet, try opting for a different floral handheld design, like this DIY bridal purse. You could make it more cottagecore by choosing a wicker basket for the base instead.

A UNIQUE POCKET SQUARE 

Grooms can get in on unique wedding decor, too! For instance, this sweet boutonniere features a statement heart design, allowing him to wear his heart on his lapel.

Mix up the roles

Most wedding parties feature certain roles, like bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls and ring-bearers. But you can create unique moments by flipping these traditional roles on their ears. 

For example, instead of a flower girl, Ling’s couple Emily and Alan recruited a friend to play the part of flower bro. He took his job, scattering petals from his fanny pack, seriously. He even dyed his hair pink for the occasion. Now that’s an unforgettable impression!

Photo by @lastingmemoriesbyellen

Unique wedding reception ideas: Creating unforgettable moments 

After exchanging vows at your ceremony, your reception offers opportunities to create slightly wilder memories. You’re not likely to forget your grandmother dancing her heart out to young people’s music anytime soon! Some ideas to inspire more memories include the following suggestions. 

Vibe with unique wedding decor 

Plenty of weddings feature certain staples in the decorations, like floral garlands or swags. But you can stand out by using (or DIYing!) unique pieces as statements. Check out the following ideas to spark inspiration. 

A FLORAL CHANDELIER 

If you want to create beauty on every level, try hanging a floral chandelier above your sweetheart table. This moody Purple & Orange chandelier features two levels of lush roses overlooking wistful tassels that will sway beautifully in the breeze.

A GLOBE CENTERPIECE

Instead of using standard floral centerpieces in bottles, consider encasing your florals within a miniature cloche. These cute mini designs remind us of snowglobes! 

Signpost centerpieces

This fun wedding signage can take your decorations in a whole new direction. (Wink, wink.)  For an extra personalized touch, try customizing the locations on the signposts with destinations that hold special meaning to you, like your hometown or the city where you went to college.

Serve up signature cocktails

Instead of serving standard cocktails, consider asking your bartender to create a signature drink for the occasion. You won’t find the selection on any other drink menu, since they created it just for you and your guests. 

Alternatively, you and your partner could also try out your mixology skills and create signature drinks that reflect your favorite flavors. Whenever you make these drinks in the future, you can remember the toasts from your wedding night!

Choose a guest book alternative

A regular guest book can be a lovely souvenir from your wedding day, but to create a more unique experience, consider choosing an alternative item for your guests to sign. For example, if you or your partner are musicians, have them sign a guitar that you can play afterward. 

You could also switch it up and use a visual guest book instead. Try leaving out a Polaroid camera for your guests to capture selfies. You can add the pictures to your wedding scrapbook and feel more connected to the moments.

Create memorable keepsakes for guests

Of course, your guests will need their own souvenirs to remember the day. Fun ideas to try out include: 

• Seed packets. Give your guests seed packets featuring the same selection of flowers from your floral arrangements. As they flourish in their yards or balconies, your guests will remember how gorgeous they looked on the tables at your reception. 
• Actual Flowers. Of course, if you used faux flowers in your decorations, you could always give your guests flowers from your ceremony or reception – like mini centerpieces to beautify their kitchen tables. 
• Recipe cards. Try writing down a selection of your favorite recipes on index cards for your guests to recreate at home. Try to use similar flavors or recipes that you served at your reception, to help your guests remember the occasion. 
• A mixtape. Give your guests a scannable QR code to your wedding playlist, so they can remember those fun moments on the dance floor. If you want to go truly old school, try burning a CD or recording a cassette. 

Make a memorable exit

Last but not least, if you want to make one final impression on your guests, making a memorable exit can be just the way to do it. For instance, Ling’s couple Hope and Samson ended their wedding day by diving into the resort pool with their wedding party. 

Photo by @cuenca.creative

While making a splash isn’t for everyone, it’s certainly a fun and bold way to end the happiest day of your life. Check out more unique ways to make an exit in our ultimate guide to wedding getaway cars. 

How do you preserve wedding memories?

After you’ve exchanged your vows and swept up the glitter and flower petals, you might be wondering: How can you help these special memories last forever? Try these ideas on for size. 

Bring your floral decor home

If you used faux flowers in your wedding arrangements, then you can easily bring them home and repurpose them in your home decor. The centerpieces from your guest tables can brighten up your kitchen table, while the garland from your sweetheart table can spruce up your fireplace. And of course, your bridal bouquet and boutonniere will look perfect sitting side by side in your curio cabinet.

If you went the DIY route, you could also take your decorations apart and repurpose them for different projects. For instance, try snipping the roses from your floral arch to use in a shadowbox. 

Use a scrapbook alternative

A scrapbook or photo album is a wonderful way to preserve photographic memories from your special day. But you can remember the day in a more unique way by trying the following souvenir ideas. 

WEDDING QUILT

Take scraps from fabrics throughout your wedding day, like a piece from your gown or a scrap from a tablecloth, and stitch them into a quilt. If you don’t plan on reusing these afterward, this can be a wonderful, warm, and cozy way to remember your wedding day. 

MAKE CUSTOMIZED WEDDING ART

Think about commissioning artwork of particular moments from your wedding. If you’re on the artistic side, you could even pick up the brush and paint your own impressions from the day!

CUSTOM WEDDING VINYL

Music can bring you back into certain moments in a special way. So, consider buying a custom vinyl with favorite songs from your wedding playlist. When you put on the record, you’ll have the perfect sound track for a slow dance in your living room. 

Order from your wedding caterer or baker

On your anniversary, consider ordering the same dishes served at your reception from your caterer. You and your partner can enjoy a romantic dinner for two. You could also try your hand at recreating the memories at home, like baking and decorating cupcakes with the same flavors as your wedding cake. It’s a fun way to make new memories while you honor those that came before. 

Conclusion: Making a wedding memorable

As you can see, there’s no shortage of stand-out ways to make your wedding memorable, from hosting your ceremony aboard a boat to bringing home an autographed guitar from your guests. 

And if you want to make memories by creating DIY wedding decorations from scratch, Ling’s Moment is here for you. Our designer flowers and greenery are built with DIY projects in mind: They’ll never wilt or fade, so you can order them months in advance and keep them as souvenirs forever. Customize them to your heart’s content with your family and friends. You’ll enjoy each other’s company and start making memories before you even walk down the aisle.

Or, if you don’t have the time, choose our unique premade decorations to make your job even easier. Just unbox them, arrange them, and tag us @LingsMoment on Instagram, so we can feature your special day!