Brides- and grooms-to-be are upping the wow factor at their nuptials.
By Judy Mandell
MORE COUPLES are looking outside the box when it comes to staging their big day. "Brides and grooms are no longer bound by traditional scripts," says Sharon Naylor, author of the how-to guide "Your Special Wedding Vows" (Sourcebooks Casablanca, $10.95). "They're redesigning tradition into 'spectaculars.' They're borrowing from what they see at the Oscar after-parties and high-profile celebrity weddings and making their weddings a show, something their guests will never forget, while at the same time making it very personalized and creative." Here are seven of our favorite trends:
1. Mood enhancers
Fruit and flower scents create atmosphere. Or try bubbles to welcome the couple to the reception, for toasts, the first dance or cake-cutting. A snow machine is cool for an outdoor summer wedding. Special-effects equipment companies like Crawford International Theatrical Corp. (citcfx.com) of Lynnwood, Wash., also offer confetti machines with streamers, as well as haze, fog, mist, wind and even foam machines.
2. Rent a street
You may be able to get a special event permit at City Hall to close down a street. "Getting married downtown beneath the stars with the city lights surrounding you is just plain sassy," says wedding planner Steve Kemble of the Style Network series "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?"
3. Rent pretty people
Why not invite the president to celebrate with you? Celebrity impersonators and actors portraying living statues or historical figures are popular. A Legendary Event in Atlanta (legendaryevents.com) once sent actors, dressed in antebellum clothing, to greet guests -- it's straight out of "Gone With the Wind." Or why not call a talent agency and hire their 10 best-looking actors to "act" as your attendants? "Your guests' jaws will drop as these 10 gorgeous men and women walk down the aisle," Kemble says. After they do a song-and-dance production about your big day, the real wedding party enters.
4. Go nuts with doughnuts
It's a trend sweeping the country: Krispy Kreme doughnuts, stacked in a pyramid. "These cakes can be as unique as the bride and groom," says Krispy Kreme chef Ron Rupocinski. "We've seen everything from customized icing designs to spun-sugar cages." A cake decorator can help you design and assemble the "cake." A few dozen doughnuts at about $5 or $6 a dozen -- this is a deal!
5. Monogram madness
No wedding is complete without the new couple's initials projected in lights on the dance floor or over their table.
6. Scenic backdrops
If you got engaged in Paris (or wanted to), why not re-create the moment with an Eiffel Tower backdrop? Fake scenery is cheaper than round-trip airfare for the wedding party, and it can transform an institutional reception space. Dream World Backdrops (dreamworldbackdrops.com) has 1,500 choices, from a winter wonderland to a tropical jungle.
7. Go monochromatic
TV Bachelorette Trista wasn't the only one fixated on a single color (in her case, pink). Pick one color, not just for the bridesmaids' dresses, but flowers, linens, candles. Ask your guests to wear that color. (Men in pink?! OK, pink ties.) "You'll be amazed by the energy of having guests dress in the color of your choice," says the Style Network's Kemble.
