Wedding Themes

feyonce2015 · April 2014

Is there suppose to be a theme when planning a wedding? People always say you can do what you want because its your wedding but do most people have themes? I want to do something fun. Our wedding colors at the moment are shades of purple, our ceremony will be at a church and we haven't chosen a reception venue yet but it will be inside. Your ideas are greatly appreciated!

Jen4948 · April 2014

Sometimes people do have "themes," but the "theme" of a wedding is in and of itself getting married.

Weddings can be fun just by having good food and drinks, music, and people mingling and enjoying each other's company. You don't have to force "fun," and a lot of times when people do, it has the opposite effect of what was intended.

CMGragain · April 2014

I hate theme weddings. When my daughter was planning her traditional church wedding, people would ask her about her theme. She just looked at them in astonishment, and said "Theme? It's a wedding, not a prom!" I have quoted her several times.

SBmini · April 2014

So what's the definition of a theme here? Is it like "Spiderman meets Hello Kitty" or "Romantic, garden." The first version I think is really misplaced at a wedding. The second... that's just how you describe the feeling you are going for, which is totally cool.

Frankly- I think themes like the first example miss the point. You are getting married! That is the point of the day. It isn't a time to show off your fandom, it is a time to celebrate you. Themes are awesome if you are a 10 year old having a birthday, but when we're adults, they just seem so immature.

Just my two cents.

carliealissa · April 2014

I agree, I think when people ask about "themes" all they really mean is what are you doing to have a cohesive feel or look- is your wedding going to be modern? vintage? tropical? Some people put more or less detail into it.

Maggie0829 · April 2014

Themes are for children's birthday parties.

carliealissa · April 2014

Interesting that so many weddings have themes then. I've never been to a Daniel Tiger or Dora the Explorer wedding however.

emmyg65 · April 2014

In my experience, most weddings don't have themes, but they do have a general look or feel that subtly ties things together visually. For example, we had a summer BBQ wedding and all our decorations were bright and casual, but that wasn't really a theme.

CMGragain · April 2014

Much of the blame is on the wedding TV shows that feature fanciful weddings. They are designed to make brides think that they are missing something if they don't have everything.

KGold80 · April 2014

My theme is....wedding! I know, I know...I'm so original! Be jealous.

QueerFemme · April 2014

I wouldn't try to hard to come up with a theme.

manateehugger · April 2014

Shoot for an aesthetic more than a "theme." You want garden party? Go for greens and whites and lots of florals. You want luxurious ballroom? Go for jewel tones and metallics.

Fairyjen1 · April 2014

Our cake will be either the chairs from the Disney movie 'UP' or Mary Poppins. We aren't really having a theme, per se, but we are getting married at Disneyland so having Disney touches makes sense as they will be there anyway. We won't have Mary Poppins paper plates or costumes or anything, just the cake. Our colors are pink and purple, Fi picked them out

feyonce2015 · April 2014

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I know this isn't a kids birthday party but people do a masquerade themed receptions or a vintage theme. I just wanted to know if most people do them or not so I see its clearly up to me. Thanks for the advice.

AddieCake · April 2014

My theme was river rocks.

chicky1988 · April 2014

When you say theme I guess I expect it to be something that you are inviting guests to dress accordingly for. So if you want guests to dress up as if from a particular era I would say make sure its on an insert in your invites or on your wedding website. Personally, I have never been to a wedding where they have had this option but if you have the right crowd I think it would be fun!

If you are thinking more of a decorating direction like "antique vintage", "summer garden party", "Country chic" or "Elegant bling" I would say a better word would be "design scheme". Which I think every bride has for their wedding

Our design scheme is going to be somewhere along the lines of garden romance and will be outside on a lake

I hope this helps!

MandyMost · April 2014

If you use the word "theme" to mean the overall feel of the wedding, I think it's very important to have a theme. Your event is not going to look cohesive if you pick half the decorations/items/clothing to be romantic and vintage, and the other half to be glamorous and sexy. If you're like most people, you like a lot of different things. It helps to narrow it down for the wedding since the wedding is just one, single event.

I'm going for a very modern, glamorous look. We chose a venue that fits this perfectly, and I picked a dress that's beaded and very much "evening gown" rather than traditional bridal. My flowers are going to be simple greenery, etc. Sometimes I see something that I think is so pretty, but then I think of the whole vision of the wedding and I turn it down because it just doesn't fit. If I were to carry a soft, romantic bouquet it would look completely out of place with my dress and the decor, for example.

SP29 · April 2014

In my experience, most weddings do not have themes. An overall feel? Yes. Such as the venue, menu, decor and general WP dress reflect either a) a formal vs. casual event b) daytime vs. evening event, with varying degrees in between.

I suppose sometimes people have elements of a theme, such as country, where the B&G are married at a barn, the WP wears cowboy boots, guests sit on bales of hay or straw.

In the above example, I think "themes" are OK as long as they actually reflect the B&G (i.e. don't have your WP wear cowboy boots unless you and the groom actually ride horses, live/work on a farm, partake in rodeo, wear cowboy boots yourself regularly, etc) and they don't go overboard.

