1. A list of trivia questions about you for each table to answer.
2. Favors that relate to your hobby or special interest.
3. Childhood photographs of you and your fiancé displayed in an album or on a table.
4. Y our parents’ and grandparents’ wedding photos.
5. Pictures of your pets.
6. Decorating your sweetheart table with momentos or collectibles.
7. Put together a collage of your love letters from a long distance romance.
8. A groom’s cake in honor of your fiance’s hobby.
9. Choosing your favorite flower for the centerpieces.
10.Playing your favorite team’s theme song.
11.Doing the silly line dance you and your friends learned in college.
12.Cardboard cutouts of the friend who introduced you but couldn’t be at the wedding.
13.Performances by your musician, singer or dancer guests.
14.Sharing your love story during your ceremony or reception.
15.Giving your guests “table tasks” to do throughout the reception.
16.Playing the newlywed game.
17.A special thank you friendship dance with all your guests.
18.Play or dedicate a song to a friend as an inside joke.
19.Wear an item of clothing or jewelry from a beloved family member and share this with your guests.
20.Name your tables to represent one of your favorite Wow Factors.
21.Choose your favorite poems as non-traditional ceremony readings.
22.Leave a gag gift, like a clown nose or fake moustache, at each place setting and photograph all your guests wearing them.
23.A scavenger hunt using disposable cameras to “hunt” for images.
24.Announce birthdays, anniversaries or engagements.
25.Give a dance lesson at your reception.
26.Hold a “ring warming” during the ceremony where pass your rings to each guest before you exchange vows.
27.Write special vows that unite your family and friends.
28.Include special ethnic traditions and dances.
29.Play a song or speech together.
30.Make a donation to your favorite charity.
31.Treat your guests to your favorite wine or dessert and tell them about it.
32.Play your guests’ wedding songs.
33.Include your signature animal, team, hobby or activity in your wedding theme.
34.Take Polaroid photos of your guests for your guest book.
35.Have your guests write thoughts and wishes for a “time capsule” you’ll open on your 10th wedding anniversary.
36.Serve your special homemade brownies at the wedding and give your guests the recipe.
37.Surprise your guests by sharing your secret talent or skill.
Okay. Now I’m thoroughly exhausted. Wowing your guests is about more than just discovering fresh, unique ideas and working them into your wedding…though that can certainly inspire you. It’s about expressing yourself through the look and the feel, as well as the people you’re surrounded by, on your wedding day. That’s what makes your day unique…not just doing things no one else has seen but allowing you to really shine through in every element of your wedding. Do this exercise to put together all of the pieces you need to make your wedding day truly unique.