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Bridesmaids in brown, cupcakes instead of cake, vegetables as table decor, reception guests donning fake mustaches for goofy poses in photo booths.

This is not your mother’s wedding.

“Now, it’s really about who you are,” says Jill Childs, owner of Events by I. Candy, who rents some of the trendiest decor around for area weddings. She’s working with one couple who chose a movie theme for the wedding. On tap: a popcorn buffet.

Childs’ showroom near U.S. 131 and 54th Street SW is stocked with big apothecary jars, glossy white candelabras dripping with crystals, oversized glass and chrome drink dispensers with little spigots, huge decorative bird cages and an array of accessories — from chair covers to chargers to table linens to lamp shades — all printed to match.

Childs, an art school graduate who also owns a graphic design and print shop, Printech, sees couples bringing their personal styles to their weddings more than ever before. Other wedding planners agree: creativity rules.

A look at what creative couples are doing:

Cupcakes are big. Well, actually, they’re small, which is part of the appeal. “Guests can just grab ’em,” Grand Rapids wedding planner Aletha VanderMaas of Pearls Events says. They save money, too, she notes. Get a tower of them, instead of a cake.

Photo booths have been popular for the past few years and still are going strong. Set up at the reception, it offers guests a chance to ham it up then print out a strip of pics — one to keep and one to go to the bride and groom. The bride and groom get an album at the end filled with the strips. Used as a guest book, guests can write in their messages.

Colorful, casual invitations. Used to be, you could choose from ivory or white and matched with perfect, creative and unique envelopes such as poly envelopes. Now, color rules, says Joy’l Ver Heul of Paper Nest Designs, which makes custom invitations — no two designs the same.

Grand Rapids bride Elizabeth Tejchma, who married Donald Pasco in October, wore a teal bolero jacket atop her white gown with matching teal shoes.

Which color? Tip: The color experts at Pantone, which follows color trends in fashion and movies, announced that 2010’s Color of the Year is turquoise.

Bling. “Detail, detail, detail,” Walker florist Shelly Johnson said at her booth at last month’s West Michigan Wedding Association Bridal Show. Her flowers all had extra sparkle — gemstones glued in flower centers, dotted at petal’s edge or strewn on thread throughout the bouquet.

Another modern touch, Johnson says — small mementos tucked in the bridal bouquet or attached with ribbons. A photo of a loved one, maybe, or jewelry that has meaning.

Involving the guests. Ver Heul attended a recent wedding at which each guest was given a flower as they entered the church. After the minister explained how the flowers were symbols of love for the bride and groom, guests were invited to the altar to add their varied blooms to large glass vases, taking part in the arrangements that decorated the church, then the reception.

Out with the old. “Couples are moving away from things like the garter toss,” VanderMaas says. At her wedding three years ago, instead of tossing her bouquet to a crowd of single women, she graciously presented it to the woman at her wedding who had been married the longest. “She was so thrilled,” she recalls.

Think outside the vase. Table centerpieces don’t have to be flowers. “One couple who met at the library used piles of cool old books and mingled in candles,” VanderMaas says. “I’ve seen birdcages. And lots of fruit. Fruit is big. Not all 20 tables have to have the same centerpiece.”

Make it personal. More than ever, couples are incorporating their own stories into their wedding, planners say.

VanderMaas tells of one wedding at which the bride and groom were seasoned travelers. Each table at the reception was named for a place they had visited, with a card telling a story of their visit there. “Everyone loved walking around reading all the stories,” she says.

Ver Heul knows a couple who collected antique bingo cards. They used them as the background for their wedding invitation.

Do good. Some couples turn their wedding into a charity fundraiser, asking guests to donate to good causes in lieu of gifts.