Unique Wedding Ideas For The Modern (and Unconventional) Bride

As a child, all I dreamt about was the day I would get married. In fact, I spent most of 1989 envisioning my swim instructor, Marc as the groom. He was such a dreamboat, but I digress. I have vivid memories of watching Disney princesses tying the knot in the most lavish of ceremonies and skipping towards a magical carriage, all while the townspeople threw rose petals in celebration. I got slightly older, and subbed out Cinderella for Steel Magnolias. I watched it on repeat and took mental notes of Shelby’s Pepto-Bismol, but delightfully romantic Southern wedding. I craved the day I could register for a VCR of our very own.

I dated more than a handful of bad men – some who cheated, others who fancied video games more than a relationship, and a few, which I later found out, did not care for the fairer sex. Just after my 20th birthday, I packed my bags and moved away to big bad Gotham (with a pre-NYC detour in Miami). Then, I got older, maybe wiser, and realized fairytales don’t really exist (at least in the Disney sense). I learned to prefer the company of men who were sincere, funny, and understood how to treat a lady. As I began to follow this newfound path, I met a man who I think is the coolest person alive. We didn't have a traditional courtship in any sense of the word, but through our five-year (and counting) relationship, we determined there was no one else we'd rather share this adventure with than each other.

Which leads me to our wedding. In keeping with our relationship's unusual beginnings and our general kooky personalities, it would delight me to have an out-of-the-box wedding. Though, what I quickly discovered...your nearest and dearest will have ideas on what is best for your special day. I’ve found it’s increasingly difficult to pursue your own wishes while looking to accommodate those closest to you. But at the end of the day, it’s you and your future-spouse’s big celebration, and you should stick to your guns (maybe a different idiom here would be better suited, but I’m trying to prove a point).  While we’ll probably shy away from a traditional ceremony in New York, at say any hotel in Midtown, there's always a chance...

Our running list of unique wedding ideas:

1. An intimate poolside bash in Anguilla

2. A fabulously festive ceremony at the Paradise Falls Pool Waterfall at the Flamingo Las Vegas

3. Renting a large Parisian apartment with our closest friends and family and getting married in the living room and celebrating at a nearby bistro into the early hours

4. Eloping to Paris and staying at La Maison Champs Elysées

Other unique wedding ideas + inspiration that is helping to shape our big day:

1. Wearing a bridal gown by Tatyana Merenyuk

2.  Having Jennifer Fisher’s Pulse Bar Ring as my wedding band

3.  Rocking these beautifully electric blue metallic sandals from Jimmy Choo

4.  Adding Sarah and Bendrix’s Large Heart 3D Artwork to our registry

5.  Honeymooning at the Msambweni Beach House & Private Villas in Kenya