35-Plus Unique Wedding Ideas for a Next-Level Celebration

Trendy and customized ways to make your big day stand out.


Photo by China Jorrin​

1.

Farm-to-table isn’t limited to food — get your flowers from a farm, too. Flower Blossom Farm in Ghent offers full-service floral setups as well as affordable buckets of seasonal blooms so you can create your own designs, all sourced from its flower fields. 

 

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2.

Turn your bar into an Insta-worthy set piece. Launched last year, Parked Prosecco capitalized on the vintage prosecco trailer trend by transforming a 1968 camper into a mobile bar serving chilled bubbles. 

 

3.

Consider asking guests to unplug. While it’s admittedly not right for everyone, making your wedding tech-free will allow guests to be in the moment, instead of on Instagram looking for the perfect first-dance-photo filter. 

 

4.

Skip the welcome bags and set up a meet-and-greet gifting lounge. You’ll save time, and guests can mingle and choose just the items they want. 

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5.

Register for a good cause. Websites like CrowdRise and JustGiving.com let you set up fundraising pages for an array of different causes. Or try The Knot Gifts Back, which donates up to 3% of the purchase price of each gift from your regular registries to a cause of your choice. 

 

6.

Upgrade your reception menu from chicken, beef, or fish to open-fire catering. The Swell Party and Berkshires-based Heirloom Fire cook dinner over wood fires, creating food that’s simultaneously rustic, primal, elegant, beautiful, and delicious.

 

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7.

Register for bespoke dinnerware from Port Chester ceramicist Connor McGinn, who will customize one of his original designs or work with couples to create something entirely new. (He’ll even set up an online registry and ship your pieces.)

 

8.

Set up a social media booth from local photographer Casey Fatchett. The booth allows guests to create GIFs and shareable content that can be sent straight to social media with your wedding hashtag.

 


Arch by Bezaire Event & Floral Design /  Photo by Erin Wallis

9.

Wedding arches have become a ceremony staple — especially at the Hudson Valley’s many outdoor venues. For 2019, couples are rounding out the trend with circular setups that symbolize eternity and serve as striking backdrops.

 

10.

Tra​vel in style by renting a special vehicle for your wedding day. Book a private trolley for you and your bridal party from the Peekskill Trolley Co. or go a bit more classic and intimate with an antique car from Settembre Luxury Limousine Service.

 

11.

When it comes to honeymoon planning, couples are looking for “that added component of adventure,” says Harley Riak of Valerie Wilson Travel in Purchase, whether that means wine country and a safari in South Africa or scuba and off-road cycling in Thailand.

 

12.

Go savory for your wedding dessert with a cheese-wheel wedding cake. Talbott & Arding in Hudson (above) and Dobbs & Bishop Fine Cheese in Bronxville stack wheels of local and imported cheeses to create tiers that are as pretty as cake — right down to the floral decorations.

 

13.

Add a Swarovski spring to your step with crystal-soled shoes from local designer Lori Silverman. Her sky-high heels and edgy booties feature thousands of crystals — but don’t come cheap. Expect a pair to start at about $1,100.

 


Photo by Kelsey Combe

14.

As part of your stationery suite, add a comprehensive itinerary for your guests, like this version by Crissie Vitale Creative.

 

15.

Treat yourself and your bridesmaids to some swag (think personalized slippers, clutches, and cups) from Dana Rose Designs.

 


Photo by Andrew Franciosa

16.

Try dramatic, moody wedding photography. The look, from photographers like Andrew Franciosa and Custom by Nicole, creates a rich, cinematic feel that’s utterly romantic.

 

17.

For ceremony or reception lighting, take a cue from interior design. Use pendant lights traditionally used in kitchens.

 


Photo by Alex Liguori​

18.

Create a vintage bar, food-service trailer, or photobooth with help from Hudson Trailer Co.

 

19.

Grooms: Ditch the black or navy suit for burgundy. Perfect for fall or winter weddings, this rich hue looks great slim-cut or in trendy, textured velvet.

 

20.

Have a reclaimed wood or chalkboard sign personalized for your venue by Love and Lettering Co.

 

21.

Take a cue from the royal wedding and serve your cake in deconstructed single tiers.

 

22.

Have Sugar & Co. Westchester create a customized sweet treat for your favor or put together a candy buffet perfect for any sweet tooth.

 

23.

Throw a jacket over your dress. Try classic leather for an added cool factor, metallic sequins for a little glitz, or something super-structured for a high-fashion feel.

 


Photo by Lauren Fair

24.

Rent an adorable alpaca for your wedding photos. Yorktown’s Faraway Farm raises the lovable animals and will happily host engagement shoots or bring their resident alpacas to appropriate outdoor venues.

 

25.

Make your cake fly, literally. Floating displays for wedding cakes are all the rage, just make sure it’s balanced and away from the dance floor before you cut into it.

 

26.

Use antique or vintage rugs as your aisle runner, to decorate your altar or at the reception for an eclectic touch. Check out Old New House in Katonah for a wide variety of one-of-a-kind versions.

 

27.

Design your own dress, whether it’s a fully custom look by Geraldina’s Couture in Hartsdale or a vintage reconstruction from Betsy Wise Bridal in Beacon, which specializes in turning mom’s old gown into something chic and stylish.

 

28.

Wedding jumpsuits and pants are all the rage as an outfit change during your reception, or just because. Check out the jumpsuit Kaley Cuoco of The Big Bang Theory chose from Tadashi Shoji.

 


Photo by Kelsey Ann Rose

29.

Book a venue with on-site glamping. After an elegant barn wedding at Liberty Farms in Ghent, splurge on one of Collective Hudson Valley’s luxurious canvas tents with full amenities. And new venue Gather Greene (right) has minimalist glamping cabins with king-size beds overlooking a peaceful swath of forest.

 

30.

Looking for something interesting and out of the humidor for your wedding? Hire La Rosa Cubana Cigars or Arthur Avenue Cigars to hand roll cigars for guests.

 

31.

You love Airbnb for your travels, but you can also rent one right in our area for all your wedding needs.

 

32.

Into local brews? Serve a beer that’s personal by crafting your own custom brew with the help of local Pine Island Brewing.

 

33.

Bouncy houses aren’t just for kids’ birthday parties anymore. Now you can rent or own bridal bouncy houses (perfect for adults and kids).

 

34.

Instead of craft beer, serve up craft cider from a local cidery like Hardscrabble Cider, Doc’s Draft Hard Cider, or Diner Brew.

 

35.

Create unique and customized details such as place cards, menus, and more with help from Melissa Grounds at Mod Creative.

 

36.

Save some money — and make your wedding stand out — by holding a daytime brunch reception. Guests certainly won’t complain when you’ve got a bacon bar, waffle station, and bottomless Bellinis.

 

37.

Turn sentimental, heirloom jewelry into “something new” by having it reset at Zaltas Gallery of Fine Jewelry in Mamaroneck. Jeweler Kathy Zaltas specializes in transforming “people’s beloved, inherited jewelry into modern, wearable pieces” at a fraction of the cost of a new piece. 

 

38.

Invitations are the first impression guests have of your wedding day. Why not create something they will remember (and keep) forever with a Lucite invitation from Laura Damiano Designs?

 

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