We're having a photobooth, a sundae bar, a candy/dessert bar, and a s'mores bar. I am super excited for the s'mores bar :)
The text message thing is really cute. I'm not gonna steal it though, I have enough to stress out about already :)
We're not doing traditional "favors". I have so much useless crap from other weddings crowding my drawers. I figure less than 50% of wedding favors actually get used. Se we decided to turn our candy/dessert bar into a favor. We're providing ample amounts of many varieties of candy and letting our guests make own take away bags. Also, for the guests who don't consider that a "real" favor, we're having cd's made of songs that mean something to our relationship and a little description of why. We're having these done professionally for a polished look.
Have you considered flowers yet? Bouquets usually run at around $100/ea for bridesmaids and $200 for the bride. Centerpieces can go from $50 to $500/ea or higher! Flowers can easily eat a huge chunk of the budget if you hire a florist. I'm not sure about the south but out here a MODEST floral budget runs over $2000. I have seen many people successfully DIY them though. Believe it or not, SamsClub and Costco have lovely bulk flowers that can be delivered straight to your door. You can find tons of tutorials on Youtube on how to arrange them.