Ah, there’s that word… “unique”. It seems like it’s all over the place when it comes to weddings. I myself have a love/hate relationships with it. At times, I may even find myself wincing when I hear the word “unique”. I know I definitely did when I was planning my wedding. For me, it almost felt like it was a chore to come up with something unique. I desperately wanted there to be something unique about my wedding. I think I Googled “unique wedding ideas” countless times, coming up with NADA. And yes, there were times that the thought crossed my mind that my wedding was going to suck because it wasn’t “unique” enough. But you know what? Unique is really just a word, and depending on how you interpret it, it can encourage you to do awesome things!

Which leads me to this FACT: every wedding is unique! I don’t care where it is, how much money you do or don’t have, what season it is, or what shoes you’re wearing- every wedding IS unique in it’s own way. How is every wedding unique? Because every bride and groom is unique. Every couple has their own story, and that story needs to be told in some way, shape or form at your wedding.

Whenever I’m designing a wedding’s details, ultimately I look for the little things… and they usually have nothing to do with the wedding itself. How you met, a hobby that you’ve taken up together, a favorite team, favorite food, a special place, etc. They’re the things that have “written” the story of your relationship… all of the “chapters” if you want to think of it like that. And so here’s a huge wedding design tip… if your wedding is created and designed around your story as a couple, it is without a doubt going to be unique!

If you’re anything like me when I was planning, it may be hard for you to think of something that seems “unique” about your story right away. (Or maybe not, and you are super awesome and already know right off the bat! Yay!) It helps if you literally tell your story. Tell a friend (or your planner) or just write it all down and then read it later. There are most likely things in your story that will stand out to you, but initially you don’t even realize they’re there. And don’t hold back, because just about everything is fair game! Some of the most awesome weddings are ones with totally off-the-wall-how-did-they-come-up-with-that themes… and they’re always incredibly personal things about the bride and groom!

It should really be a no-brainer to design your wedding around your relationship, but for sometimes we get so caught up in the need of being unique that we can forget that we’re all unique in our own ways. I think that since there is SO much awesome inspiration out there, it doesn’t always immediately occur to us to go that route.  And so, I encourage you all to design your wedding so that it tells the story of you and your fiance. Tell your story so that your guests walk in to your wedding and say, “Yep, this is definitely your name here and your fiance’s name here wedding!” Just remember this… every wedding is unique because it’s telling the story of the bride and groom! It’s just a matter of choosing HOW you want to tell it! :)

So now tell me… how are you incorporating your story into your wedding? Do you have any specific ideas yet, or do you need some help deciding on what to implement?

{Don’t forget… you can see more Thursday Tips and advice posts on the ELD Wedding 101 page! And if you ever have a question, just ask me! I WANT to help you all have awesome (and unique) weddings!}