Having a Nontraditional Wedding? Here are 20 suggestions for making it special.

Thanks to my awesome vendor friends and the cool couples who've let me feature them, Poptastic Bride has managed to serve funky wedding ideas for more than a year now. It's also about time I organized some of my notable posts into a handy list for your convenience.

I know you don't want a cookie cutter event -- good for you :) -- so please allow me to share

Holga pic courtesy of Maile Lani Photography (watch out for more pics from this wedding soon!)

Poptastic Bride's 20 Nontraditional Wedding Ideas to Make Your Event Unique and Memorable

1. Having a nontraditional wedding is all about shying away from old customs -- the ones that don't mean anything to you anyway -- or giving expected traditions a new twist that's more in sync with your style. It's all about making your celebration mirror the real you so whether you're into steampunk, rock and roll, indie rock, goth, or geeky stuff, go right ahead and plan your wedding around the theme and make it truly yours.

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2. Incorporate elements of your heritage into your wedding. Each family has their own way of celebrating customs so this will make your nuptials extra special -- even more so if you and your fiance/e have different cultural backgrounds.  Sumanta and Stuart wore a traditional sari and kilt respectively to celebrate their Indian-Scottish union. Gillian's Scottish groom Andrew had the same idea.

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3. Not crazy about wearing a big, puffy all-white gown? Consider donning edgy handmade wedding dresses in different lengths, layers, and hues, or take inspiration from these alternative and fashion forward wedding gowns or these unique colorful gowns with unexpected details. Take inspiration from real brides Shana, Martine, Mery, Jeni, and Kitty who were adventurous enough to wear dresses that had pops of color.

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4.  If you're working on a tight budget, get an inexpensive white dress off the rack and simply accessorize it with Krissy's bold statement bridal belt and sashes. Alternatively you can take a cue from these modern Japanese-inspired gowns and embellish your plain dress with colorful cultural textiles like kimono silk, batik, ethnic weaves, sari fabrics, etc as a nod to your heritage.

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5.  Don't compromise your fashion style. Wear bright colored shoes, floral footwear, boots, or patterned tights and give your groom and guests an unexpected under-the-gown treat. If you have tattoos, wear them loud and proud.

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6. Make a statement by accessorizing yourself according to your theme. Take your pick from these handmade alternative bridal finds from Wed Eclectic, peacock feather hair clips,  origami-inspired jewelry, Japanese-style kanzashi accessories, steampunk ornaments, fabric floral necklaces and bibs, punky, bright Neo-Vicotrian and Gothic accessories, fabric yo-yo barrettes and fascinators, and shabby chic headbands.

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7. If you want to keep the "something blue" tradition, here are creative ways for incorporating it into your wedding attire.

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8. Do away with tight chignons. Let your hair cascade naturally around your face or wear them in dreads (if that's your style like the bride in the pic at the top of this page),  or clip on fun hair extensions and custom hairpieces.

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9. These days, a bridal party isn't entirely necessary but if you really must have your girls close by, get them to choose their own dresses (we don't want them resenting you forever for picking a dress that makes them look fat now, do we?). Several online boutiques offer super-cute party dresses, retro bridesmaid dresses, and adorable Bohemian style outfits so there's a lot to choose from. There's no need to be matchy too, just give them color swatches and let them have a ball choosing what to wear. These dresses will also look great in your vintage e-sessions.

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10.  Don't care much for real blooms? I myself love flowers but we can't deny that they're really expensive and impractical. Non-floral bouquets and centerpieces  consisting of brooches, felt and fabric rosettes, paper and seed balls, kanzashi, and ribbons, are now widely accepted because, aside from being eco-friendly, the "flowerless flowers" can double as precious keepsakes of your big day.

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11. There's nothing more personal than making your wedding accessories by hand, be it your invitation, jewelry, reception signage, hair accessories and bouquet, favors, table centerpieces, or your own gown. Real groom Jim is a production designer so naturally, his steampunk wedding was chock-full of handmade details, from their invites to the 12 working table lamps at their reception. There's Jeni & Travis' 50s DIY wedding which had a lot of homemade details too. Your guests will appreciate your efforts and you and your husband will be rewarded with souvenirs that you can treasure and even decorate your home with.

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12.  Have your cake designed according to your theme. Take a look at these funky wedding cakes with themes ranging from the classic Pac-Man game to Back to the Future, these cute robot cakes, retro tattoo cakes, the Dia de los Muertos cake,  and the famous katamari wedding cake.

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13. Ditch the old-fashioned ceramic bride and groom figurines and adorn your cake with a standout handmade wedding topperthat's guaranteed to catch attention.

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14. If you want to push the envelope further, ditch the traditional wedding cake as well! You can go for something that can double as favors like creampuffs arranged in a croquembouche, cupcakes in tiered stands, or fun individually wrapped stacked cookie wedding cakes.

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15. Give "Here Comes the Bride" a rest (apologies to Richard Wagner). March down the aisle to your favorite song and dance to our indie rock reception music selections to your hearts' content. If you're musically inclined, make like my friend Annette and play your own wedding music (watch her rocking out to Metallica on the drums).

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16.  If you want a truly retro or vintage look, opt for analog photos as opposed to digital ones. Check out this selection of polaroid wedding photos and lomographs and instant photography prints. You can also distribute disposable instant cameras to your guests and have them take photos of your wedding. Later on, you can have fun seeing your wedding unfold through your friends' eyes.

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17. Wedding guestbooks are now a thing of the past. Say hello to fingerprint trees. You can have them custom-made, or you can order one of our ready-to-use fingerprint tree posters.

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18.  Who says wedding invitations  always have to be made of paper? There are non-paper invitation alternatives out there made of fabric, glass, wood, and even chocolate! Also worth checking out is Jim and Martine's steampunked USB stick invitation.

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19. If you're going for paper invitations, make them stand out like the ingenious paper record player, these invites printed with awesome photography, or The Treespace Studio's wonderful custom hand-made watercolor invites. (My own invite was a pop-up which was pretty nontrad... back in 2003 LOL).

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20. If you're in a hurry to get your invites, Poptastic Bride's modern invitation sets can be customized online. Our designs feature unconventional graphics such as owls, robots, boomboxes and mixtapes, and more which go with alternative wedding themes. Shipment is fulfilled by Zazzle and depending on where you are, you will get the invites in as early as 2 days. Don't forget to keep an eye on our wedding printablespage for free DIY templates and more!

Whew! If you're still here,  thanks for reading all the way to the end of the page.  I hope the tips I shared will inspire you in your wedding planning -- just remember not to get caught up with the details too much so you won't lose sight of the reason you are getting married in the first place. ;)

How about you, how did you make your wedding personal and non-traditional? If you had a wedding that veers away from convention, send me a note so I can feature it here!