How to organize a different wedding in 10 steps

Are you getting married and want to have a different wedding ? Getting married is something super personal, and many couples choose a wedding planner to help them through all this chaos. But if you are not one of those who wants to spend a million, and you have more the idea of ​​a low cost wedding, do not worry! With this post I discover all the "to do" that you have to take into account to organize your ideal wedding.

The wedding planner: to do or not to do

Don't panic! Yes, we already know that organizing a wedding involves a lot of work, and more so if it is a different wedding, but think about the result that you will achieve together. I assure you that the weddings that are treated with the most care and dedication are the most special. But for everything to go smoothly, we must not fool ourselves: there is much to be done. That is why I have brought you the “Wedding Plan”, a checklist where I help you put in order what and when you have to do for your wedding. In order to get it, you just have to click on the button that you will see below. In addition, by clicking, you will subscribe to our newsletter, with which you will be fully aware of all the offers and inspirations that we prepare for brides to be like you.

Click here to receive your Wedding Plan!

Also, and as you will see in the planner, I recommend you to have what I call an “ Emergency Kit for the bride ”. I would like you to be calm and relaxed when “The super day” arrives, and to be able to enjoy yourself to the fullest with your partner, family and friends. You have been waiting for this party for months and it is not a matter of getting nervous about small setbacks that appear at the least expected moment. So I suggest you take a look at this post to get my super emergency kit.

The date and the place

Liara and Filipe Wedding

As you will see in the planner that I have created for you, what you have to be clear about is the date. This is the most important point and on which your entire celebration will revolve: availability, budget, theme, dress, etc. You also have to anticipate possible problems such as major events and festivities that may coincide and interfere with the attendance of your guests.

Also consider what kind of place you would like to get married. It will not be the same date if you want to get married on the beach than indoors. Surely, if you want to have a different wedding, such as a vintage wedding on the beach, you will not want to do it in the middle of winter, while if it is a hipster wedding in an industrial warehouse, you may not care so much about the season of the year.

Also, you may have to prioritize one of these two factors. If you have a special date, you may want to use it, so you will want to adapt the place. And it may be the other way around. You should also think about the possibilities and facilities that the guests will have to be able to attend your wedding depending on the type of celebration you choose.

My recommendation : Make these decisions flow, see how you are as a couple and follow those impulses. The important thing is to feel reflected in a day as important as this. If you are a couple who likes the mountains, do not give more laps than necessary or look at budgets of large urban halls: I am sure that you dream of a rustic wedding. And remember to have a plan B if you opt for an outdoor wedding! Prepare everything in time to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Budget

Wedding Ana Torres | Photographer Beto Perez

This is one of the most complex issues and one that can bring more headaches when we talk about organizing any wedding, and that includes a different kind of wedding. A wedding can cost what you want it to cost, basically it will depend on what is prioritized and what you want to include in it. The average cost is approximately €15,000, but it is also true that this number can be greatly reduced or increased. Many factors come into the budget, such as clothes, photos, the banquet, decoration, music, accessories, the future honeymoon trip, etc.

In the future I may do a longer post on the subject of the budget, if you would be interested leave me a comment and do not forget to subscribe to the newsletter to find out everything! Also, if you want to know how to save money on your wedding , you can visit this post I wrote on the blog.

For now, here are some points you should pay special attention to if your budget is low:

1. 1. Give yourself a real maximum limit
   2. Make two lists : “essential to be” and “I would like to add”. So you can order your priorities
   3. The wedding season is from April to October; consider doing your wedding outside of those months if your budget is very tight
   4. The day of the week with the highest demand is Saturday. On Fridays and Sundays you will find some offers, and during the week, in addition to being the cheapest, some places and providers may offer you some advantages. Think that since they are not demanded dates, they want to fill them as much as possible

My recommendation : Sharpen your wits! A different type of wedding such as a “do it yourself” wedding can be a good option for tight budgets. Do you have a DJ friend who can play at your wedding party? Or a hairdresser cousin who would love to do your hair at your wedding? And about the details for the guests, how about doing something manual? Sure, it takes time, but I assure you that every little gesture will be noticed in your pocket.

