You might think a wedding theme is something obvious and overt, like the bride who chooses a Disney theme for her big day or who arrives at the church on a motorbike to wed her fellow biking enthusiast. But wedding themes are not just about your ‘grande passion’ (in more ways than one), but it can help to style the event and introduce some consistency as to how you present things. Here are some points to consider about a more subtle type of theming from BrideandGroomDirect.co.uk
- Colour – most brides will favour certain colours, pick three or four that complement or make a striking contrast and use them all the way through the day from wedding invitations to the flowers, from the decoration at the reception to the bows on the bridesmaid’s gifts
- Era – it can help to anchor your wedding theme to a particular era. If your dress is an Art Deco 1920s creation, then your styling can follow suit or, you may be going for the Bo-Ho chic inspired look so keep this for the style of your hair, opt for natural wildflower wedding bouquets and use soft pastel colours at the reception
- Romantic – more is definitely more with this theme, choose an evening reception with soft candlelight or opulent chandeliers, a flower wall and ornate calligraphy on your invitations and wedding stationery
- Vintage – vintage styling has been very fashionable, so there are lots of props and goodies to hire, which can style out your day to perfection. Pick old china for the tableware at the reception, deliberately not matching, worn wooden seats for the guests and leave the reception in a shabby chic, classic vintage car
- Modern – uber-contemporary styling is sharp and minimalist with plenty of glass and chrome, geometric shapes and clean lines. This style can work well with a black and white colour palette particularly if you want to stray into a trendy 1960s vibe
Choosing a style or theme can help inform every decision that you make; this is actually very helpful if you lack inspiration on some things – you have chosen your dress, but beyond that, you are not sure how you want things to look. It will give the day a coherence and consistency which can be finished down to the last detail or just subtly interwoven. It’s however you want to play it.
For some brides, they have their theme or style in mind for years or, they have a particular thing in their life which they intend to import into the big day – it may even be how they met their future husband. Let’s just pick one theme and see how this couple interwove it into their big day. This is a great template for so many other types of wedding.
Matt and Tasha met through their love of riding, both are involved in different equestrian sports, and both have horses, so their guests were expecting to see some equestrian themes on the big day if not even the odd horse or two. Here’s how they styled their memorable day:
- Wedding invitations – these were pretty traditional, but the design had intertwined horseshoes along the bottom. Horseshoes are a symbol of good luck and many brides traditionally incorporate them into their wedding day even if they don’t have a link to the real thing
- Arrival at the church – Tasha opted for a horse-drawn carriage, she did consider riding her own horse to the church, but it really does limit your dress choices
- Bridal bouquet – Tasha’s grandmother had carried a silver horseshoe made of paper and card on her wedding day just hanging slightly to the back and below the bridal flowers. Tasha chose a real horseshoe taken from her very first pony so small and discrete which was hand-painted and interwoven with flowers and ribbon to match the bouquet
- Reception styling – it was a country wedding with a marquee in a field, so naturally, straw bales were provided for guests to sit on outside on the grass. Table centre decorations were constructed of painted horseshoes in the colours Tasha had chosen as her theme which were pink and purple
- Children’s entertainment – there was a carousel for the small children set up as part of the outdoor games at the reception, and there were even pony rides for those children who wanted to have a go. Tasha chose to have a confetti pony which carried panniers of rose petals on his back. His mane was plated with pink and purple ribbon
- Leaving the reception – Tasha and Matt left in a very stylish pony and trap which was decorated with pink and purple flowers and ribbon with a vintage ‘Just Married’ sign hanging from the back
Theming a wedding can be obvious and carried right down to the very last detail, or it can be subtle and just involve continuity of colours and style. If you are hopelessly clueless about how you want your big day to look, then it can help to have a style or a theme because it will make it easier when it comes to making decisions as there is such an overwhelming amount on offer. In some ways, it is easier for the bride who has always dreamt of having a Disney style wedding or a romantic theme as you already know exactly what you want before you start.
You don’t have to follow the theme or style slavishly, you can keep it as a light framework to act as a guide on how you present the day, or you can just incorporate it into one element of the wedding, for instance, the reception. The theme is there to work for you and make your task easier, not more complicated. If you find that theming is just taking over your life, then cut back on some of the ideas or drop it altogether in favour of something else.