Deciding on a look and feel is an enjoyable aspect of your wedding planning, and ultimately the day itself. It can, however, be challenging to narrow down what you want to achieve here.
Ideally, your style and theme should reflect your tastes as a couple. These will become a filter for all of your wedding details – from the save the dates to the dinner placemats.
Remember, you want to choose a timeless theme so you won't cringe or regret it when you look back at the photos in 20 years!
So how do you nail this? Let's find out.
First let’s get the difference between style and theme out the way. These terms are related and often used interchangeably but they aren’t the same concept.
Style refers to how the different elements are placed to create the overall appearance. Thus, this links to the overall look and feel (aesthetics) of your wedding.
Theme refers to an idea that is strongly shown and recurs within a project. We have all been to at least one 80’s or 90’s themed party in our life-time, so you know what we mean here.
Take some time out to sit and dream about your wedding day with your partner. Each do this and write down your favourite aspects and chat about it.
While doing this, you'll find specific colours and looks appeal to you more, automatically. Perhaps it's natural or neutral colours, or perhaps bolder, darker ones. This is an easy place to start if you can picture it.
If not think back on previous weddings you have attended in person, seen in movies, or turn to social media and start searching for general inspiration to pick up on what you like.
Two other important aspects to think about here are:
A lot of couples get caught up in the idea of what a wedding should be in general instead of looking at what their wedding needs to be. This is a day to celebrate you as a couple coming together as one.
Look at your personal tastes, hobbies, and likes. What makes you two, you? Think of some key words and phrases that describe you as a couple and use them to try and find a fitting theme and mood for the day.
You can even look at how you can add your personal hobbies, and passions to the day. Love motorcycles? Leave the reception on one. Met on the beach? Have the ceremony on it. Burgers are your favourite food? Main meal at the reception.
This doesn’t mean you need to have a full, formal cultural wedding if you don’t want one. All this means is incorporating some of the cultural and/or religious elements of both of your backgrounds into your wedding.
This can bring originality to the design, and be symbolic of the merging of your heritages and/or religions. It is also a budget friendly alternative to having two weddings (if possible) to honour multiple backgrounds.
Considering your roots is also a beautiful way to take family traditions and customs into the future with you as a newly married couple and a newly forged family (even if it is just the two of you… and maybe a few pets).
A venue can limit the interpretation of your theme or render some almost unusable because they clash. For example, it would be difficult (or very expensive) to have a winter wonderland theme in a safari venue that is geared towards more rustic themed weddings.
While searching for your venue, you will need to keep your theme in mind and see if it will be able to accommodate it. Look at the space available, landscape, ambience, and features of the venue. Keep in mind whether or not your theme will look better and/or is better suited to being indoors or outdoors or if it will work in either.
Sometimes your venue can do most of the heavy lifting in contributing to your theme. For example, a beach venue with the ocean as the backdrop will be the perfect complementary element if you want a more nautical themed wedding.
Unfortunately, not all themes are quite attainable on a small budget. You can get away with simple version of them but sometimes it is better to consider alternatives that you can make stunning on what you can afford to spend.
You don’t have to follow any trends if your budget isn’t going to allow it. You don’t want to overspend on wedding expenses and start your marriage off in debt if you can avoid it. So, keep in mind what materials, rentals, etc. you afford and if you are going to DIY a lot of the décor – what your skills are (please use all tools and DIY items safely!).
Here are some themes that are a little more budget friendly – rustic, garden, outdoor, or vintage themes. These are more forgiving themes and don’t require as the same level of expenses as some of the other themes out there to achieve an amazing result. Here are our tips on getting started on your wedding décor.
Create a sense of unity by integrating elements of the season you are getting married during into the décor. You can do this through the use of colour, flora, texture, and the food you serve.
To stay in tune with what is going on season-wise at your wedding time think of the types of colours that season evokes – winter lends itself well to darker colours while spring suits brighter and more pastel colours.
The flora, fauna and food that is available seasonally may influence your options and thus add to the seasonal influence in your theme. Some styles of floral arrangements will suit each season better than others.
Also remember to keep the weather in mind for the time of year you are getting married as this may impact what you can and can’t do; especially if it is an outdoor venue.
Keep your personal preferences and the season you are getting married in in mind when choosing your wedding colours. Ask yourselves these questions:
Now, you can create a colour scheme off our personal tastes, seasonal colours or combine them. The choice is up to you.
If you are getting married in Autumn and want to use a seasonal colour scheme you could look at using reds, oranges, yellows, golds, and browns.
If you want to go with a personal colour scheme and love hot pink but just can’t make it work then you can use a shade of pink like a rose pink.
Some themes lend themselves better to certain moods. A relaxed mood will suit a beach or bohemian wedding. Read our blog on how to pull off the boho theme.
Both yours and your guests’ attire can influence your theme. Do you want a very formal dress code (glamourous, vintage, fairy-tale themes) or a more casual dress code (boho, beach, rustic, garden themes)?
While you not want to do what everyone else is doing, it's always beneficial to look at what's on-trend. You may find one or two elements that you love or find they spark an amazing idea. Use this as an option for inspiration, and make the ultimate theme your own.
That’s not to say if you don’t want a super trendy wedding you can’t or shouldn’t have one. If you and your partner are a trend setters or people who love the trends and who often follow them, then have an on-trend wedding.
You can review this year’s trends by visiting our yearly trend blog.
When in doubt, chat to your planner about what kinds of colours, textures, and items mesh, and what would work best for your venue and personal style. Your planner has probably helped choose dozens of themes and will be able to offer some valid suggestions.
Take their advice, but pepper it with things you and your partner love as well. It is about you two, after all.
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