The style: a different wedding for each couple

What do you think when you think of you? Well, that is what you must capture in your celebration so that everything flows and you feel super comfortable on your “B-day”. There are a lot of options to have a different wedding: vintage wedding, hipster wedding, classic wedding, urban wedding, city wedding, country wedding, outdoor wedding or even destination wedding. Everything will depend on the idea of ​​your special day that you carry in your head.

As you know, one of the topics that I like to deal with the most in this blog are our Authentic Weddings , where Mimètik brides explain how they have organized their weddings and all the details that have made them even more special. If you need some inspiration, I recommend you take a look at one of these weddings, depending on the style you are looking for:

• • Country wedding.Mary + Bernat

• • Destination wedding. Ana + Rait

• • romantic wedding Laura + Charles

• • Rustic wedding. Ruthie + Rory

• • bohemian wedding Kara + Austin

• • Wedding in the garden. Miki + Sam

• • vintage wedding. Martha + Albert

• • nuptial elopement Jenn + Blake

My recommendation : Start thinking about your big wedding. Create a common thread: a theme, some colors, some motifs, etc. You can use a moodboard made on Pinterest to think of elements and ideas that you would like to incorporate to design an overall concept of the wedding. I assure you that in this way it will be much easier to go later to the more specific details. All this will also help you with the decoration and other details such as the invitations, the seating plan and everything handmade that you want to contribute to your day. And, above all, do not get carried away by trends or “what we are supposed to do”. It is your day, feel represented and identified.

The bride: dress, hairstyle...

Wedding Cristina Vila

We come to the star of the wedding: you. It's all very well to plan out the whole theme of decorations, styling and so on, but you have to remember to prepare yourself. Dress, makeup, hairstyle, bouquet, shoes, etc. As I am not very expert in bridal bouquets, it is best that the girls of Au Nom de la Rose advise you . They are all professionals and will make you a totally personalized bouquet based on your style, type of wedding and personality, so they will be ideal for a different wedding.

Regarding wedding hairstyles, I have a post in which I talked about it, and I assure you that they are still the most successful looks among bohemian brides (and the ones I like the most!). You will see a lot of wedding updos with a super cool style. You can access the post here .

What I can advise you on is the choice of your wedding dress . Your dress will be the best kept secret and the most anticipated element of your day. You may have your ideal dress style decided from minute 0, or you may be super lost and don't know where to go. Believe me, all kinds of brides come to our Barcelona atelier : determined, indecisive, with large or small budgets, etc. There are girls who only try on a dress, their faces light up and they say “this is it”. And there are other girls who even need a second visit to finish deciding on the model, fabric and color. What I can tell you from experience is that your wedding dress should reflect who you are and how you feel: there are girls who feel identified with a princess wedding dress and there are others who are, without a doubt, boho chic brides .

One of the things that I think brides-to-be appreciate the most in our bridal atelier Barcelona are the different types of wedding dresses that they can find (and even create) thanks to the versatility of our designs. They are ideal for vintage brides and stylish weddings. If you know Mimètik, you already know (and if not, welcome!), but our philosophy is that it is the dress that must adapt to the woman's body, and not the other way around; comfort should not be at odds with being great. Enough nerves are spent organizing a wedding to worry about whether our body changes in the months leading up to the celebration. I have recorded a video to explain how our boho chic wedding dresses work and the many possibilities you have when it comes to convertible dresses. You can even have your dress at home in a week! If you fancy, you can take a look at it here .

My recommendation : You are going to be the bride. You will shine with your own light. Do not let yourself be influenced too much by external opinions of friends and family, remember that it is your day and you are the one who is going to wear it. You should also let yourself be advised by professionals, who can guide you in what you can look better with. The most important thing of all is that you feel true to yourself and that you do not feel disguised. You will want to be beautiful, but I assure you that you will appreciate being comfortable.

The groom: looks for all tastes

Wedding: Ana + Rait | Photo: Fotowalle

Although the bride is the one who will shine the most at the wedding, the groom must also be the protagonist of this special day. I am preparing a post where I will tell more details about the choice of the groom's suit, asking real grooms how their choice was and what they were based on. From experience in the world of weddings, I believe that the groom's attire can be divided into three options:

• • Classic boyfriend . Within this elegant option we can find two possibilities: morning suit with frock coat, waistcoat and trousers or tuxedo. Navy blue and black predominate. It can be accompanied with a sober tie or with some color to provide a more fun and youthful touch.

