7 Choices That Made My Wedding Day Unique

Maybe it was just me, but I felt a lot of pressure when planning my wedding as far as making it a picture-perfect occasion. I hate to admit it, but I worried about our big day not living up to our guests standards, or even to the standards of those who keep up with me online. It was hard to strip myself of that mentality, but I had to get out of that mind-set because an Instagram-perfect wedding was just not in our budget.

When I forced the thought of other's judgments to the corner of my brain, the wedding began to come together, and I began to see the beauty in the uniqueness of it. There are seven specific choices I made while planning our wedding that ( I feel ) set it apart from your typical "traditional" wedding.

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses

This is my most favorite "unique" choice that I made. Rather than going with one matching dress for all the girls to wear, I decided to assign each bridesmaid a different color. Beyond that, they could pick any dress they wanted. I didn't care about the length, style, if it was patterned, none of that. As long as the main color of the dress was their designated color, I was happy. It turned out SO pretty, and every girl got a dress that they liked—a true win-win, as they call it.

On IU's Campus

Although I didn't choose our ceremony venue simply because it's on my alma mater's campus, the fact that we did get married on my college campus is pretty unique. The Rose Well House is just so pretty, and it was so much more affordable than any other option I found. So... Go Hoosiers? J

Self-Designed Signage

I'm super proud to say that I designed all of our wedding signage on my own using Adobe InDesign, one of my favorite desktop programs. This included our seating chart, table name cards, table number placards, parking signs, and gift / cupcake table signs. It added a very personal, customized touch to our decor, and it was all free. It pays to learn computer programs! Skills like that are invaluable, but that's a conversation for another day.

Getting Ready at Home

Most wedding venues have designated rooms for the bridal party and the groom + groomsmen to get ready in, but we didn't go with a traditional wedding venue, so we didn't have that option. At first, I was kind of bummed about this, but I realize now that I'm glad I was able to get ready at my home with my bridesmaids. I didn't have to pack up anything, which means I didn't forget anything important. I had access to everything I needed, and I knew where everything was. I was just in the comfort of my own home, you know? One less thing to keep track of on the big day and all that.

Student Musician for Ceremony

We hired a student musician through IU's Jacobs School of Music, and she did an amazing job. Not only was this a more affordable option for us, but we also felt good about hiring a college student who could use the extra money.

At a Local Brewery

Like I mentioned above, we did not book a traditional wedding venue. Instead, we chose to have our reception at Upland, a local brewery and restaurant. Although they are those two things, they also have a banquet hall on their property, and that's where our reception was. Going into the big day, I was worried that the vibe would be more restaurant than wedding, but it totally wasn't. I even asked some of our guests how they interpreted the environment, and they agreed that you couldn't tell we were in the vicinity of the restaurant.

Cupcakes Instead of Cake

I feel like I've beaten this one to death if you're up to date on my wedding-related posts, but it applies to the topic at hand, ok? Cupcakes are just easier than cake in terms of serving it, and I'm a lazy bitch, so that's how we landed on that one.

Moral of the story: don't be afraid to think outside of the box, take a step away from "the norm" on social media, and do what works for you, your significant other, and your situation. Your wedding can be anything you want it to be.

Have questions or need advice on wedding planning? Feel free to ask any questions you have in the comments! Just want more wedding content? You can find it all here.