Planning a Wedding Theme

Wedding Planner Julie Tooby explains how you should go about planning and bringing together the theme for your wedding.

Congratulations!  You and your loved one have decided to get married, you have found your perfect venue and now the next step is to start the planning and organising of your day.

Here is a guide to help you on your way and give you some ideas of what to do and the pitfalls to avoid.

Firstly you need to pick a theme / scheme. This should be something you both agree on and should be personal, with a bearing on something to do with the two of you. Perhaps a place you both visited, an interest you share, or a colour or flower you both like.

For example, if you have visited Italy with your partner and fell in love with it, then you both may wish to re-create and embrace this ambience. It could be easily achieved by giving thought to the bits you enjoyed most. Write them down, get out the photo albums and then re-create them with things like lots of candles and romance, lace and classical music.

The next step is to think about the feel of the day you are trying to create; are you going for soft and romantic or chic and sophisticated?  Whatever you choose make sure that you are both happy, agree a budget and then stick to it. If you are not convinced on the theme at the start you will end up with a miss-match of lots of ideas and the day will appear confused and undecided. Once you are happy with your choice you can work around the décor, flowers, outfits etc. By working in this way you will save money in the long run.

Think about the whole picture rather than each individual stage. Once you have this in your mind, you can then break it down and begin your journey to the exquisite.

It is important that the whole day flows from start to finish, from when your guests arrive until the carriages at home time. You want to create a look and atmosphere that your guests will be talking about for weeks.

Decide on your colours and incorporate them into your theme, then you can decide on outfits. Maybe you fancy the elegance of black tie which could lead to ideas along the lines of elegant crispness with white roses and crystals tied around glass stems, perhaps white chair covers with a black sash. Whilst you are only adding flashes of colour this will be amazingly attractive to the eye and will give your guests a sense of completeness when looking around the room.

With this in mind, if you want your guests to take part in the theme then do not forget to mention it on the invitation, especially if there is a certain dress style such as evening wear.

The next thing to consider is the room and tables. Centrepieces should be discussed with your florist. Take along some pictures and notes of your thoughts and ideas and begin to build up a plan that works with what is in your mind, you can then move onto the rest of the table. Be careful at this point to not go nuts and buy everything you see as the table will look cluttered and messy rather that simple and elegant.

Once you have decided on the table then move onto the room, taking into account the current décor and working with it. Team it with simple statements, perhaps small accents of your main colour, let your creativity flow and use your ideas to put your stamp on the occasion. Remember when buying things to not let the excitement run away with you or you will be back at square one with a mass of stuff you don’t need and that will not get used.

The entrance to the room is also important and can set the theme magically. You could use fairy lights with chiffon over them to create the truly romantic atmosphere.

Whilst ideas and trends will change the classics will remain. Fill the day with the love and emotion you share with each other and you will not fail to look back and smile.

Here are a few quick ideas...

• Less is definitely more where weddings are concerned, especially if you are working towards a more elegant feel. Trust me, the days of everything but the kitchen sink on tables has now come to an end. Crisp lines and shining glassware with touches of opulence will be far more appreciated.
• Use customised stationery that reflects your personality and style. You can design something and follow it through from invitations to place cards. A nice idea is 3 pictures, one of each of you individually and one of the two of you together in the middle; simple but effective.
• Think about using fresh colours such as yellow, combined with chocolates and silvers. The rich colour purple will also be making a big appearance again next year.
• Bold colours will also be popular, but in fabrics such as chiffons and mattes.
• Consider a cake of cheese – layer your favourites such as Brie, Applewood etc with grapes and fruits… Yum.

Article by Award Winning Wedding Planner Julie Tooby

Image from Flickr, Uploaded by Chris Halderman

Read more Wedding Planning Advice articles

Read other Wedding Advice articles