Want to add a personal touch to your wedding? Feel like making yours different and less traditional? If you're in the mood for a wedding that everyone will remember, try some of these ideas when you're planning your wedding.

Personal & Memorable — write your own wedding vows

Writing your own wedding vows allows you to say how you really feel. Personalizing your vows also makes each word matter. You may not be able to recite them with the same rote intonation, but you will remember every word for the rest of your life.

It's hard to forget the sweetest words you've ever heard and that's exactly what these will be. Standing there looking into your groom's eyes, you know that he means exactly what he's saying. Every word you speak to one another floats through the air and somehow manages to stay with you through the memory fog that the excitement of the day creates.

Create A Romantic Atmosphere — have a reading and get guests involved

Some of your friends may not be in the wedding party. Some of your favorite relatives may not have positions in the wedding party either. Having a reading at your wedding ceremony will help involve close friends and family.

So what do they read? Many couples choose romantic poems that read like vows. An extra personal touch for the creative couple is to write their own poem(s) and have honored guests read stanzas from that. Each guest reads one stanza until the poem has ended. Once it is over, the whole room feels unified.

Homage & Honor — Set up memorial tables for deceased loved ones

Many brides and grooms feel strongly bonded to people that have passed. The wedding becomes somewhat bittersweet when they realize that something so important will not be witnessed by their deceased loved one. To honor that person (usually a relative), a table with their picture and a few small mementos is a wonderful way to pay homage to these special people. The table can be set up near the sign-in table, where the couple's picture is displayed, or at the wedding reception where they would have sat.

Mementos for the memorial table can include a small poem with the theme of "gone but not forgotten, not here but here in our hearts", a small flower arrangement to accent the pictures, a unique picture frame to hold the pictures, and other items.

Trendy & Different — personalize your wedding decorations

Your wedding decorations reflect your personality. Many couples highlight their table centerpieces with engagement photos. Take that thought a step further by using decorations such as photo cubes on the reception tables.

Also consider the color of your wedding decorations. Many contemporary weddings feature colors that are a far stray from the traditional pinks and creams. Instead, modern brides are personalizing their wedding by including fancy colors such as silver, gold, ruby, and black or bright colors such as lime green, orange, yellow, and hot pink. An instant "wow" factor comes from using color in your wedding.

Fun & Humorous — choose a unique wedding cake & cake topper

There are some wedding cakes that guests cannot take their eyes off of once they hit the reception hall. Sometimes it's the height of multiple tiers that makes the wedding cake unique. Four or five tiers of buttercream delight is enough to turn heads of both young and old. Fountain wedding cakes with unique platforms also get the neck turning.

Sometimes it's the design of the wedding cake itself that gets attention. Uniquely shaped wedding cakes, specific icing patterns, colorful wedding cakes–these are all examples of personalized wedding cakes designed with the bride's tastes in mind.

Another example is something shocking. Cakes with a little personality of their own let guests know that the bride is one-of-a-kind with a great sense of humor. For example, brides wanting an esoteric wedding cake can ask for a cake decorated with girly skulls. Why not? The groom gets a cake that shows off his personality and interests. Why not bring the same feeling to the wedding cake?

Monogrammed cake toppers help personalize the wedding cake. The initial of your new surname is a wonderful addition to the cake. You could also choose the initial of your married surname surrounded by smaller initials of your name and your groom's.

Speaking of unique cake toppers, the style of cake topper where the bride and groom are arm-in-arm as if in motion down the aisle is going out the window quickly with modern brides. It's not unique or original. Instead, try a unique cake topper like a licensed character set. Or, go back to the "shocking" and try something very different that will garner a laugh faster than the best man's toast.

Altruistic & Generous — choose personalized wedding favors or charitable donations

Many couples are opting for personalized wedding favors. These are the same great favors but they feature the couple's name and wedding date. They also think about what they would want if they attended a wedding. This helps them choose a unique wedding favor for their guests. Anything that newlyweds can put their names or faces on is a great way to personalize the wedding.

Charitable donations are also being requested by newlyweds in lieu of wedding favors. Small envelopes with the announcement "a donation to (your favorite charity) has been made in your name" are becoming huge with environmentally friendly or activist couples.

Respectful & Classy — incorporate your parents wedding accents

This idea may seem a bit traditional but there's still a way to make your parent's stuff help your wedding feel personal. It also helps that it's YOUR parents stuff which means that no one else has had it or used it or will use it with maybe the exception of your siblings.

To personalize your wedding by using things your parents wedding accessories, make sure that you use these things where they enhance your personality. Your mother's bouquet may not be what you carry but it can be the inspiration for the bouquet centerpieces at the wedding reception. Perhaps your mother wore her mother's necklace during the ceremony. You may have something else in mind for your neck but many florists can secure the jewelry to your bouquet which means that you'll have it the entire time. Just find a twist for these items and it's the same good old feeling with a personal touch.

Furry & Faithful — include your pet(s) in the ceremony

Some couples are very attached to their pets. If you have a small dog or other trained pet, consider making them part of your wedding party. Attach the wedding ring to a pillow on the dog's collar. Of course, you have to keep in mind the personality of your pet. If they are nervous or excitable, consider a smaller role.

The more you plan your wedding the easier it will be to find unique ways to personalize it. Whatever you choose to do, make sure that it is a reflection of you and of your groom. It's your big day! Make it special and something that everyone will remember with great tips on wedding planning from Wedding And Party Network!!

Special thanks to:

Bake My Day, a wedding cake bakery in Louisville Kentucky, for the use of their polka dotted contemporary wedding cake photo.

Beautiful Weddings On A Budget, wedding coordinators in Fort Campbell Kentucky, for the use of their personalized photo cube table decorations photo.

Briar Rose Cottage Flowers, a wedding florist in Jesup Georgia, for the use of their wedding ceremony photo.

Escape Concepts, a wedding supplier in Charlotte North Carolina, for the use of their cake topper photo.