So, you met your life partner at the local theater’s all-day Star Wars marathon and ever since then you two have been inseparable.  You two can be found at every indie movie midnight showing and every film trivia night at all the bars in town.  We get it, you love film, or maybe it’s not film, but football, or ballroom dancing, either way, it’s an integral part of who you are as a couple and you want to share that somehow throughout your wedding festivities. The question is how do you go about it without feeling like a giant cheeseball?  Below are a few fun and classy ways to incorporate your favorite hobbies into your wedding festivities.

Wine Country Engagement

Shoot Your Engagement Photos “On Location”

Your engagement photos are a perfect place to demonstrate your love for your hobbies as a couple.  This can start with location. It requires a little thinking outside of the box, but If you spend your Wednesday nights competing in your local bowling league, why not use that bowling alley for your shoot location.  Okay, so maybe that one is a bit cheesy, but it could also be a location shoot on a golf course, a museum, or a trail you love to hike, or a destination location that you love.  Can’t live without wine? Let’s go to Napa!  I love activities as a shared day taking photos – it’s an easy way to share your interests with the people you love, and the photos turn out amazing.

Alternative Engagement Session Ideas

Integrate Props that Display your Hobby into your Wedding

If you’d rather not shoot your engagement photos at a bowling alley, or if the perfect location is inaccessible, there are always ways to integrate things you love into your wedding decor.  Who says your wedding has to have burlap or the color of the year as it’s centerpiece (oh yeah, the knot does).  F that!  Want an off the wall wedding theme?  How about dinosaurs?  WHY NOT.  Two good clients of mine met and bonded over their love of Magic and so their wedding centerpieces were quick to learn table games that their friends and family could play at their reception during the Magic Tournament they also held.  You do you.   

Magic the Gathering WeddingDinosaur Themed Wedding

 

Wedding Party Gifts

Like most couples your bridesmaids and groomsmen will likely have some things in common with you.  After all, these are your closest friends and family members. If you share a common hobby or interest, consider gifting them with something that corresponds with that hobby.  Hand built barbeque pits were the perfect groomsman gifts for my friend who grills with the men in his family once a week. I also thought about my cousin who was part of a book club and bought her bridesmaids a bottle of their favorite wine with a book attached. The great thing about these types of gifts is that it helps support a hobby that you and your friends can enjoy together.

Wedding Party Gift Ideas

Wedding at the Museum (Venue Location)

Much like the idea of taking your engagement photos at a place that you as a couple frequent, this idea involves location.  This recommendation however, takes that one a step further and instead of just a location for photo shoots, why not choose your actual wedding venue based on your hobbies?  If you spend a lot of time checking out museums, consider renting out a museum in your city for your wedding day or maybe you are both teachers and met at a school, see if it is available for events. 

Designer Wedding Cakes

Last, but certainly not least, if you don’t want your whole wedding focused on your hobbies, designing a cake that reflects your interests adds just a small touch of who you are into your big day without it completely stealing the show.  Pastry artists and bakeries have advanced in their cake making skills at a rapid pace and you can have a cake designed that looks exactly like R2D2, the Dallas Cowboys football stadium, or a giant scarf with knitting needles and tastes equally delicious.  Don’t want to go overboard?  Just add a custom cake topper that represents the two of you!  It’s a bit more subtle than the other ideas, but it still makes a statement about who you are as a couple and the bonus is that it looks great in your wedding photos!

Wedding Cake Toppers

There are a multitude of ways that you can incorporate your hobbies into your wedding festivities, these are just a few.  The important thing is to make sure that you make this day about you and use it as an opportunity to share the things you love as a couple with the people you love.