Choosing Your Theme
Choosing Your Wedding Theme
As you begin planning your wedding, choosing a theme will most likely be one of the first things you consider. Many of the elements in your wedding will be determined by this theme, which can be something as simple as a flower or a particular style such as traditional. Or, you can choose a less-subtle theme such as a season or location. Although there are countless ideas for themes, the following examples will help you get started in figuring out your own unique theme and ways to incorporate it into your wedding.
Seasons
Seasons of the year are popular wedding themes. Winter, spring, summer and autumn all lend different color palettes and seasonal decoration ideas. For example, autumn weddings are very popular right now. Brides usually use rich earth tones and the colors of autumn leaves in their wedding. Décor might include pumpkins and gourds as table centerpieces with a falling leaves motif printed on favor boxes and napkins.
Location
If you and your fiancé really love a specific vacation spot or destination, you can easily incorporate the things you love about that location into a theme for your wedding. A few popular location wedding themes are Las Vegas, beach/tropical and vineyard.
Las Vegas
As the gambling capital of the United States, Las Vegas is the ultimate destination for great entertainment and exciting stories. You can incorporate the city you love by bringing it all together in your wedding with elements ranging from “Roulette” save-the-date invitations to slot machine keychain favors. You could also hire Black Jack dealers to entertain guests at the reception or serve a wedding cake at each table decorated like a gambling chip.
Beach/Tropical
Beach weddings are fun, romantic and carefree. A lot of couples enjoy the beach theme because they're able to bring a little bit of paradise into their wedding. A beach-themed wedding might have the aisle lined with seashells. Seashell-shaped cookie cutter favors would be perfect for guests. You could hand out flip-flops at the reception and fill vases with sand and shells to be used as table centerpieces.
Vineyard
A wedding with a vineyard theme is sure to provide elegant romance. Accent every detail of your wedding with touches of vineyard style including invitations with a grape design, tables decorated with grape vines and leaves and mini bottles of wine decorated with personalized tags or labels as wedding favors. You could create a grape arbor to say your vows under and have wine-tasting or a winery tour to entertain guests while keeping your romantic theme.
Natural Elements
This budding theme can be divided into a nature or eco-friendly theme, both of which are perfect for couples looking to incorporate the earth’s natural beauty into their wedding.
Nature
Nature-themed weddings have always been a favorite with couples who love the outdoors. A nature-themed wedding might be set in a wildlife park, botanical garden or overlooking a lake. This wedding would rely on the beauty of its natural setting rather than decorations. You might hand out fan programs to keep guests cool during warm weather. Bud vases with single stems of your favorite flower would make great favors. Or, personal-sized packets of S'more ingredients could be handed out for something more fun and delicious.
Eco-friendly
Eco-friendly weddings are becoming increasingly popular. Couples who love the outdoors but want to make sure they are caring for their environment would have a wedding much like the nature-themed wedding but would always take the environment into consideration. Therefore, the wedding invitation would be simple and made with recycled paper. You could give potted plants as favors or use them as decorations and give them away after the wedding. Or, you could make a donation to your favorite charity rather than purchasing favors for guests. You could even serve organic or locally grown food.
Fairy-tale
Romantic fairy tales like Cinderella are perfect themes for weddings. You might send an invitation that showcases a castle, horse-drawn carriage or princes and princesses. The couple could arrive to their wedding ceremony or reception in a horse-drawn carriage. Decorations could include white tulle and twinkling lights with guests waving ribbon wands as you leave the ceremony.
Whether you are thinking about choosing a certain style, color combination, design or specific interest or hobby, it is important to choose a theme that reflects you and your fiancé’s personalities and ideas for your perfect wedding. With this in mind, you will be able to decide on a theme that can be incorporated throughout a variety of elements, creating an event that is sure to be remembered by both guests and you and your fiancé alike.
