Are you a wanderlusting pair with a travel theme? Go the extra mile and use leather luggage tags to hold the escort or place cards. For a summer wedding, consider using beach balls or seashells as escort cards.

Want to create an unusual color scheme? Take cues from the works of a color-happy artist such as Rothko, Van Gogh, or Pollock. "Don't be afraid to play with color, pattern, and shape," Jackson says.

"I love bold color, like a palette of jewel tones mixed with softer pastels. Also, a pop of an unexpected color—like chartreuse—can make an otherwise neutral palette really stand out."

Show your florist photos of your mother’s bouquet so a florist can design a similar one. Chat it over with your photographer first but another cool idea is to recreate a special wedding moment (like the cake cutting or the wedding exit) from your parents' nuptials.

Favors are great and all, but there’s nothing like a heartfelt message to thank guests, especially when it’s displayed so beautifully. Show your gratitude by having it expressed in elegant calligraphy on a large sign for all to see.

Have your best man emcee a trivia quiz about the two of you—ask each table to work as a team to come up with the answers. A round of "I Spy" or Bingo could also be played.

Design your ceremony seating in a circular fashion so guests can get a 360-degree view. If you plan on getting drone shots of your wedding, then just think how cool a winding spiral will appear from above.

Make guests find their seat by first locating a funny picture of them on an escort card wall. Alternatively, Jackson recommends using "escort cards that were old black and white photos of the bride and groom throughout the years for lots 

of laughs and conversation starters at the dinner tables."

Write your soon-to-be spouse a heartfelt message on their wedding shoe for a sweet surprise on the big day. If you're feeling sneaky, slip a secret message to your ring bearer or flower girl to pass along prior to (or during) the ceremony.

Instead of the traditional three-course dinner, have your guests sit down to a family-style serving for a more intimate gathering. Use this as an opportunity to mix up couples and encourage conversations among different guests.

Does your groom have a thing for bowties? Create a bow tie bar during cocktail hour where guests can swap their ties for one.

Including your pet on your wedding day? We can’t think of anything sweeter. Instead of throwing a tie or bow on them, give them their own flower crown or wreath to match your décor—florals for the girls and greenery for the boys.

Have the most meaningful phrase from your wedding vows embroidered or needlepointed on the ring pillow. Display in your home—it's the ultimate keepsake.

Anything that you get customized for your bridesmaids will also serve as a memento of your big day. Jackson recalls a Colorado wedding where custom embroidered denim jackets were made for the bride and her bridesmaids.

Hang a series of photos of both of you as children at the reception. Guests can schmooze and peruse during the cocktail hour.

Decorate the chair of the person who set you and your SO up with a garland of greenery and sign that reads, “matchmaker.” Other key people who played a role in your courtship—think: age-old friends, acquaintances, or teachers that you both had growing up

—could also receive a special seat or even a flower crown to wear throughout the night.

Your engagement can play a starring role in the décor; one bride included blueberries at each place setting because her husband proposed to her on Blueberry Point (a notecard at each table explained this).