Silly Wedding Ideas that Sound Good but Don’t Work

It’s okay… everyone has silly ideas, especially about their weddings. And, thankfully, most people come to their senses after a while. Those that don’t usually end up on YouTube videos that might make other people laugh but can make the stars of the show feel like pointing a flame-thrower at the screen.

To spare you from this embarrassing situation, we’ll cover some of these ideas that might seem really good at the time but that just need to be quietly placed in your wedding trash bin.

Silly Idea #1 – Having an Outdoor Wedding in Bad Weather

This should already be obvious enough, but we can’t tell you how many people fall into this trap. They have some gorgeous mountains nearby where they grew up hiking, or a mystical forest that would be perfect for that nature-themed wedding.

But it really depends on the weather and the ease of access to a back-up option.

Many of us remember that sweet episode of Friends where Phoebe and Mike’s wedding took place in a snowy New York evening. They made it feel like a cozy fairytale with the lighting, music and snowflakes falling gently. Guests sat wearing their winter coats and big smiles. And everyone was warmed by the embers of their love.

But that’s not what usually goes down in real life. After 10 minutes or so of sitting in the snow wearing your fancy shoes and getting closer to hypothermia, you just want to go somewhere with booze and indoor heating.

The same is true for heat. If your wedding is in the dead of summer, think about whether the area you’ve chosen is going to be too hot, humid and stuffy.

This doesn’t just go for outdoor weddings, some cathedrals or temples or venues might not have heating or ACs either.

Silly Idea #2 – Having a Destination Wedding on Short Notice or Tight Budget

The tropical island wedding is a popular idea. And for good reason: it’s romantic, fun and memorable. It also makes for great photo ops.

But the logistics are not just about booking a venue, flights and hotel rooms. You will need to think about a lot of other stuff. Once again, you’ll have to consider the weather at that destination at the time of year you want your wedding.

You’ll also have to factor in the different budget capacities of your guests – not all of them could afford to spend that much money or take time off work. And if you don’t have a designated professional helping all your guests with their trip plans, you’ll have to fill that role yourself. Don’t expect your best man to appreciate this much responsibility either.

You’ll probably need to visit the place at least once, and find a local wedding planner who you can be in constant contact with to iron out all the details.

If your wedding is soon, or if your budget is a little tight, this option will be more stressful than enjoyable.

Silly Idea #3 – Challenging Venue

Adding to the previous two ideas, throw in the wedding trash bin any venue that is difficult to get to, or is difficult to set up properly.

For example, if you have to get to the place by hiking a trail and there is no easy transportation option, many of your guests will have a hard time – the elderly, children, those with health issues, etc. Also, by the end of the night when people have had a few drinks in them, it will also be a difficult walk back.

Or, if you have different venues for different parts of the wedding, and they are all far away from each other, or don’t have easy parking or transportation options, you might have a hard time with coordinating it all.

The bottom line is that the venue should serve your comfort, not stress you or any of your guests out.

Silly Idea #4 – Going Full DIY

Oh, the ambition! It’s very cute, and can be a great idea, to do some parts of the wedding yourself. Maybe wrapping up little gifts for the guests, or designing the invitations, or even coming up with some special cocktails.

But, please, please, please don’t do everything yourself. The flowers, the catering, the invitations, the logistics, the music playlist and the theme décor – those are all things that will have you pulling out your hair if you do not delegate.

You don’t need professionals for everything, but if your wedding guest list is anything bigger than immediate family and best friends, you will get so stressed and so exhausted that you won’t enjoy your own special day.

Silly Idea #5 – Relying on Children or Pets for Important Roles

OK, who’s guilty of wanting their dog, or worse yet, their cat, to be the ring bearer? Little Buster might be highly trained at home, but can you imagine the mess when he’s in a strange venue with dozens of people, loud noises, flowers everywhere and lots of doors and windows around

It won’t be pretty. So, just forget it.

Same goes for kids that are just too young. Your cousin’s daughter might be the most adorable thing anyone’s ever seen, but at 3 years old she might not feel very comfortable being the flower girl. She might be tired, scared, confused or hungry.

If you must have a child do something, choose one who is a little older, or have their mom or dad be with them during their performance.

Silly Idea #6 – Doing Weird Things to Your Body

Crash diets are bad. They are unhealthy, they always backfire, and they will put you in a bad mood. Also, going crazy with training at the gym when you’ve been sedentary for years is not sustainable.

Health and fitness are not things you just do a couple of weeks before the summer or the big day. They are lifelong pursuits - lifestyles that take time to build up.

Also, trying out a new facial treatment or having plastic surgery or anything like that is not something you should do just to look a certain way in your wedding photos. These are all procedures that take time to research, with risks to consider, and they probably cost a lot of money.

If your wedding is a year or so away, start your health and fitness journey now, slowly and steadily. Your body and health will thank you for it.

Silly Idea #7 – Over-“Theming”

Yes, Avatar was an awesome movie. And those Na’vi are beautiful creatures indeed. But are you really going to get elf-ears as wedding party favors and insist everyone wear them while the movie soundtrack plays during the dinner that’s served on leaf-shaped plates?

Themes are cool. Or at least they can be cool. If they are tasteful, fun and, most importantly, not overbearing.

You also need to think long-term. Are your wedding videos and photos going to make you cringe in 10 years if you see yourself wearing that silver-plated fake armor.

Silly Idea #8 – Cash Bars

This one is easy. Imagine yourself as a guest at someone’s wedding. You dress up, get the couple a nice gift, make the trip and are full of energy to celebrate.

You then walk up to the bar and suddenly you realize you have to pay for your drink. Your wallet is in the car. You leave the drink at the bar, walk to your table and ask a family member if they have their wallet. They wonder why. You tell them it’s a cash bar. They look at each other a little confused, and then they realize what they have to do all night to get drinks.

Enough said.

Silly Idea #9 – Honeyfund

Maybe you don’t know what that is. It’s basically a crowdfunding app for weddings, honeymoons, etc. It sounds like a good idea, but when you scratch below the surface, it’s really the most efficient way to snuff out the magic and pride that comes from paying for your own wedding and honeymoon.

Our opinion is that if you can’t afford that dream destination wedding, just do something romantic and small that you can afford. It will be yours, and your guests won’t feel pressured to help you reach some unreasonable funding goal.

Silly Idea #10 – Asking Friends to do Professionals’ Jobs

Last, but definitely not least, is a mistake many of us make.

Your younger sister has great taste in music, and maybe she even dabbles a little bit with music mixing software. But that doesn’t make her a good wedding DJ.

Your cousin is a great photographer. His Instagram account is full of the most amazing nature shots and he gets a lot of likes and followers. But, again, that does not make him a good wedding photographer.

There are wedding specialists for a reason. They need to be fast, attuned to the energy of the room and the mood of the guests, and they need to be able to handle a lot of pressure.

So, if any of these ideas are still on the table for you, please do your research and think about it. And use the same logic for any other “weird and wonderful” ideas you might have.