Looking for uniquely fun ways to include friends in your wedding that aren’t bridesmaids?
We’re guessing that you probably already have the members of your bridal party selected. Maybe you’ve even ‘proposed” to them in a super fun way that is unique to your relationship with them. An ask that had them jumping up and down with a resounding yes. You know, similar to the day you said yes to your own proposal!
Being a member of a bridal party, or the couple’s inner circle comes with its own unique set of roles. There are pre and post-wedding events, and an endless parade of goings-on. Most of which are fun of course but nonetheless time-consuming. And if we’re being honest here, sometimes costly. By the time your wedding day rolls around you want your bridal party to have as much fun as you. Maybe they get to hit the bar with the groomsmen. Or, they spend the night tearing up the dance floor with you, so hard that they lose track of time!
Your wedding is so much more than walking down the aisle, walking back, eating chicken, and dancing until you make your way to your no doubt amazing honeymoon destination. The old days of cookie-cutter weddings are out the window and the way we celebrate has been totally revolutionized! That means looking at your wedding day as an experience. Not just for you and your fiance. But your bridal party, guests, and of course your most beloved family & friends.
Maybe there’s a friend or family member who holds such a special place in your life. But for one reason or another, being a member of your bridal party just wasn’t in the cards. Here are 5 uniquely fun ways to include friends in your wedding that aren’t bridesmaids!
1) Ask Grandma to be Your Flower Girl
How much do you love this idea?! It’s a fun twist on an old wedding tradition! If you are lucky enough to still have a Grandma in your life to drop her pearls of wisdom on life and to share fun stories of days past, she is highly worthy of a special role in your wedding! And definitely, a role that involves more than being another link in the chain of the bridal processional.
Littles are notoriously unpredictable, especially when it’s “go time” on wedding day. Or maybe you opted for a kid-free wedding. Or there simply aren’t any children in your family who can fulfill the important role of sprinkling the aisle with florals before your grand entrance.
How much would Grandma cherish walking down the aisle before you, lining it with soft rose petals! We’re guessing it’s not only a unique aspect of your wedding that your guests will enjoy observing, but it will become one of your lifelong favorite cherished memories.
With Grandma as your flower girl for the day, your wedding ceremony photos will be full of smiling guests. Picture your guests in the backdrop seated across rows of neatly lined Chiavari chairs with bright beaming smiles as they witness this “occasion within an occasion.” We guarantee that they will be talking about it forever! Starting with all the compliments your guests will shower Grandma with at your reception. Making her a sort of celebrity on your wedding day!
Wondering who else you can fill the role of being your “flower girl” for the day? There’s no rule saying the role has to be gender-specific!
2) Put your Music-Loving Friend in Charge of the Cocktail Hour Playlist
Do you have a friend that is completely and utterly obsessed with music? You know, that friend with an extensive collection of different genres of music at their fingertips. Way back in the day you were constantly raiding their CD collection. That friend who is always inviting you to go see this artist or that band. The friend who will spend their time with you debating the finer points of their favorite musical geniuses.
This is their moment, it’s time for their musical appreciation to shine! Because they have the knowledge & passion for it, this person is more than deserving of putting together your cocktail hour playlist! And we’re going to make it crazy easy for them to collaborate on your cocktail playlist along with your other guests! Isn’t that an amazing (and easy!) way to include friends in your wedding? We think so!
Through your Guestie account, the first thing you’ll want to do is add them as a host! From there they can create your cocktail hour playlist on Spotify by first adding in their own selection, naturally. Secondly, they’ll be able to source requests from your other guests. Your guests will be able to add songs to your cocktail hour playlist through Guestie (seriously, they don’t even need a Spotify account, it couldn’t be easier!) from the minute they’ve been invited to your wedding.
Here’s the fun part, your music-loving cocktail hour DJ is the only one who will have total control over which requests make the final cut! Once your new cocktail hour playlist guru is locked into your Guestie account, they’ll be able to sync to Spotify and start gathering up a collection of song requests prior to your wedding day. Make sure that you & your newly appointed cocktail hour DJ decide on a cut-off date for song requests prior to the wedding day. We recommend setting the cut-off to at least two days before your wedding day. This should allow plenty of time for you and your cocktail hour DJ to work through any last-minute items! From there they can seamlessly sync from Guestie to Spotify
The last steps to creating your epic cocktail hour playlist will be to review, edit, and delete songs!
