Where do I start and what will work for me?
When you first begin to envision your big day, questions start to come to mind; what colour palette will I use, how do I want the table decor to look, where do I see myself walking down the aisle, what will my evening reception look like? These thoughts can become rather overwhelming as a wedding is ALOT to plan. This is where theming comes in handy and can be a great base to start designing your wedding.
The checklist below will run through key questions to prompt you into beginning to decide your theme. This is a great initial activity to do and will help your wedding planner work with you, as they can envision the style that you are trying to achieve.
Season:
When do you plan to schedule your wedding for?
Winter: Winter is a great theme in itself. Think light up baubles, cosy blankets, toasted marshmallow scent, mulled wine, banquets, hanging mistletoe …. The list really could go on. The options for creating this festive feel are endless and can be as subtle or drastic as you please. You may like to opt for a chic cosy castle as they often have grand staircases and toasty little nooks, creating that perfect winter wonderland look. Christmas is also a great season for entertainment and you may wish to include a little festive themed fun.
Spring: That nice in between cool but sunny and gorgeous greens and blooming flowers. For me a spring aesthetic is all about using those pastels and greens and I can see this working beautifully in a glass conservatory.
Summer: Summer is the season for Alfresco; Whether it’s a walled garden, a setting by a lake, a marquee in a field, a forest. You should really use the setting around you and embrace the great outdoors. For instance if you’re having the wedding in a beautiful country garden you may wish to settle on a theme of ‘English Meadow/Garden party’. In a woodland setting you may wish to build on that ‘Twilight woodland’ theme. One of the most popular ideas in summer is to create a mini ‘festival’. By having a live band, food stalls, quirky signs.
Autumn: Autumnal months create that beautiful ambiance between a crispy cold morning with some sun or that cosy cold (but not too cold) feel. The ‘Moody’ aesthetic is most suited alongside other arty style wedding ideas. A great option is to use that autumnal palette in a barn environment. Autumnal colour combos, mulled cider, twilight light trees, earthy tones, harvest theme, bonfire night and hearty meals – sounds delightful.
Colour
What time of the year am I having my wedding? How can the colour enhance the space?
The time of the year can also impact colour choice. For Autumnal months you may wish to include a colour palette of burnt oranges, maple, moss green, walnut brown and gold. For spring you may wish to include light pastel colours which resonate with the flowers blooming. Summer is the season for bright colours and using bold blues, purples and pinks whereas winter is the time to bring out the velvet red, icy whites and shimmering silvers.
However, the season isn’t the only thing you can use to help influence your colour palette. In fact, colours can be a great way to enhance the theme you are working on.
If you are having a
Garden theme: Opt for pastels, Lavender, vine leaves and subtle colours of your favourite flowers.
Romantic theme: Blush pinks, rose reds, Gold
Classic theme: Clean whites, Ivory, Black, Sage green
Beach theme: Light and airy blues, Sandy tans, Peachy coral
Whimsical theme: Bright mix matched colour splashes such as a blend of sage, orange and fuschia
Location
Where am I having my wedding? What’s the venue like?
English Countryside Estate: A vintage theme is very fitting. Lots of English countryside hotels use antique dresses and classic trunks, original teacups and saucers and vintage furniture. So all you have to do is simply build on this – turn up in a classic car, have an old fashioned ice cream cart, roll out the bar cart. Bridgeton is very in at the moment and this can be great to watch to spark ideas.
Barn: A barn wedding is a great choice as it can often act as a blank palette, as you don’t have all the decor of someone else’s hotel you can really style the venue as you want. A ‘rustic’ theme is a great option for this. You may wish to keep the barn as your backdrop simply using string lights and neutral colour tones to accentuate the space.
Abroad: It’s all about incorporating the destination. For example in the Amalfi coast you may want to include a limoncello tasting or italian cooking session and tease with the theme on the invitations to get guests excited.
City Town Hall: This wedding is the key to ‘Urban chic’. A more modern theme suits this which focuses on minimalism and using less typical places for a wedding. For instance you may wish to marry in the town hall and then move to a chic art gallery down the road for celebrations. Currently, this is a popular wedding choice for those in London.
Marquee: A marquee is a great option for the summer and again is a really good blank canvas to make it your own. Whilst some will see this as the perfect opportunity to create a mini style Festival theme. Others may go down the more chill bohemian style or mismatched quirky vision.
Woodland: Having a woodland background almost creates the theme for you. It creates that magical enchanting fairytale like feel, which is both stunning in natural daylight and under fairy lights in the moonlight. Many other themes also tie into this such as ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Bohemian also looks amazing within the woodland and is a great way to include natural elements such as moss, pampas and ferns.
Vineyard: Again a rustic classic wedding theme works well and simplicity can look classy and chic.
Interior Design
What’s the interior design of the venue like? What do I want my furniture to look like?
Boohoo: Relaxed seating, eastern mediterranean furniture, hanging macrame decorations, Pampas, Geometric Altar, Lanterns
Elegant: Grand chandelier, Large mirrors, equally distributed flower centerpieces, focus on furniture matching and being clean white coloured
Modern: Ghost chairs, stylish lounge area, art deco, Marble, Minimalistic
Rustic: ANYTHING wood themed looks great, crafting goes hand in hand with this theme, Fairy lights, Candle lights, wild flowers, wicker hanging lights, drapes
Budget and Guest Size
What’s my budget looking like? How many guests Am I having?
1-10: An intimate affair is a popular new hype and a great way to use a space which is special to you. An intimate private dining setting in a chic town restaurant, a cosy courtyard in your favourite hotel or even a beautiful airbnb.
10-50: Still fairly small but large enough this wedding is perfect for an abroad summer event. You may wish to bring solely your loved ones to a picturesque beach abroad. You may wish to have a woodland themed or lakeside wedding which will look idyllic.
50-100: A barnyard, a marquee, a vineyard or a hotel wedding would be perfect for a medium sized wedding.
100-200: A large outdoor space with a big marque or a bigger manor style hotel would work well for this.
300+: Theming is certainly important here as you have a big wedding on your hands and you want everything to tie intrinsically together so your wedding looks well planned. The budget ultimately is going to be much larger and should take some time really deciding exactly what you want to ensure everything correlates nicely. You will most likely want to look at private hire of an entire venue.
Couples Interests/Personality
What reflects us a couple?
There really is no rhyme or rhythm to what a wedding theme must be. We are really seeing couples get creative with what is special to them and include this within their theme. This is really authentic and adds that special touch to a wedding which is unique to both. Bookworms may wish to include sentimental poetry in their vows, bookmark wedding invites, and leave out a typewriter messenger book. If you and your partner come from different heritages you may wish to create a celebration of the blend of different foods, traditions and styles. For those who love music they might be involved with creating their own remixes, use records as a seating chart and have a cassette style invitation. Beach bliss, Great gatsby, alternative 80’s or whatever you love you can always incorporate this in subtle but stylish ways.
