Wedding themes and wedding theme ideas can come from anywhere.
A popular wedding theme in 2016 may not be on trend today. A popular wedding theme in 2017 may still be on the rise.
But does that matter?
Wedding themes are all about what means something — or everything — to you.
Still, each element involved in your wedding is interlinked, including wedding themes and wedding trends, the latter of which can get old fast.
A Harry Potter themed wedding, a red wedding theme, or a Beauty and the Beast wedding theme, for example, could evoke smiles and happy memories for years to come, for you, your soulmate, and your family and friends, regardless of how on or off trend it may be at the time.
The self-explanatory red wedding theme aside, you’ll find that any specific wedding theme comes with its own recommended wedding colors, which then makes demands on your wedding flowers, which can also inform you choice of wedding venue, and so on.
Regular readers know Lovingly will never stop reminding you of these critical connections!
So knowing your wedding theme is a great place to start. And if you don’t know your theme, now is a great time to start thinking about your wedding theme ideas.
Your Dream Wedding Themes
It’s all about the vibe.
Or should we say the ambiance?
What’s the difference? You are.
The kind of people you and your soulmate are. Your outlook. Your sense of humor. The way you think and speak to each other. The things you love: music, movies, hobbies — even elements of your professions that may speak volumes about you.
Your vision of your future.
It’s your day and the central element of your theme is your union. Your Big Day is your happy ending and awe-inspiring new beginning. It’s a movie and you’re the stars.
Indulgence is the order of the day, so enjoy it and make it yours.
Still, what that means is very broad.
If the above mentioned wedding themes are way too theme-orientated for your taste, or just make you shudder in horror, don’t worry, the world is still very much your oyster.
So let’s take a look from the broad view and see how easily it narrows down.
The Look of Love
Your muse can be found in your venue.
(And we don’t mean your partner!)
If you already know your wedding venue, you should think about what color scheme would suit it best. Again, talking to your florist is a smart move where these types of decisions are being made.
From your venue, your theme can start to flower (pun intended), naturally. Your wedding flowers will, of course, play a big role in that, being central to your wedding theme colors.
And if your venue is in a garden, with tents, or on a beach, it really ought to be your starting point of choice — because locations like that really mean you have already started on an outdoors wedding theme, and this affects everything else.
But any venue with a strong design and interior elements, including interior colors, can be used to inspire.
Done properly, it will look as if the whole place was designed around you!
If you don’t already have a venue, you should think seriously about whether to find a venue and go with the above advice, or plan to look for a venue best suited to the vision you want to come up with.
That’s a tough call.
Think about the designs you love, regardless of when and where they inspired you. Do your research, dig up favorite memories, and don’t forget to daydream.
If you have some ideas in mind as your search for your venue, it will help a whole lot.
Another tangible element is the season.
Apart from making the budget for your wedding flowers easier on you — by choosing flowers that are in season — thinking of your wedding theme, your wedding colors in general, and other related elements, in terms of the season in which your Big Day takes place is a brilliant idea.
A winter wonderland wedding theme, for example, can turn a cold winter’s day into a dream-like setting for a fairytale wedding. Again, this is an approach that says, “I’m using everything out there to make it seem as if it was arranged around my wedding — including nature!”
And what’s wrong with that?
Nothing, if you think about how effective it is. Deep burgundies and emerald greens would create an awe-inspiring ambiance for you in a winter wedding setting, for example.
The same goes for any other season. Think about how it can work for you. Because it can work wonderfully, enhancing your theme and making the mood palpable.
The Mood That Speaks for You
Of course, your wedding theme may be based around the idea of opposites attracting, as mentioned in our related Wedding Colors blog, or a million other things. If an idea, captured in a mood, is your thing, go for it.
And it doesn’t have to be complex either.
If a big part of your life philosophy is to be carefree and laid back, that is potentially your theme. Your whole look and approach can easily be based around that thought, with colors and other arrangements designed to represent it.
Anything from a life philosophy, to a musical genre, to a lifetime love of Fitzgerald leading to a Great Gatsby wedding theme can be yours, with a little planning and lots of attention to detail.
It’s all up in the air. So if your head is in the clouds right now, you’re in the perfect spot. Stay there for a while and mull things over.
Then get back to the internet! Collecting all your favorite image ideas on your own mood board is a good idea.
Remember — getting into the details should come after putting some big picture ideas together first. Think of a theme and how different elements fit that theme, rather than collecting random elements that you like and ending up with a confused, clashing big picture.
Still, make sure and fill in those details later. A big picture that’s too broad may end up confusing the person you’re trying to explain it to. Saying “Laid back, casual,” is way too open to interpretation.
Close your eyes and think about the things you want to see. Then casually put that mood board to work for you, and watch your vision start to come together.
As you do this, you’ll find yourself mentally — or physically — editing out any elements that aren’t fitting in with your imagined bigger picture. And your bigger picture will begin to form into a tangible reality in front of your eyes.
What springs to mind when wedding themes such as a romantic wedding theme is mentioned? Compare that with, say, a vintage wedding theme?
The latter can be romantic, too, while also painting an instantly clearer vision of elements the event should potentially be made up of.
With a clear vision of your theme, moving forward with rentals and other necessities will be a lot easier. Everything will be looked at from the point of view of how it will look in relation to your wedding theme.
That is a huge help.
And since your head’s in the clouds anyway at this point, make sure you have your dream wedding top of mind all the time.
This is no time for compromise.
Start at the top and try to stay there.
Curating Compromise
If compromises do need to be made later, your florist is a great go-to person, particularly when thinking of the relationship between wedding themes and colors.
You’ll be amazed at what expertise, experience, and talent can do to bring your dream into the real world against the odds.
For example, wedding themes can be interpreted in various ways. Your florist knows how a simple design effect, rather than an expensively flamboyant one, can actually be more likely to draw attention and be admired.
And isn’t that the point?
The right element in the right place — rather than an abundance that becomes background blur once all the guests are filling the space — can not only help your budget, but actually be the strongest design choice regardless of budget.
Trust us on this. Or trust your florist.
One compromise that should never be made is a compromise of visions. Don’t try to bring two seperate visions together, for any reason.
And that includes your soulmate’s vision!
You also can’t fight. That’s not allowed.
At the same time, you can’t try to put two disparate themes together for the sake of a quiet life. Feeling disappointed and thematically disjointed on your Big Day is also a bad way to start your new life.
So How Do You Find The Dream Theme?
Talk quietly about how you feel. Be honest and straightforward. Use your mood board with the gentle determination of a starving artist revealing a masterpiece.
It’s tough to argue with a mood board that effectively reflects your wedding theme!
Still, the very best way forward is to dream up your theme with your loved one.
Something that speaks for you both, for your union, and for your vision of your future together.
Fashions and trends come and go, so don’t go with the flow.
In the end, personal wedding themes are always timeless.
So stay true to you.