Putting your guests in charge of your cocktail hour playlist is such an amazing way to build the fun and anticipation for your wedding day! While they are sipping on signature cocktails and conversing with other guests, the conversation will quickly turn to the song selections they’ve made for the hour! Creating a resounding roar each time one of your guests hears “their song!” It’s an amazing added element of fun and inclusion for your guests that connects them further while amping up their pre-dance floor excitement for your reception!
3) The Official Party Starter
We “officially” just created this role! But either way, this has to be one of the most fun ways to include friends in your wedding! Remember the enthusiastic uncle we mentioned in this post? Dear old Uncle “so and so” with the boundless amount of energy and the candid sense of humor? They are your official party starter!
There’s going to come a point in your wedding where cocktail hour is over and all of your guests will transition to dinner before hitting the dance floor. The change of events in your wedding day timeline will cause this sort of back and forth in the level of energy as the night progresses. And there will come a point where it’s time for guests to make their way from conversations and cocktails, to the dance floor! But they don’t always go willingly now, do they?! If you want a fun way to include friends in your wedding, let your official party starter kick things off!
It’s good old Uncle (or aunt or cousin!) so and so’s time to shine. Ask them to be your official party starter! You already know they are not afraid to be the first person on the dancefloor, and they are definitely not afraid to dance as if everyone is watching. Because let’s face it, if they are the first person on the dance floor, everyone will be watching! Your official party starter has to be ready to dance around tables and grab the hands of guests to pull them up out of their seats and onto the dance floor. They won’t be afraid to hand out glowsticks, thundersticks, and the various other fun props you’ve no doubt made available to guests!
Your official party starter has to be the type of person who thinks it’s the best of times to dance with a total stranger, or perhaps even a guest that they met on Guestie ahead of time! They might be a little silly and a whole lot goofy, but that’s what makes them absolutely perfect to fulfill their very serious role as your official wedding day party starter!
4) Have a Friend Create Custom Signs for Your Wedding
We love this option as another uniquely fun way to include friends in your wedding! Do you have an amazing friend with artistic skills as a painter, watercolor artist, graphic designer, calligrapher, or wood burner? How amazing would it be to have a piece of their art displayed at your wedding?!
Have you ever been to a wedding that has those really amazing bar signs announcing the couple’s signature cocktail? The couple usually names it after their beloved pup or their favorite college team. They are such great conversation starters among your guests during your wedding! Those fun customized signs are another fantastic way to involve another beloved friend or family member in your wedding!
And if a signature cocktail is not on your wedding day bucket list, maybe an unplugged ceremony sign or a really chic wedding welcome sign with you & your fiance’s name scrawled across it will do the trick! Those custom signs play into the wedding day experience that you provide for your guests by showing them that you’ve taken the time to infuse your personality into each and every aspect of your day.
Seriously though, aren’t those custom signs such fun and unique pieces of decor for your wedding? By the way, you have full permission to display them in your home long after your wedding day is over. Now you’ve not only found a unique way to include your friends in your wedding, but they’ll be in your home forever!
5) Ask a Close Friend or Family Member to Officiate Your Wedding
This one might take a bit of advanced planning when it comes to your wedding, but asking a friend or family member to officiate your wedding is such an awesome way for them to be included in your wedding day!
There are probably plenty of people in your life who you are crazy close with that aren’t in your bridal party. This can be for a multitude of reasons. Maybe there’s a cousin you grew up with, a friend who helped you through a particularly rough time, or even an acquaintance who played a role in introducing you and your fiancé. But the person you ask to officiate your wedding is extra special! Because not only will they be presiding over your sacred vows of marriage, but they’ll be doing it from a front-row seat! Along with the ability to tell your story in their own voice. Whoever you decide to ask to officiate your wedding, you should know, without a doubt that this person will be incredibly honored to have been selected for your wedding in such a special and meaningful way.
Before you make the official ask, check the state laws where your wedding will be taking place. You’ll want to be 100% sure that there is plenty of time to allow for your special person to become your officiant. Once they’ve of course said yes and you’ve hugged it out, sit down with them to have a talk about your ideas for mapping out your ceremony. Let them know the overall tone that you and your fiancé would like to encompass your vows. Are you going for romantic? Funny? Real and straightforward? Give them an idea of the overall voice of your wedding day and then let them run with it. This will allow your newly dubbed officiant to take it from there!
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Photography by: Claudia Rios Photography // North State Photography // Events by Genevieve // Captured by Candace Photography
