With so many to-dos lurking post-engagement, it’s easy to start feeling like you’re in a rush to get things done. In fact, many couples start aimlessly finding things to check off, which ultimately results in a lot more stress and, unfortunately, a wedding that feels disjointed and disorganized.
Instead, try approaching your wedding planning in a way that’s logical, taking each step one at a time, rather than trying to cross as many things off at once. If you do this, you’ll end up actually enjoying your wedding planning, which makes your big day a whole lot better for everyone involved – most importantly, YOU.
If you’re just getting started with your wedding planning, the most important thing to do first is choose your theme. Knowing your overall theme will help make every next decision so much easier, keeping you focused and confident every step of the way.
So, how do you choose your wedding theme?
As basic as it might sound, Pinterest really is your best friend. Sometimes it isn’t easy to put a name or label on a theme right away, which is why visualizing it is so helpful. Once you see what a “modern farm” or “laidback mountain” wedding looks like, you can start putting the rest of the pieces together. And, even better, having a Pinterest board that conveys what your theme is to you will help all of your vendors understand your vision, assuring that there won’t be any major misinterpretations – or disappointing surprises – as your day approaches.
When you start thinking about the theme of your wedding, don’t be afraid to dream big. Even if every idea isn’t practical – or possible – it’s good to understand what you really want, without any limitations.
Your wedding is, after all, your big day, which means your overall theme should reflect your personality and spirit. The biggest mistake so many couples make when thinking about their wedding, and its theme is trying to please everyone by living up to certain expectations.
Do your best to stay true to who you are! It will make every part of planning your wedding so much more fun if you do. And, of course, your wedding day will be everything you’ve ever dreamt of – no regrets.
When thinking about choosing your wedding theme, ask yourself these questions, and let the dreaming begin!
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What do you want to do at your wedding? Be so much more creative than just saying “Get married”! Do you want to go on a big adventure? Are you wanting to hang out with your family and best friends? Do you want to feel like you’re getting pampered all day?
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How do you want to feel at your wedding? Do you want everything to be super organized so that there are no surprises? Do you want to feel relaxed and laidback? will you be happier in your comfort zone or outside of it?
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What do you want your wedding to look like? If a picture is worth a thousand words, what do you want your wedding photos to say? Are you looking for a traditional vibe or something that’s super outdoorsy? Don’t be afraid to be eclectic with your wedding style – there are no rules!
Once you and your partner agree on these three questions, your theme will become pretty apparent. Trust what you end up with, and get excited! Now that you have your theme, you can start making so many more decisions – and without stress!
This is what we’re planning for our wedding:
Within 24h of Rob proposing, I pretty much ad an idea of what our wedding could look like.
Being wedding photographers, we’ve talked a lot about weddings before he ever proposed, so it all came pretty naturally for us.
We both really want it to be intimate and special (obviously). That means limiting the number of people attending our wedding and having it in a location that means a lot to us. We landed on Rob’s (almost 100-year-old) family cabin since it’s a location that allows us to be outdoors, in an intimate setting with very few rules and regulations; it’s also free (*major bonus*).
We also really want to utilize and plan everything around the best light possible during the day – meaning sunrise and sunset. So because of that, we decided to have our ceremony at sunrise and our reception at sunset. We actually also went one step further and said we’re going to have a mountaintop ceremony at sunrise, so we’ll have to hike out the night before.
While figuring out all the logistics of this, we’re trying to stay true to who we are as individuals and as a couple. We want to mix in my Swedish heritage with Rob’s connection to the Sierra Nevada mountains. I believe we’ve started to find a balance with the modern, Scandinavian minimalism mixed with the mountains’ raw materials and organic setting.
By staying true to these key-words and the setting, we’ll be in; I think our theme is pretty clear. We’ll be paying close attention to the materials and colors we use for everything. Also, trying to not- overcomplicate things but instead have fewer “statement pieces” that will all pull our vision together.
