MAKING YOUR WEDDING YOUR OWN

Whether big or small, extravagant or modest, every bride wants their wedding day to be remembered for the right reasons. The weddings that stand out time and time again are those which are original and personal to the couple and which are fun and carefree. It makes no wedding photography Scotland difference how much has been spent on the wedding as it really is the little things that can make a big difference.

One of my all time favourites was a shoe-string wedding where the flowers had been grown in the couples back garden, the cake lovingly made by the mother-in-law, the invitations designed and created by siblings and the photography provided by a close friend. The thought that had gone into every aspect was immense and demonstrated just how much friends and family really cared about the couple and their marriage. At the other end of the scale, at a recent wedding I was saddened to see that the bridal couple clearly had little or no involvement in their wedding preparations. No expense had been spared but nothing was personal to them. The whole day seemed to have been more about the brides' parents showing off than about the marriage itself.

So, with this in mind, I have created my top ten tips for organising a fabulous wedding which is individual to you:

1. Be Honest - Don't pretend to be someone you're not. The chances are, if you like the wedding and are obviously having a good time, your guests will too. If you are uncomfortable and anxious, people will notice.

2. Don't think that with more money comes a better wedding. Pay attention to detail, it's the small things that make a big difference. Be creative - find ideas and inspiration for flowers and décor on the internet and recreate them for less.

3. Have Fun! Look at every aspect individually and then see how you could adapt it to be more personal to you - do you really want a traditional wedding cake? Do you especially want formal speeches? Do you want to sit on a top table or would you be more comfortable amongst your guests?

4. Pick a theme which is personal to you both - combining 2 different cultures or interests is easy it just takes a little creative thought. Theming the entire wedding is one of the easiest and most fun ways to create a memorable day and it needn't cost any extra. Colour and season are always popular themes but consider a favourite sport, show or film instead - 2011 will be the year for Alice in Wonderland and 2012 the year for Olympic themed weddings.

5. Don't do things just because they're what everyone else does, do whatever makes you happy. You don't need to carry a bouquet of flowers if you don't want to maybe you'd be happier carrying a bouquet of gems and crystals, a hand muff or even your pet dog. You don't need to have classical music if it's not your thing and you certainly don't need to feed your guests with a formal wedding breakfast - if you're a laid-back couple, consider having a bbq, fish and chips or a buffet instead.

6. Table centrepieces are a great way of getting a bit of your personality into the décor. Instead of the traditional flowers, you could consider feathers, twigs, baubles, plants, lamps, bagpipes, watering cans, fruit..... the list is endless - why not have different centrepieces on each table?

7. Think beyond the four wheels of a wedding car - why not arrive in a tuc-tuc or a helicopter?

8. Creating signature drinks is another fun way of personalising your day - and you get to spend a day creating them together too!

9. If you're fun loving people, consider providing fun entertainment for the guests instead of a band - fun-fair stalls, bouncy castles, cartoonists and fairground rides are all becoming increasingly popular with couples looking to try something less formal.

10. Instead of having a guest book, consider having a framed picture of you both for guests to write around or a 'wish-tree' for guests to peg messages on. Polaroid wedding photography Scotland cameras and video cameras provide a more personal touch or you could even send each guest a blank page from a guest book before the wedding, have them do with it whatever they choose and return it to you on the wedding day.