How to Choose the Style of Your Wedding
When couples are planning a wedding, the degree to which they stick to a particular style is quite varied. Some may have a fully themed wedding with every aspect of the day focussed on that theme, while others may have a very vague idea about the kind of feel they want their wedding to have.
Early on in the wedding planning process you will have to think about some general pointers, such as whether you want a large wedding or a smaller event, and whether you want a relaxed casual occasion or a very formal affair. After that choosing a wedding theme that you can apply to your plans can be a great help in making choices for your wedding. Here are a few ways you could determine your style:
Be Guided by Your Venue
If you have already booked your venue you can use it to inspire your theme. An older building would suit a vintage style wedding, whereas an ultra modern hotel might require something sleek and contemporary. Make a note of the interior of the venue, especially the colors, so your choice of wedding decorations can complement these. Minimalist venues, especially marquees, can take bold colored decorations, whereas a venue that is already extravagantly decorated might need something more subtle.
Pick Your Favorite Color
A color scheme is the most commonly used wedding theme. Once you know your color palette you can begin buying bridesmaids dresses, and ordering flowers and stationery. If a favourite color doesn’t immediately spring to mind, or you can’t agree on a color, think about your wedding season. Greens and yellows work well in spring, pinks and blues in the summer, oranges and browns in the fall, and deep reds and metallics in the winter.
Think of an Era
Many couples are inspired by the fashions and accessories of a particular era when choosing the style of their wedding. Whether you choose the roaring twenties, the glamorous forties, or the flower power sixties, following the style of a beloved era can be the perfect way to bring your wedding details together. At present "vintage" weddings, that give a nod to a bygone era using materials such as lace and pearls, and colours such as pink and gold, without necessarily targeting a specific era, are particularly popular.
Choose a Motif
Using a motif for your wedding style can help to bring your plans alive. Your motif can be used in many places such as your invitations, your table settings, your favors, and your wedding cake. Popular motifs include butterflies, love birds, roses, animals, or hearts.
Showcase a Common Interest
Do you and your spouse-to-be share a common interest? Did you meet at the golf club, or do you both love music? Often a shared interest such as a sport or hobby can spark a wedding theme. If you both love to sail why not try a nautical theme, with blue and white striped table cloths, compass favours, and lighthouse table centers. If you’re a top doubles tennis team why not use a tennis racket motif for all your stationery and dress your cake toppers in tennis whites?
Reflect Your Heritage
If one or both of you have ancestors from another country or culture you may want to respect to your heritage by adding elements of that culture into your wedding theme. You could incorporate specific wedding traditions, serve special foods, use symbolic motifs, or adopt the decorations of those cultures to add depth to your celebrations.
Whatever style you choose for your wedding day, make sure that it reflects the personalities and tastes of the two of you. When your guests see your wedding invitations, or your wedding decor you want them instantly to think how much the style suits the two of you.