As said, the theme of any wedding should be "wedding". Incorporate elements that reflect you and your FI.

As another example, for our wedding we chose a wedding venue that was more intimate. It is a popular wedding venue but it's in a smaller older building vs. a banquet hall. We weren't having large wedding and unless that is the case, banquet halls feel cavernous to me (particularly since we weren't going big on the decor and centerpieces). Similarly, DH and I are more simple and classic in our style, so our centerpieces and decor reflected that (no 4' vases with feathers and dangling jewels). Our general dress was classy but less formal (e.x. DH wore a 3 piece suit).

When my mom's friend's son got married they did a 1920's vintage "theme". The dress of the B&G and WP reflected that (morning suits for the men, vintage inspired dress for the bride), and their venue was elegant but quaint. However the "theme" didn't overrun the wedding and guests weren't expected to dress any different. On the whole, the entire wedding and WP just looked classy!

bmydesigner · April 2014

I think whatever you do, it should reflect what you and your FI. I don't really agree with having a huge theme wedding where everything is hello kitty - cake, decor, guest book, dress, etc.

However, I do like subtle touches of things that mean something to you and your FI.

For example, music has plays a big part in both me and FI's relationship. So we're having a little table tent on each table of a band that we both love and a song that has meaning to us. We're also considering having our favors being a CD of some of our favorite songs!

thesummersky · April 2014

MandyMost said:

If you use the word "theme" to mean the overall feel of the wedding, I think it's very important to have a theme. Your event is not going to look cohesive if you pick half the decorations/items/clothing to be romantic and vintage, and the other half to be glamorous and sexy. If you're like most people, you like a lot of different things. It helps to narrow it down for the wedding since the wedding is just one, single event.

This is the frame of mind I tend to have, especially since what I like is all over the place (FI doesn't care at all for decorating). The more you can define or envision what you want the feel of the wedding to be, it becomes easier to plan for.

Astrabacus · April 2014

I think it really depends on what you define theme as, and how far you take that theme.

My mother's second wedding was actually an Alice in Wonderland theme, but really all that meant was that she got married in a wood, and the reception was a tea party with mismatched crockery, and it was really beautiful and didn't feel like they were trying too hard at all. My friend's wedding is a Masquerade ball. My sister and her partner are going to have a medieval wedding if they ever get married.

feyonce2015 · April 2014

I like that! Thanks, I think I'm going for an "elegant bling" scheme!

TKTWedding · May 2014

My fiance is a retired bull rider (think the rodeo guys not the bar cowboys lol) and I'm a bit more of a city girl addicted to bling and bright colors. My dress is very princess like and the guys are all wearing Wranglers, cowboy hats and boots. I've been calling it "Cowboy and the Princess) but I am blending both of our colors, turquoise and fuchsia, along with bold, flowers with rustic and bling combined. I know it sounds like it wouldn't work, but our friends and family will see the match. I guess what I am saying, no theme is necessary, just make your wedding a representation of you and your other half and celebrate the differences and similarities

provocajade · May 2014

Some people go for a "look" and thats fine to have a cohesive style and some go for all out "theme". I think when people ask though they are just asking a general question of what your plans are for the feel of the wedding.

I am going vintage, old glamour. Its more based on the venue and what fit in that space, but we picked the space as a reflection of us. We're doing the wedding at a old mansion that is baroque and art deco and even a bit of a rock and roll edge from the previous owners. It feels very...Great Gatsby, and that old Hollywood glamour so I'm rolling with some inspiration from that.

CamiSelene · May 2014

Our theme will be CamiSelene and future Mister. Lol, when I think of "Themes" I think of kid's parties. Sure, we're going to have fun bits but it won't be a "theme". They will just be things that reflect our personalities. (lots of colours with a tiny bit of star wars inspired stuff here and there... FI and I love star wars and he was set on having a star wars inspired cake. We compromised with a cake that looks like a starry night and han and leia toppers. Lol)

LorenandEarl · May 2014

Not so much doing a theme.. but EVERY WEDDING already has a theme. hence the colors and style.. those ARE the theme.

Im doing a weekend wedding. Out here in Washington State, at Langley each Feb there is a murder mystery weekend where the whole town gets involved. So we are doing our wedding in Langley on that weekend so that is part of our "theme"

Bubblegum5586 · May 2014

I had a "theme" and it was green apples. It was the last day of summer in New England and prime apple season. I liked the green because it complimented our royal blue color scheme and gave it a summery feel instead of too fall like with red apples.

Here's where we had apples;

-Engagement pictures taken in apple orchard

-Centerpieces were large glass vases (all different shapes with lace on them) filled with green apples

-Hard Cider as our signature drink

-Green apple candles that doubled as favors and place cards

-Apple Crisp for dessert

-Then we used the green apple color in the bouquets and napkins (on royal blue table clothes)

I think it was the right amount where people noticed but not over kill. It fit because of the time of year and where we live. And that we LOVE apples. In the fall I eat apples, apple cider, apple crisp, apple pie etc on the daily.

Wedding Themes

Re: Wedding Themes

Choose Another Board

Search Boards