How to Choose a Wedding Theme
This post is for any girl who is soon-to-be engaged, already engaged, or for anyone who is obsessed with wedding details as much as I am! When I started writing about our wedding weekend, I realized that I needed to start from the very beginning - choosing a theme. Over the next few weeks I will talk more about which vendors we chose and the details of our events the week of the wedding, but for now I will start with the basics!
Adam and I read the book "" that formed our ideas of how our ceremony and wedding day would flow. It helped us think through what vows we wanted to say, which unity act we would perform as a married couple and what our focus would be for the entire wedding, which was Christ and the Covenant we made with God before our closest friends and family. I definitely recommend reading this, as it puts things into perspective as you're planning your big day!
The theme of your wedding guides you in every choice you make throughout the planning process. From color schemes, to food, to decorations and music - the theme should flow throughout the entire day! For me, I knew I wasn't going to do a rustic/chic theme because that doesn't describe my personality. Since we had a summer wedding, I wanted COLOR. I love bright, happy colors and wanted them incorporated into our wedding without having to pick 2 or 3. BUT, I didn't want it to feel like a birthday party. I wanted a traditional, yet modern wedding with a hint of whimsy.
One day, I was browsing Pinterest and saw the most amazing cake - I was a little nervous at first because it was so "out there", but it ended up being the inspiration for our entire wedding! It was the underlying scheme for our invitations, which was our guests first impression to the last detail of the evening when we left in a vintage black 1955 Chevy Bel Air where our guests rang heirloom bells that were a collection of my mother's.
We had Black and White as our anchor with pops of Fuchsia, Lime Green, Light Pink, Blue, and Yellow. The key to throwing a wedding that people won't forget, is to carry a theme through EVERY detail! Right after we decided our colors we went to a paint store and picked out color swatches. I attached them to an index card and took it to every single meeting with a vendor, our meeting with the florist, when I went shopping for my bridesmaids outfits... our color scheme went everywhere with me! Making sure your vendors understand your theme and the way you want your day to feel is SO IMPORTANT! Your vendors are ultimately the ones who pull your wedding day all together and it's vital that you over-communicate with them.
We had bright colored furniture in the front of our venue, a black and white balloon filled ceiling, a guest book that was water-colored and oversized, an angel-like choir that sang the processional and recessional in white robes, food stations with three different types of southern food, ring bouquets, black jumpsuits for the bridesmaids outfit, a group bridal party dance into the reception, a donut wall and milk inside turquoise berry baskets as our thank you for spending the evening with us, etc. Guests described it as a personal, inviting, creative, fun, not stuffy, different and classy. The details are what pulled the entire theme together!
Another aspect that goes into choosing a theme, is how you want your day to feel. It could range from soft and romantic, to bold and whimsical, vintage, etc. It's up to you and ultimately you want it to describe you and your soon-to-be hubby best. I wanted my guests to feel welcomed, loved and thought of while also providing fun, wholesome entertainment. Every choice Adam and I made, we wanted it to honor and glorify Christ.
Whether you're planning a party, or planning a wedding. you have to think about the way you want it to feel. You start creating the way someone feels from the second they receive an invitation - this should set the tone for what to expect. If it's casual, formal, fun, bright, make sure that is spoken through your invites! We had a little mixture of both formal and informal.
The next is your guest's first impression when they step out of the car. What do they see, hear, and smell? You could have classical music playing, a band welcoming them in, a harp playing in the foyer, furniture out front for pictures, men in formal tuxes opening the doors for them as they walk in - this gets the emotions flowing for the ceremony and beyond.
When I was thinking about what people would feel like during our ceremony I knew I wanted to pull on people's heartstrings (I'm terrible I know!). I was looking up ceremonial music one day and wanted a hymn to walk down to. I fell upon the idea of having a Choir. We gathered together a group of singers to help pull this thing off,and it required lots of practice and work that my mom and I weren't capable of doing! So, we hired someone from our church to take the lead on gathering the troops and picking the sheet music. Believe me when I tell you there wasn't a dry eye in the room as I walked down the isle. That choir was the most amazing detail. It was raw, emotional and gives me goose bumps every time I watch it back.
So, as you're planning for your big day my advice is to stay true to yourself and stick to your theme through and through. Remember why you're doing this in the first place, YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!!! It will be a day you, and your guests, will never forget!
If you're currently planning a wedding, dreaming about your wedding or wish you could do it over again - what theme would you choose? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments below!
