Leveled Up Wedding Ideas

Call me crazy, but I have seen a lot of weddings. Hundreds, maybe thousands… So I got to thinking, what would it take to WOW me as a long time wedding vendor, photographer, and magazine editor. My best friend, business partner, and co-editor and I have done some pretty over the top inspiration shoots, and we are always trying to raise the bar in our industry. So we work to bring you some of the most outlandish ideas that you can reign in for yourselves on a big or small scale, but we can only present you so many per issue, and in the last two years, to be honest we’ve been hampered by COVID restrictions and a global pandemic that no one ever expected. So if I had to come up with a list of epic and/or fun ideas for a wedding, here are just a few:

Drone shots of everything! From video to photos. Get that aerial view (without being disruptive of the actual solemn part of the ceremony), and use that to make an over the top video or photo album… And don’t forget the group shot. It’s fun to see all of the people who were there, not just your setting, décor, and you as a couple!!! (maybe I’m spoiled from our recent video shoots, but this style of photography and videography is quickly becoming my favorite, and we have some Photo by Silvernale Photography

Hot air balloon land at your own outdoor reception if the field is large enough… YES! That was my dream arrival (my parents ended up having me arrive in a vintage car, and I am terrified of heights, but still… this would be so over the top!!!). Our friends at Bloomington Balloon Rides (www.bloomingtonballoonrides.com) paired with us for a past photoshoot, and the results were nothing short of breathtaking and outstanding! Consult with them on proposals, rides, wedding day ideas, and/ or short rides (just up and down for guests) at your big event!!! The aesthetics are out of this world (we speak from experience, and I actually for one brief moment got to tackle my fear of heights)!

Circular seating… Why put everyone in rows when a new seating pattern idea is setting it up in a circle?!?! We can’t help but think that everyone will be able to see better! p.s. We give all idea credit to this one to TikTok!

A night wedding in a forest of lights… Did you know that our friends at Mistletoe & Ivy does custom lighting? Our “green/eco” shoot was just a taste of what I am envisioning, but this just screams romantic to me!!!

Why not consider fireworks to cap off the night or as a mid evening entertainment? There are a handful of local PROFESSIONAL providers who can safely do presentations for you. We stress hiring a professional so that you can focus on

Photo by Old Church Chapel

Add color to your dress! Solid white isn’t for everyone! Make it pop with a little of your favorite color…. Or add all the colors! Have some fun with it! In hindsight, I wish I would have been more bold!

What’s old is new… Whether you are incorporating something from your lineage into your big day or wearing it, or some folks are actually asking their grandparents to stand up in their wedding (I saw the cutest grandma bridesmaid proposal on TikTok the other day), there is HUGE appreciation for the generations that have came before us. I don’t know about you, but hold on to your grandparents as long as you have them. Show them all the love. Incorporate them as much as you can in your big day more than in just a token gesture. Half of them probably helped raise you, and 9 times out of 10, they probably had more fun rearing you than their own kids (aka your parents, aunts and uncles)!!! This is a big moment for them, and they are probably so proud of you. Make them feel as involved as possible, and there are an infinite amount of ways to do that! From someone who no longer has any living grandparents, you won’t appreciate them to the level you need to until they are gone. Don’t miss out on this moment to show them how much they are loved AND APPRECIATED!

Lastly, the wildest idea of them all… be the epitome of class and grace. I know this is one of

Photo by Shillawna Ruffner Photography

the most stressful things you have probably ever gone through. You are preparing to start a new life with someone. You have financial pressures to pull off an event with tens if not hundreds of people. You probably have family pressures to do and say the right thing at all times, but just remember this is about you as a couple who loves each other and who plans to make a lifetime of memories together. I just recently celebrated 25 years together and 21 years married with my husband. Marriage isn’t easy, and my wedding was crazy to plan and execute (remember the balloon story… Martha Stewart Weddings was also big at the time, so believe me when I say I had my binder of magazine clippings, too). But I survived the big day. It was beautiful, fun, and amazing. It had its hiccups, but I would like to think that in hindsight that I conducted myself in such a way that I will be remembered as a beautiful bride inside and out. No meltdowns, and I just went with the flow. I was able to do that because even though I had wild and crazy (Martha Stewart fueled) ideas, I planned ahead and worked with professionals and family members to put together a dream wedding that was damn near perfect in my eyes. So we (JoElle and I) hope that you take our Engaged! ideas and do the same! From the simple to the extraordinary, run with it with style, class and grace, and happy wedding planning from our creative brains to yours!!!

-Nikki Davis Engaged River Valley Managing Editor

Photo by Rachelle Baggett Photography Lighting by Mistletoe & Ivy