Want a Personalized, Original Song for Your Outdoor Wedding Day?

If your creativity and originality have inspired you to plan an outdoor wedding celebration that will be completely personal and unique, chances are you won't want to hire the same DJ or band everyone in town books for their wedding. And you won't want to hear the same tired tunes, either. Well, believe it or not, there's a way for you to have a song tailored specifically for you and your wedding: Launch a song contest!

MusikPitch is a Nashville-based service that allows you to set your own price and collaborate with songwriters all over the world in order to come up with your ideal wedding song. Songwriters can also post their own compositions for review on the Web site. This custom songwriting service makes a great engagement or bridal shower gift or a one-of-a-kind surprise from the bride to the groom or vice versa. Each song contest usually lasts up to 14 days, and the result is a unique, original song with all the right sentiments: one you can be sure no other couple will be dancing to!

~Kasey Brooks

A Unique Outdoor Wedding Keepsake

Florida-based paper cutting artist Joe Bagley contacted me recently to suggest that his original works of art--each created from a single sheet of black paper--would make a unique keepsake or cherished gift for the bride and groom who marry outdoors, and I agree! "All designs are custom made, and I work directly with the couples to create exactly what they want," Joe told me. Each design is painstakingly hand-cut with X-Acto blades, and Joe can even incorporate images of the couple or their special outdoor wedding location, along with such personal details as names and a date.

The image at right is of "the bridge in the park where my wife and I were married last [year]," Joe explained. For his first wedding anniversary in June, which tradition dictates is the "paper" anniversary, Joe created a larger papercut for his wife depicting the large pagoda tree they were married beneath. "It will hang over our bed so that we can sleep under the same tree every night," he said. These intricate yet simple black and white creations would also look fantastic hanging on an office wall, so they're an ideal gift for a hard-to-buy-for groom or new husband.

Considering the time that goes into each papercut--from 20 to 100 hours--Joe's one-of-a-kind designs are affordably priced from $55 for an 8x10 profile and from $125 for an 8x10 location or other original design. Both can be ordered via Joe's Etsy shop, or contact the artist via email to discuss your ideas and commission a piece. Allow at least two weeks for creation of your one-of-a-kind outdoor wedding keepsake.