Choosing Your Wedding Theme

Your wedding day should and can be anything you want it to be. When I meet a happy couple for the first time we always talk about how they would like their wedding to look and feel. Some couples have a clear idea of a theme others have no idea at all.

The first step  is to capture your ideas,  get a piece of card or a scrap book and stick on pictures you like from magazines, books, the internet, even photos from other weddings. Keep all your ideas in one place and this will help you decide which bits you definitely want and which bits not to include.

Look at the colours that stand out. Colour can be all you need for a theme and it can be linked to most aspects of your wedding, the dresses, flowers, stationery and the decoration of your venue. You may have chosen classic colours such as summer pinks or the earthy colours of autumn, or your timeless deep reds, or you may see you have gone for the “it” colour, the one that will be seen in the magazines. You can literally use any colour or combination of colours; just make sure you like it.

So you have your colours, now look at your ideas. What stands out to you, have you chosen formal and traditional pictures or casual and humorous ones?  Do you have a big idea, like the country fair theme, a beach theme, or something more conceptual like shabby chic? These ideas can then start to form a plan of how your wedding will look and feel, what venue you want even the time of year.

Remember a wedding is about you as a couple, your personality, your hobbies, your interests. Think about what is important to both of you, it’s easy to just let one half of the couple take the lead! Have you both had your say? You can have table plans based on breweries or Harley Davidsons, and with the right touches of colour and some simple styling you will have a day that represents both of you.

One of the most important things to couples when planning their wedding is budget. It is important to be realistic, (fireworks, ice sculptures and a castle don’t come cheap!) but if you plan carefully you don’t have to compromise on other more important elements of your wedding, like the dress and food.  Any venue with the right touches and planning can be made to look fabulous, those little touches that really add to the feel don’t have to cost a fortune,  how about asking all your friends on facebook who has a candelabra for that stylish table look, you’ll be surprised what you can beg or borrow!

One couple I knew wanted a fun filled wedding on a small budget, so they just ordered the shell of a marquee without all the frills (just in case it rained), asked all their guests to bring a picnic and then spent all their money on a live band.  Not everyone’s choice but it was their day and they got exactly what they wanted, which is exactly how it should be!

Whatever theme you choose, whether it’s just a colour or a big idea remember the first time a lot of people will get a glimpse of your wedding is when they receive your invite.More is revealed when they visit the venue, and then as the day unfolds they see what this day means to you. So make sure you show your theme throughout. Pick the right style of invite, tease them with the colour or the words you choose, make sure the decoration ties in with the flowers, the dresses, the invites and the venue.

Most of all remember make sure you actually like it. A wedding can often make all kinds of well-meaning friends and relatives give advice on what you can or can’t do and what must be done. It is your day, your memories and yours time to celebrate so do whatever feels right for you!

Written for Spirit Wedding Cars by Jo Ashman of Jo Ashman Weddings