• • Casual boyfriend . The jacket suit is an ideal intermediate that always works. It is a way of going formal but more casual, it is also one of the most used options today. In terms of colours, grays, blues and blacks continue strongly, although light colors stand out more and more. And you always have the option of putting a special touch with a vest that gives it personality

• • Modern boyfriend . The ideal option for a different wedding such as bohemian, outdoor and casual weddings. If the groom does not feel identified with options as formal as the previous ones, the important thing is that he does not give up his style. Opt for rolled-up shirts, espadrilles, suspenders and a bow tie, etc. Unleash the imagination!

My recommendation : A groom should be able to feel reflected also on his wedding day, neither personality nor comfort should be given up. Accessories are ideal for adding small touches that make you feel super special at a different wedding. Twins from Star Wars? Some colored socks? Why not? There is also the option to go from a tie to a bow tie from the ceremony to the party, so you will gain a renewed look with a simple change. It all boils down to two words: personality and comfort. \r\n

The celebration: guests and catering

Mariana + Pedro Wedding

There are two basic themes of any celebration: who will go and what will they eat . As far as the guests are concerned, it will depend a lot on the type of celebration you want to do, and if yours is a different wedding, you should take it into account. If you want to have a mega celebration you will surely get together with dozens and dozens of guests, but if you want an intimate ceremony you may be less than 50. There is something you must be clear about: it is your wedding, it must be your day, and not the day of "get along". I explain. Many times we feel compelled, by social norms, to do things that if it were up to us we would not do. This includes inviting people to our wedding. This situation may sound familiar to you: you have a distant cousin you haven't spoken to in years, but your parents think you should invite her because it's family. Eeee mistake! Choose well those you want to be part of your special day , it will be in your memory forever. In addition, this will also influence the place of the banquet.

Soon I will write a post on the subject of invitations more specifically, but I can tell you that the most important items to include will be: the date of the wedding, the place, the time and your contact telephone numbers. It is also optional to add the dress code to follow, and there are those who prefer to take the opportunity to include the bank account for possible gifts, but some may feel offended by this detail; We will cover it in more depth in the future post. It is also important to set a deadline for confirmation so that you can organize yourself better.

Once the drama of choosing guests is over, there is another matter just as important: the organization of the tables. Some tips on seating so you don't get a headache:

• • Check with the banquet venue what table layout they offer (how many people fit at each table). Remember to leave some free space for the dance floor!

• • Check with your guests if they have a problem with someone so you don't put them near. We do not want anyone to be uncomfortable on such a special day

• • In the case of having separated parents , it is also best that you talk and agree with them what you will do with the presidential table , the same happens if the families do not get along at all with each other. A solution with more and more fans is that the wedding table is made up of the groom, groomsmen, bridesmaids and closest friends, and that the parents each sit with their family.

• • Children's table: yes or no? It will depend on the number of children you have at your wedding, and if they can eat by themselves, without needing help from their parents. Your friends with children will surely thank you for letting them spend some time among adults. In addition, children are children and they need to play, they will have a much better time with each other

• • Make a plan and play with post-its. You will see that making it visual is much easier!

• • Important! Make sure that on the day of the wedding everyone knows where to sit (planning, name cards, etc.)

When it comes to catering , there are several things that you must also have controlled from the beginning. The first thing is the number of guests you will have, an organization for 150 people is not the same as for 50. In the same way, you must listen to your guests and take into account possible allergies, intolerances and convictions . Keep in mind an option for celiacs, vegetarians or vegans if someone with any of these characteristics will attend. The same in the event that people with religious dietary restrictions attend.

Apart from that you must follow three ideas: see, ask and eat . Look at the treatment and customer service offered by this catering, ask what services are included (table linen, crockery, etc.) and, above all, eat! You have to taste the food that you will eat on your special day. Experiment until you find something that suits your budget, style and taste.

My recommendation : Regarding the guests, keep in mind the spaces necessary for each one. Little ones need to be able to move freely around the room, while older ones need more quiet, so don't put them next to the speakers! Regarding the food, add a sweet table to your celebration! You will see how the idea triumphs among all your guests, both the little ones and the older ones with a sweet tooth.

