“Can’t think of a better way to capture the exact moment we begin the rest of our lives with eachother. Made our own rings, wrote our own vows, and took our own first pic right at the alter after reading those vows.” Andy and Tram @andypham__
There's a shift happening in how couples are approaching their weddings. Instead of just buying things or checking boxes on an endless to do list, couples planning weddings in 2026 are asking different questions: What will we actually remember? What do we really care about?
The answer is changing how weddings look and feel. Couples are choosing experiences that create lasting memories. Moments of genuine connection, shared adventures, and stories they'll tell for decades. Not because it's trendy, but because it feels more authentic to who they are.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by Pinterest-perfect wedding expectations, this might be exactly what you need to hear.
Here at With These Rings I am a big fan of experience based wedding ideas. After all that is what I offer in my workshop. Here are ways the couples from my workshop have made their wedding day their own.
Make Your Own Wedding Rings Together
This is something most couples don't even know is possible: you can actually make each other's wedding rings by hand.
When couples first discover this option, the reaction is usually something like "wait, can we really do that?" Yes. You absolutely can, and no previous jewelry experience is needed.
Cody and Wendy making rings in the With These Rings studio.
Imagine spending a day together learning traditional metalworking techniques, using a jeweler's torch, shaping metal, creating something with your own hands that you'll wear every single day for the rest of your lives. You work with a professional jeweler who guides you through every step in a private workshop, just the two of you.
This isn't like DIYing your centerpieces or making wedding favors. This is creating the one thing you'll have with you always, with the memory of making them together woven into every glance at your hand.
Marya, who made rings at With These Rings. shared: "Our experience was not only worth every penny, but was by far the best decision we've made for our wedding. We made simple, timeless bands for each other and the whole experience could not have been more perfect."
Cassandra wrote: "I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a meaningful, memorable, and super fun experience...the whole weekend was an amazing time and a highlight of the wedding process. I think it will only be outdone by the wedding itself."
You get both the experience AND heirloom quality rings. It becomes part of your love story, not just the rings themselves, but the day you spent creating them together. Many couples turn their ring making workshop into a romantic weekend getaway, exploring a new town while they're there.
Learn more about making your own rings at With These Rings →
Kyle and Bridget’s wedding day in the mountains was “filled with surprises and adventures and so much laughter!”@itsbridgeandberk Photos:@katelynkristinephotography
Other Experience Based Wedding Ideas
Once you start thinking about experiences over things, lots of possibilities open up:
Adventure elopements or private moments before your ceremony: Do you two spend all of your time in nature or out adventuring? A hike, private boat charter, or even a helicopter tour to exchange vows. Either, if you plan to elope or sometime before the big event if you want the best of both worlds. These types of memorable moments away from the crowd can be a time to be present with each other, immersed in an incredible landscape.
Private chef experience: Is your relationship built around good food? Skip the standard catering tasting and book a private chef to create a multi course tasting for just you two (or your closest people). Food is deeply personal, and working with a chef to design your menu can turn wedding planning into an actual celebration.
Workshop weekends with guests: Are you big DIYers? For smaller weddings, invite your people for a weekend workshop; pottery, cooking, floral arranging, even a group outdoor adventure. Your guests will remember the weekend you all learned something new together way more than another rehearsal dinner.
Ring warming ceremony: Are you sentimental? Give your loved ones the opportunity to hold and imbue your wedding bands with a wish, blessing or prayer for your marriage. Learn more here.
Experience based registry: Register for things you'll do together: cooking classes, national park passes, contributions toward honeymoon adventures. Your guests still get to give you something meaningful, but you're building memories instead of accumulating stuff.
Miao and Zerong brought their sweet pup, Ganzhe, for their ring making workshop. Photo by MJ Photography (Yes, With These Rings is dog friendly!)
How to Actually Do This
You don't need to reinvent your entire wedding. Start with what matters to you as a couple. What do you actually love doing together? Let that guide you rather than wedding magazines.
Ask yourself: "Will we remember this in 20 years?" A day spent making your wedding rings? Absolutely. The exact shade of your napkins? Probably not.
Choose quality over quantity. Pick one or two meaningful experiences rather than trying to make everything experience based. Even one powerful shared moment, can become the story you tell again and again.
Build in breathing room. Experiences need time. Don't pack your schedule so tight that you can't actually savor anything. Leave space for spontaneity and being present.
And of course Ganzhe was also there for Miao and Zerong’s big day! @ganzhe_sugarcane
The goal isn't to follow a new trend or check different boxes. It's to create a wedding that actually feels like you, one where you'll look back and remember not just how it looked, but how it felt.
Where to Start
If this resonates with you, start small. Pick one thing that excites you, maybe it's making your rings together, maybe it's a sunrise hike, maybe it's having your dog as your witness! (Which is only legal in some states and Washington is not one of them.)
That one choice can shift everything. It gives you permission to prioritize what actually matters to you over what you think a wedding "should" be.
Your wedding doesn't have to be all experiences or all traditional. It just has to feel like you. And sometimes that means choosing one or two deeply meaningful moments that you'll carry with you long after the last dance.
Interested in learning more about making your own wedding rings? Check out the ring making workshop here or see examples of rings made by real couples.