What makes a wedding special is often what makes the bride and groom special; the personal details sprinkled into the ceremony and reception that speak to who they are, whom they love, and who they hope to be together. Here, G&G staffers and contributors share the little things that made for lasting memories on the big day.
It’s a Carolina Thing
“Keep your root beer—there’s no better ice cream float than one made with Cheerwine. For our wedding reception in Upstate South Carolina, my husband, Justin, and I added a Cheerwine float bar so our guests (particularly the out-of-state ones) could fall in love with the North Carolina cherry soda too. More than sixteen years later, it’s still the one detail our friends bring up again and again.”—Amanda Heckert, executive editor
A Date to Remember
“A sweet friend gifted us cocktail napkins from Hibiscus Linens for our engagement, and once we set our date, we had it added to them. They became the perfect finishing touch at our cake table, especially alongside my grandmother’s crystal coupes. We look forward to bringing them out each year to celebrate our anniversary.”—Claire Prickett, associate integrated marketing manager
A Sweet Something Old
“‘Dear Elizabeth Rose: This little lavalier was given to me by my Papa when I was seven years old—so I thought you should have it on your seventh birthday. Much love to a dear little girl.’ Those are the words my great-great Aunt Leila wrote when she handed down to me the cameo necklace her father purchased in 1915. Surely he couldn’t have imagined it would accompany his distant niece down the aisle a century later. Lesson: Pass on the things you love, ideally with a handwritten note.”—Elizabeth Florio, digital editor
Flying the Coupe
“There was no sweeter ending to our wedding day than driving off in my late grandfather Alboo’s classic Chevy convertible. This cherished car has been part of our family for generations—my older sister and several relatives before us also made their grand exits in it—making the moment feel all the more timeless and meaningful.”—Maria Keith, integrated marketing manager
Pie in the Sky
“Call me crazy, but wedding cake just doesn’t do it for me. So instead, my husband and I opted for a much-superior treat, if you ask me, for our reception: a pie bar, serving staples like pecan, apple, mixed berry, and key lime on heirloom cake plates once used in our grandmothers’ and great-grandmothers’ kitchens.”—Caroline Sanders Clements, senior editor
State(s) of Matrimony
“Our wedding invitation included a stamp for every state we called home during four years of dating long-distance, a fun reminder of the journey that finally brought us together in Charleston.”—Caroline O’Neill, marketing creative director
Two Green Thumbs Up
“Max and I share a love of plants, and we had our small wedding ceremony in his brother’s hazelnut grove in Vermont. Then we drove a few miles up the road for our late lunch reception overlooking Lake Champlain at his parents’ farm. To top it all off—quite literally—my new husband handed me a surprise cake topper: a little antique metal figurine of a woman with a watering can that perfectly matched the little metal figurine of a man with a watering can that I’d given him on our first Christmas together, two years before. I got a little teary-eyed, but then we laughed that our tiny statues were probably made of toxic lead. So we placed them for just one photo moment atop our blackberry cobbler before digging in.”—CJ Lotz Diego, senior editor
Bluegrass in a Glass
“My husband is from Louisville and has a lot of hometown pride. Even though we were married in my hometown in Delaware, we were sure to bring in some Kentucky touches—including signature bourbon cocktails served in Derby glassware. The out-of-towners felt right at home.”—Annie Courtenay, associate director of integrated marketing
Love on Parade
“We tied the knot in Virginia horse country, and the moment we’ll never forget came just after ‘I do.’ A lively, New Orleans–style front line led our guests down a tree-lined path from the ceremony to the reception, while we followed behind in a 1950 Ford Custom convertible. It set the party off on the right tone before we made our barn entrance to the Rolling Stones’ ‘Loving Cup.’”—Corianna Lehrman, brand marketing director
Peach of a Tribute
“My maternal grandparents owned a peach farm in Upstate South Carolina, where I spent a few weeks every summer for most of my childhood. They passed away before my husband, Tanner, and I tied the knot in Charleston in June 2019, but in a sweet nod to their memories, my uncle drove up to the family farm and brought us several bushels of fresh York County peaches to use in the mini peach (and bourbon) milkshakes we passed out just before the band’s last set.—Elizabeth Hicklin, contributing editor
Carpool Karaoke
“We held our wedding reception on a Kentucky horse farm, with buses shuttling guests to and from. Midway through the night, I hopped onstage with the band and broke out my harmonica—a fun way to share my love for music and a surprise that packed the dance floor. The night ended on another high note, with the last bus full of friends belting Whitesnake’s ‘Here I Go Again’ at the top of our lungs along with the radio.”—Tom Wilmes, contributor
Whiskey Idea
“As the favor for our guests, we did a barrel pick, and everyone left with a bottle that we hand selected and that can’t be found on liquor store shelves. Pursuit Spirits sent us samples from three barrels to choose from and helped us design a custom label. We also used the rye in one of the specialty cocktails during the reception.”—Emma Blackman, senior manager, events
Double Dad Duty
“My dad—a Methodist minister of forty-plus years—always jokes that he’s ‘married’ hundreds of people throughout his career. For my own wedding, it just made sense that Dad would ‘marry’ us as well. We held a service with a handful of people in a quiet cove in central California, and having him walk me down the ‘aisle’ (the beach, in this case) and preside over our ceremony made an already special moment all the more personal.”—Emily Daily, newsletter editor
