There are certain "creative" wedding reception ideas that are becoming so trendy, they no longer qualify as all that creative — mason jars full of flowers, bride and groom tandem bike arrivals, anything written on a black chalkboard. Helium balloons. But did you hear about Bachelorette Emily Maynard's "rustic glam" wedding? Some of you planning your own receptions may want to steal a few of her ideas. Here's 10 creative wedding ideas that haven't been done to death … yet!
Goodie Bags Filled With Yum
Emily Maynard sent her guests home with burlap bags filled with her favorite local treats: ONEHOPE coffee, Neet's Sweets pies in a jar, and all-natural cookies from Helen's Kitchen.
Plants Instead of Flowers
What happens to all those gorgeous flowers after the wedding? You could send them home with people. But it's way easier to do that if you decorate your tables with potted plants and flowers instead. These hens and chicks are hard to kill, by the way.
Wedding Mad Libs
Instead of the usual guestbook, have your guests fill out Mad Libs written about the couple. Silly fun from the start!
Typewriter Guestbook
Here's another fun alternative to a guestbook: Have everyone type their names with an antique typewriter.
Wedding View-Master
Toy View-Masters are very much happening this summer. Emily Maynard used them to send out invitations to her engagement party (which turned out to be her secret surprise wedding). You could also use them as wedding party favors or as a wedding album.
Thrift Store Table Decorations
This is such a sweet (and cheap — shh!) idea. Decorate your tables with adorable thrift store finds, like vintage glassware, old-fashioned fans, and other knick-knacks. It's an adorably unconventional way to display fresh flowers.
Bride & Groom Bales of Hay
This idea is possible only if you're actually holding your wedding on a farm, but are these bride and groom bales of hay cute or what?
Dangerously Messy Food
Wedding food is usually dainty, perfect for eating in a silk dress. But what if you went the other way? What if you served super messy food? At Emily Maynard's wedding, the food was "fried and Southern, my favorite!" There was pickled shrimp, fried okra, and cheese tarts. The buffet offered fried green tomatoes, macaroni and cheese, and pulled pork. Get out the bibs and napkins!
Baskets of Berries
These little baskets of berries were served for dessert. I love the tiny flowers inside — and this would be so easy!
Beer Washtub
To go with the messy food, "display" your beer in a big, ice-filled washtub. Keep a jug handy for bottle caps.
