I was just reading this article at MSN about Bridezilla and Groomzilla and their “extreme wedding planning” and a few things caught my eye.

First of all, I tend to find these stories sort of shocking. I can understand folks wanting to have their day be special and as perfect as possible, but seriously–asking your bridesmaids to sign contracts about how much weight they will gain? Come on! I have shared my opinion about some of these things before, and a few people questioned the wisdom of posting this on my blog. “Don’t you work with a lot of brides and bridesmaids?” they asked. I do! And I love working with them! And I truly respect their opinions about the big events surrounding their big day. It’s precisely because I care about my customers and their events that I want to help them. I think there are SO many other options–in fact, I know there are because I have spent the past few years coming up with lots of pretty simple, fairly inexpensive ways to help people to feel special.

Of course it really is all about feeling special, isn’t it? That “princess for a day” feeling that comes with deciding all the details yourself and having all eyes on you is intoxicating! It also seems like it would require a big budget–just like the celebrity weddings and events we read about constantly. The stars can afford anything, but what about the rest of us? There are ways to add custom details to your events to make you and your guests feel special without breaking the bank!

Let’s just take an example: according to the article, people are hiring “mixologists” to come up with Signature Cocktails for weddings and wedding events. We’ve all seen this in wedding magazines, too…unique mixed drinks that fit the theme or style of the wedding. What about sharing a signature cocktail favor, instead? We’ll mix them up to your specifications, with custom flavors and colors, and you can even choose the name of the flavor! Choose special label and tag designs, select from dozens of bow colors for embellishments, or go with a standard label and add them to your own favors. The point is, these favors are utterly unique, all about you, and ridiculously INexpensive. Doesn’t that make you feel special?!

(Incidentally, if you want to find an interesting cocktail for your event, why not take a look at Drinksmixer? You can search by ingredients or drink names or type of drink, such as cocktail or punch. They even have non-alcoholic drink options.)

Just following what the celebs do for their nuptials may be the easiest way, but it can also be unnecessarily expensive. Use their ideas as inspiration and get creative for some unique wedding touches that will make your day feel special! Please share your ideas in the comments below!