Personalize Your Wedding With These Details

In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Juliet asked, “What’s in a name?” Well, we at Columbus Weddings have a different question: What’s your name on? While cake toppers proclaiming the newlyweds’ new shared name or monogram will always be a classic way to personalize your day, Central Ohio couples are thinking outside the (cake) box and getting creative with their customization.

One of the hottest recent trends that’s fast becoming a wedding-day mainstay is a wooden or neon sign bearing the newlyweds’ first names, initials or shared last name, often adorning a floral or greenery wall. Their popularity is well-earned—they make for gorgeous photo backdrops and, post-wedding, can serve as home décor for years to come. We rounded up these and some of our other favorite examples from recent weddings; scroll down to see them.

Megan and Krisztian Lukacs

Married Dec. 18, 2021, at Jorgensen Farms Oak Grove

“Everything we selected just embodied who we are as a couple,” Megan says. That includes the cutouts of their cats’ faces, which were included among the photo booth props for the day, and the neon “Drunk in Love” sign that graced the backdrop. The cats, Mushu and Theo, also appeared on custom cocktail napkins at the bar. Guest favors took the form of cookies with an L (for Lukacs) in icing, and an elegant gold cake topper displayed their new shared last name.

Emilee Deutchman-Blaschke and Brian Blaschke

Married Nov. 20, 2021, at The Athletic Club of Columbus

One of Emilee’s close friends, a graphic designer by trade, created a monogram for Emilee’s and Brian’s wedding, and they put it to good use—it appeared on the couple’s invitations, day-of stationery, cake and even napkins. Emilee carried a customized beaded clutch bearing the wedding date and her married initials; Brian, meanwhile, sported cufflinks with his initials and a customized Breitling watch etched with his name and the emblem of his squadron in the Navy. For the ceremony, Emilee donned her mother’s veil, which had also been worn by her sister and matron of honor. 

Kyle Richards and John Folk

Married Aug. 21, 2021, at Vue Columbus

A neon sign mounted on a wall of greenery served as a photo backdrop for the newlyweds and their guests at this Brewery District fete. Because they kept their own last names, it made sense for Kyle and John to choose an elegant script version of their first-name initials for their sign. The entire day was designed to reflect their personalities, according to Kyle. “We made the wedding ours,” he says. “We enjoyed every minute of it and made sure to focus it around us.”

Irina and Nicolas Miller

Married Dec. 17, 2021, at Jorgensen Farms Oak Grove

The Millers’ wedding included many personal details (see more on Pages 59-60), and their names or initials appeared in a number of places: on a customized acrylic ring box, on Irina’s dress hanger, in neon on a greenery display behind the bar, and on cookies that served as guest favors. The cookies carried another element of personalization: a starry sky theme, which was found throughout the wedding décor in a nod to Nicolas’ love of space.

Sydney Keene-Grimes and Adam Grimes

Married Sept. 10, 2021, at Jorgensen Farms Oak Grove

“Adam and I both love an Old-Fashioned. I’m also pretty picky when it comes to ice in those and like a large cube,” Sydney says. “[It] seems a little silly to spend money on ice, but honestly they just taste better with big ice cubes!” She and Adam ordered large cubes with their initials branded on top from Rock On Ice. “They went perfectly with our branded fruit, also with our initials,” Sydney says. “It was just such a special touch and made the cocktails delicious and cute.” The couple’s initials also appeared on custom napkins and the cake topper.

Hannah and Steven Pryatel

Married Jan. 15, 2022, at St. Paul the Apostle Church; reception at High Line Car House

The Pryatels incorporated personal details in numerous ways, from wearing family heirlooms to DIYed cornhole boards that served as their guest book. A custom neon sign bearing their last name hung behind their sweetheart table, and their handmade cake topper, sourced from Etsy, was designed to look just like them—right down to their attire and flowers. “I plan to turn them into Christmas ornaments,” Hannah says. Their likenesses appeared in one other spot that day: on customized M&Ms that served as guest favors.

Marques Hillman Richeson and Charles Hillman

Married Nov. 13, 2021, at Walden in Aurora, Ohio

An artistic design incorporated Marques and Charles’ initials in the form of a custom gobo from Cleveland-based NPi Entertainment and on guests’ favors: mason jar candles. Guests also took home personalized tins of Harney & Sons’ “wedding tea” blend—white tea with hints of lemon, vanilla and rose.

This story originally appeared in the fall/winter 2022 issue of Columbus Weddings, which published in June 2022.