The party: music and games

Wedding Hanne Op de Beek

I am a faithful defender of weddings being a special day for the lucky couple. You don't have to organize them only thinking about the guests, but that doesn't mean it has to be bland. I am in favor of having fun and turning your wedding into a party where everyone participates, has fun and is comfortable. That is why I have written a whole post with a lot of ideal games for a different wedding . It will be out very shortly, so remember to subscribe so you don't miss it !

What I can recommend from now on is that, after lunch or dinner, your wedding becomes a party . In this way you will create a great memory for all the attendees, and for yourself. The best moments are the ones you laugh and enjoy in a group. Also introduce dynamic and ideal elements for a different wedding that make your guests participate, such as “ photo booths ” (photo booths) and photocalls with elements to make the photos more fun.

As far as music is concerned, a while ago I wrote a post in which I tell you about my musical tastes, and how music has accompanied me since I was little. Here 's a playlist that I think, if you're nostalgic like me, you'll love it. You and your partner will also have to decide if you want to do the opening dance to break the ice. It doesn't have to be a traditional waltz, you can also do a super fun dance to a mashup of your favorite songs!

My recommendation : For the games I recommend that you take other shoes. Maybe you want to play a sack race but with those cute platform shoes it would not be the most comfortable. Have fun and don't worry about being divine; you are the bride, you will shine with your own light throughout the day. For the music, choose some songs that represent you as a couple, but also make a “do not play” list to the band/DJ, to avoid sentimental conflicts during one of your most special days: songs that remind you of your ex, that lead to a sad moment in your life, etc. We just want joy and excitement for your day! \r\n

the wedding gifts

Duran White Wedding

At your wedding there will be two types of gifts : those that you will give and those that will be given to you. For those who will make you, you have to decide between passing an account number or a wedding list. We know that the most practical thing is that they give you money, so you can decide what you want to spend it on. You can decide, for example, that all the money "raised" at the wedding is to be enjoyed on your honeymoon. Important! Some guests will bring you the money in an envelope on the day of the celebration, so have someone you trust with whom you can leave them so as not to lose them.

Normally, the money option is chosen at weddings, since most couples already live together before the ceremony, and they already have their house set up. But you can also take the opportunity to make a wedding list and renew some objects in your home.

Regarding the details for the guests , you may want to adapt it to the theme of a different wedding such as yours. A reminder is fine, but if you can add a little detail to it, it will be appreciated by your guests. Some ideas could be: accessories such as bracelets or mirrors, bathroom items such as a bar of soap or aromatic bags, a USB stick with the wedding playlist, liquors, bottle caps, sweets, and even small potted plants.

My recommendation : I believe that the secret is in the form of presentation, and in making it more or less personalized and in accordance with your wedding. Make it not be a meaningless gift, find a narrative for it that fits with your celebration and can be useful to the guests. And if it's not useful, at least make it pretty!

The honeymoon

Wedding Sara and Jesus

And after a different wedding and a great day, your trip arrives ! It will be the moment in which you can free yourself from any tension that you may have accumulated during the stressful pre-wedding months. There are plenty of possibilities for your honeymoon, depending on your budget. The destinations that are most fashionable lately are places like the United States (Route 66, oh yeah) or paradisiacal beaches in the Caribbean, but I must confess that I am in love with Asia. If you have read my presentation post, you will already know what I like to travel, and that is why in this post I recommend some places that I have visited myself and that have left me amazed and in love in equal parts.

My recommendation : I understand that you are looking forward to having your honeymoon. What's more, you may want the trip more than the wedding itself, but keep your head and prioritize. We would all love to go to the Maldives for a month, but either you have a very large budget or you are going to have a hard time getting that trip. It is clear that the honeymoon must be something special for you, but I would not like it to cause you problems later to start your life together after the wedding. Also, I assure you that it will not be your last trip! Look at offers and compare, and, above all, look at dates. We would love to run straight to a hotel in Bali, but perhaps it is more convenient to wait a month after the wedding because the flights may be cheaper.

And here is this meeega post! I really hope that this will help you to better organize a different wedding and lead your day in a calmer, calmer and more determined way. I would love to read all the doubts, comments and suggestions you have in the comments of this post, so if you want to share something, go ahead! And remember, it's your day, and for that alone it will be special for you ♥

A big hug,