For Ashley and Marshall, Charlotte, North Carolina had it all—it was the place they fell in love, the city where Marshall proposed and the home of the Mint Museum, a “modern, artistic building boasting dramatic windows, light, gorgeous art and city views,” Ashley said. “It was the perfect venue for our reception.” The couple “capitalized on an edgy, artistic feel mixed with the Southern glamour of Charlotte,” Ashley said, incorporating artwork and interior design into their day wherever they could.

The couple asked Ashley’s mother to shop a Charlotte farmers market to find flowers to use for the couple’s loose centerpieces, and told their bridesmaids to don any turquoise dress of their choice. Ashley found vintage earrings she used as escort card holders. The couple used old mirrors to write messages to guests and instructions for their photo booth. And the cake—a three-tier tower adorned by vibrant blooms—became a centerpiece to the room when the couple hung clear ornaments above it.

Megan and Chris let their inner artists—and inner children—out by hosting their wedding at San Diego’s New Children’s Museum. “At first I thought it would be crayons and building blocks, but after our initial visit, we knew the building—a steel and glass structure with clean crisp lines—would be a great spot for an urban, contemporary wedding,” Megan said. The couple insisted on using local vendors to create a wedding affair that melded modern elements with their desert chic theme.

Megan, a freelance graphic designer, created the couple’s save the dates from square cardstock postcards, tying in their wedding colors with grey text. Florist Che Bella used crespedia and branches to construct a ceremony arrangement, and mixed living orbs, succulents and branches for the couple’s reception centerpieces. And while the couple enjoyed a first look—“We didn’t miss out on any of the reception, maximizing our time with family and friends,” Megan explained—they also took advantage of the museum’s rainbow-colored bounce house for some especially fun photos.

Kristine and Matt’s wedding, the bride said, was not decidedly retro, despite what you might see below. “People have a tendency to look back at our wedding and try to figure out a theme,” Kristine said. “But that comes from a need to simplify and categorize things. If anything, our theme was wedding. We obviously pulled elements of great style and iconic images from different eras, but I think the outcome was relevant and current.”

The bride and groom worked hard to keep their ceremony serious and spiritual, Kristine said, saving frivolous fun for the reception. “No matter what someone’s faith base is, I feel that the wedding is a sacred venture,” Kristine said. “And Matt and I just wanted to acknowledge that fact and not make it light or silly. We didn’t want jovial anecdotes about our relationship thrown in, or the best man forgetting the ring, or a ring bearer that picks his nose.”

She said, “We just felt like, this is a really profound moment. Why try and dilute that?”

Years after Nikki and Reid were set up on a triple date—not with each other, mind you, but with one another’s roommates—the pair was planning an April wedding.

“I’m an out-of-the-box, break-tradition kind of thinker,” Nikki said, “ but I also knew that a wedding is about family. So we met in the middle with a lot of my crazy ideas.”

The former college soccer captain “didn’t want your stereotypical pink and girly wedding, so I chose navy blue for one of our colors,” Nikki said. “I also knew that April in Minnesota could mean snow, so I really wanted to create spring inside. I chose an apple green for our second color, and made the majority of our centerpieces with grass bases.”

The couple’s commitment to God and church took a front seat at their ceremony, Nikki said. “Our number one thing was that we wanted the gospel to be shared,” Nikki said. “Second, we wanted everyone to enjoy themselves. So, we built our reception around that. We had a wonderful meal, photo booth, great dancing, a fire pit outside on the patio where people could get away and roast s’mores, pizza brought in for people just coming to dance, and a relaxing atmosphere.”