With a little creativity and input from some of Alaska's top wedding experts, you can prevent wedding reception déjà vu for both you and your guests.

Set Your Party Apart
By Mara Severin

From live fish to a chocolate fountain - ideas to make your reception a distinctive event

Are you experiencing "déjà vu"? Are you looking at your wedding reception plans and thinking: "Haven't I seen this somewhere before!"

If you have to ask, the answer is probably yes.

You've seen it at your cousin's wedding, your college roommate's wedding, your aunt's wedding. Don't look now, but you're accidentally planning a cookie cutter reception.

Don't despair. It's not too late. With a little creativity and input from some of Alaska's top wedding experts, you can prevent wedding reception déjà vu for both you and your guests.
Here are some ideas that will have them saying, "I know I've never seen this before!"

For extra flavor, add a little 'seasoning'
Connie Christianson of Alaska Flower Shop urges her brides to let the seasons have their say.

"Take advantage of the beautiful Christmas swags and wreaths that only appear in winter," she says. "Or choose wreath centerpieces with candles and holly berry accents. Or for Christmas, choose red roses and white Casablanca lilies which would make a beautiful and unique addition to a red and green theme."

DeDe Idsinga, the wedding expert at Partycraft, agrees that the seasons offer endless decorating ideas. For a winter wedding, Idsinga suggests birch branches wrapped in white tulle and white lights, a very popular item at Partycraft. "Along with candles, these give a nice, soft wintry glow to the room," she says. Or, she says, "think snowflakes - snowflake confetti, cutouts, and doilies." Scatter them on tablecloths, chairs, the buffet and the floor. They're affordable and fun.

For fall, Idsinga recommends warm, rich colors. "Go with a darker tablecloth and opt for ivory and gold accessories and table wear." Then she suggests accenting the tables with leaf garlands and scattering fall leaves instead of petals or confetti.

Break out the sourdough (even if you're a Cheechako)
Got a hankering for a truly Alaskan affair? Want to add those special touches to your Big Day that are undeniably Alaskan? The Alaska Native Heritage Center, steeped in Alaskan culture, offers a one-of-a-kind staging area for your wedding and reception.

"We can arrange for some unique centerpieces featuring beautiful Native dolls," says Shari Hart, the center's event coordinator. "We also can arrange for authentic Native dance groups to entertain," she says. "It's so much fun and definitely Alaskan."

With 26 picturesque acres and its very own lake, the Alaska Native Heritage Center is the perfect venue for a dramatic touch on a grand scale.

For added Alaska flair, make an entrance to your reception in an Alaskan Husky "dog limousine," a unique service offered by Lucky Husky. Pulled by a well-trained team of Alaskan Huskies and driven by an experienced musher, you can snuggle up with your sweetie in an authentic freight sled on wheels equipped with cushions and blankets for comfortable riding. The company also offers dog sled rides to entertain your guests during the reception.

Center of attention
All eyes will be on you, the beautiful bride ... and on those sensational centerpieces. Connie Christianson of Alaska Flower Shop recently helped one bride coordinate some truly "fishy" centerpieces. Beta bowls, as they're called - large clear bowls with fish swimming contentedly among the underwater foliage - made a splash at this particular wedding.

"They were truly unique and quite a conversation piece," she says. And an excellent party favor for some lucky guests.
Christianson likes to help brides find their own decorating talent. "There are so many great products that can help," she says. For example, her store sells a beaded, reusable wire grid that makes flower arranging easier for the amateur floral designer. Craft stores sell inexpensive vases, gemstones, and ribbons, she says. Have her shop provide the cut flowers and let your creative juices flow.

Candles are another inexpensive, do-it-yourself item where a little goes a long way, says Christianson. "Many people are using little mirrors as a base for candles," she says. "It doubles the candlelight and really adds to the ambience." Even better, many of the larger wedding venues can provide them to you. So light up the night and get twice the glow for your dough!

Details, details
Kristen Gumley of Valley Rental Center knows that the difference between fine and fabulous is almost always in the details.
"We have the basics," she says, "but we can also provide those special extra touches that you don't even know you're looking for when you come in." Think organza table overlays, elegant chair covers, tons of florals, dramatically tall vases, tiny little bud vases, crystal glasses, punch fountains, and even garden fountains. And if you don't see it? Just ask, and they'll do their best to get it for you.

Let nature be your guide
Let Mother Nature do your decorating for you, says Idsinga. In Alaska, a well-chosen site can be "decorative" enough, she says. Choose a botanical garden and forget bringing flowers. Look into mountaintop sites where the view speaks for itself, and just make sure to leave the windows free and clear. With breathtaking natural surroundings, your decorations can be simple but your memories will be extravagant.

Kamichia Spisak of Peninsula Tent & Rental agrees. "You don't have to be afraid of the great outdoors," she says. It may sound more difficult, but her company can provide a beautiful array of wedding tents suitable for any location. "River side, the middle of a field, anyplace you can think of," she says. "You get to choose a beautiful setting, and then you can make it more dramatic with festive white tents." The tents can be decorated with Christmas lights, tulle, and white paper lanterns as Spisak did for her own wedding. Some have French windows for added charm. Most importantly, they provide an elegant defense against bad weather.

You've got your strawberry in my chocolate!
So you've got your designer gown, your five-star caterer, your room with a view, and your French champagne. But something is missing. Your reception is not quite, well, decadent enough. Say no more.

Susan Sindorf of Alaska Chocolate Fountains is an expert on decadence. Her company will provide your reception with a stainless steel fountain that continuously flows Belgian chocolate.

"You can do long stemmed strawberries, and serve champagnes and red wines, for an elegant touch," says Sindorf. Or you can go nostalgic and break out the graham crackers and marshmallows. S'mores anyone? Remember, she says: "Chocolate produces pheromones and helps induce feelings of euphoria, happiness and love."

Euphoria, happiness and love ... what more do you need at a wedding?