The Wow Effect
When planning your wedding, you may not need the most expensive dress or huge, elaborate floral centerpieces.
What you don’t know…and what the wedding industry doesn’t tell you…
is that you can have a day filled with personal, unique touches that really say something about you.
And it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.
The secret: the “Wow Effect.”
Have you ever walked into a beautiful, historic building…or climbed to the top of a hill with a gorgeous view…
It’s like you were so overwhelmed that it just blew you away.
The Wow Effect is like a magic trick that casts a spell over your guests, transporting them to another world.
Your World.
Your guests are wowed when your wedding is a totally unique expression of you.
It’s vitally important to wow your guests. They’ll experience your wedding as unique and totally unforgettable.
The bonus: they become connected and involved…which means they have more FUN.
Engagement
The more you involve your guests, the more it works, and the more unique and fun your wedding becomes.
There are three levels on which you can engage your guests: PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, and EMOTIONALLY.
Guess what? None of them are expensive.
1. Engage them in ACTION.
You can do this by inviting them to participate in a reading, performance, or group activity.
2. Engage them in THOUGHT.
Challenge their minds with a quiz or a game. Get them remembering and imagining.
3. Engage them in EMOTION.
Get your guests involved and invested in the events of your wedding by touching their feelings.
When they really “get” the love between you both, when they laugh or cry, they are emotionally engaged.
The most powerful of the thee: emotional engagement.
Who Are You?
The secret to having a wedding that really feels like you?
Weave your personality into your wedding day as much as possible.
For example… If you and your fiancé share a love of travel, that might be your Wow Factor.
You might choose to name your tables after the places you have visited together.
The objective is to tell your story through tangible emotions.
Music Makes the Memories
Have you ever heard a song and immediately started laughing as you relived a funny memory?
Music is an incredibly powerful way to engage your guests.
It engages both emotionally and physically: in your mind and on the dance floor.
Here are some great places to include those special songs on your wedding day:
1. Your processional down the aisle.
You aren’t limited to The Wedding March or Canon in D.
Any love song or instrumental can take your emotions to the next level.
2. Your parent dances.
If there is a song your mom or dad always sang to you, use it for your parent dance.
You don’t have to use a “traditional” Father-Daughter song.
A personal choice makes it extra special for both you and your guests.
3. Your introduction music.
It can be anything from Metallica’s Enter Sandman to James Brown’s I Feel Good.
Pick a song that makes a statement about your personality, it sets the tone for your whole reception.
17 Ways To Wow Your Guests
These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg.
Use your creativity, imagination and Wow Factors to find even more ways that fit your personality.
1. A list of trivia questions about you for each table to answer.
2. Favors that relate to your hobby or special interest.
3. Childhood photographs of you and your fiancé displayed in an album or on a table.
4. Your parents’ and grandparents’ wedding photos.
5. Pictures of your pets.
6. Put together a collage of your love letters from a long-distance romance.
7. Playing your favorite team’s theme song.
8. Cardboard cutouts of the friend who introduced you but couldn’t be at the wedding.
9. Sharing your love story during your ceremony or reception.
10. Playing the newlywed game.
11. A special thank you friendship dance with all your guests.
12. Play or dedicate a song to a friend as an inside joke.
13. Leave a gag gift, like a clown nose or fake mustache, at each place setting and photograph all your guests wearing them.
14. A scavenger hunt using cameras to “hunt” for images… post to Facebook!
15. Write special vows that unite your family and friends.
16. Play your guests’ wedding songs.
17. Have your guests write thoughts and wishes for a “time capsule” you’ll open on your 10th wedding anniversary.
Whew! That’s a lot!
Make your day unique… personalize and customize every element of your wedding.