My fiance and I are at the stage where we need to pick a theme for our wedding. We finally made the decision to opt out of a destination wedding and conduct the wedding in our home city of Vancouver, BC.
Choosing a location and setting an official date felt great – especially after a lot of unsolicited advice and visions for the wedding from others! The next logical step in our journey is to choose a wedding theme. We have tossed around a few ideas, but until we can pin point what that theme will look like we are stuck at this next check point.
Below are 5 top wedding themes for the upcoming 2014 wedding season and how you can incorporate them into your big day.
1) High Drama
Venue
Go with a dramatic theme and ensure the venue consists of breath-taking views or setting. Include a castle or an architecturally appealing building that has high ceilings, columns, a roaring open fireplace, or a grand staircase fit for a princess. This is not your average church or backyard wedding.
Details
The venue itself will be impressive, but the decor will have to be just as bold. Ensure that you set aside a good chunk of your budget for dramatic decorations. No space should be untouched without a bit of crystals, beads, flowing drapery, feathers, over-sized floral arrangements, and hanging elements. Over excess of candles or colored lighting will enhance the venue as well. This is the theme to choose if you are trying to create dazzling, eye-catching, and unexpected experiences that enable your guests to escape from reality for a day.
Embellished sash belts would certainly accessorize such an extravagant event!
2) Rustic
Venue
A rustic wedding theme revolves around the great outdoors and would best suit a natural setting such as a barn, woodlands, or a beautiful botanical garden. The time of year will impact the choice of venue. If you are looking to have your reception outside then best to stick with summer. A rustic indoor location (barn) can usually accommodate a wedding any time of the year.
Details
The decor should be nature-inspired with a rustic home-made country feel. Work with materials like exposed beams, lanterns, mason jars, branches, twine accents, tree stumps, wild flowers, and wooden chairs. Try a natural color scheme that includes creams, greens or browns to complete the look and feel.
You could also incorporate similar themes like travel, backyard picnic, BBQ, spring, summer or vineyards.
3) Vintage
Venue
Vintage themed weddings are still going strong in 2014. It is no wonder why, there is something highly romantic about adding old-world items and antiques to your big day.
Vintage themes can vary depending on the time period you choose. Here are a couple to think about:
- Victorian Vintage – If you were to go with a “Victorian Vintage” theme wedding then have a lovely garden party in a large backyard or park. Alternatively, a Victorian style mansion or church with manicured gardens could allow your guests to stroll about and can be a good venue option.
- Modern Vintage – Think 1950’s; Indoor or outdoor vintage location like a 1950’s theatre.
Details
Victorian Vintage – Keep in mind that the Victorian era is classy and elegant but leans towards more feminine and frilly. Patterns such as floral designs, damask, velvet and needlepoint were often used.
Modern Vintage – Nothing is more fun then taking a trip to the local antique shop to get inspired and potentially find some great pieces to incorporate into your wedding decor. Look for items like vintage books, suitcases, bikes, tableware, doilies, old leather, heavy damask textures, pinstripes and ribbon. A live band (violinist, pianist or saxophonist) will complete the overall feel of a modern vintage wedding theme.
And of course with any great vintage wedding theme, there is bound to be a beautiful Birdcage Veil to complete the look.
4) Pure Romance
Venue
Great venues to hold a romantic themed wedding:
- Romantic Victorian Hotel with high ceilings and balconies.
- A beautiful rose garden.
- A castle with candle light!
Details
If you don’t have access to any of the venues listed above, think about adding other details to your venue to create a romantic ambiance: Bubbly champagne, candlelight, rose peddles or soft and delicate flowers, traditional wedding attire, fine music and draped chiffon and organza materials.
Romance doesn’t have to only be hearts and flowers for this themed wedding, there are many variations that work. A Parisian theme can add a pure romance aesthetic, whereas a destination wedding will naturally evoke romance.
5) Quirky
Venue
Having a quirky theme wedding can be great fun! Not only will it be the talking point for your guests, it will also be truly memorable for the Bride and Groom. For the venue, try a memorable quirky location such as getting married underwater, at the zoo, at a football game, at an aquarium or on a steam train.
Details
There a varying degrees of quirkyness: (a) add unique non-traditional touches whereby the groomsmen all wear funky color socks that match the bridesmaids’ heels; (b) include your favorite pooch at the ceremony; (b) have an ice cream bar or truck instead of a wedding cake; (c) or hire a magician. Full-blown quirky themes could be Rock n’ Roll, Christmas, Carnival, Medieval, Alice and Wonderland or Sports themes.
Final Considerations
Your wedding theme will act as a backdrop for your special day. Aim for a theme that matches your unique personalities, fits the time of year, and works with your venue. The extent that a theme is incorporated into your wedding day is up to you. You might choose to simply incorporate your favorite color, or have a theme that spans the entire wedding process – from initial save-the-date cards to your bridal party outfits, the venue to the cake.
The Season – Depending on the time of year you choose to have your wedding, try and use that season to your advantage to tie-in your theme. If you want a tropical wedding, and your wedding date falls in the dead of winter, you will likely have to hold an indoor wedding. When it comes down to it, consider just ‘using what you got’ as it will be much more cost effective and less stressful.
Classic or Modern – There are endless ideas for wedding themes as long as you let your imagination run wild but most themes will fall under either a classic or a modern feel. A great way to decide which way to go is looking at the venue. Does your venue fit a more traditional or contemporary decor? If your venue is more upscale then the feel of a casual wedding may not be very complimentary.
What makes you unique – Friends and family (or complete strangers for that matter) are going to give unsolicited ideas of what your wedding should look like. Don’t despair! It is important for you and your future husband to decide together on what you would like that day.
Maybe you share an interest, hobby or sport; perhaps you both love a T.V. show or superhero; or your love and passion for travel could have brought you together. Whatever you decide it is your day and the theme should reflect your personalities and relationship. Choose the theme that best reflects your vision and dreams!
