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Wedding Themes: Brainstorming an Initial Concept

in Getting Started
Rustic floral boxes serve as reception centerpieces at a rustic-themed wedding event.

The first stages of planning a wedding will inevitably seem like a challenge with so many things to plan and organize. Before contacting wedding vendors or venues, though, take some time to brainstorm and jot down some initial wedding ideas and/or wedding themes that you envision for the big day.

Don’t be afraid to let your imagination run wild at this point. Whether you have a specific “theme” in mind or not, one thing that will help tie everything together throughout the planning process is to decide on your wedding colors – this will of course be influenced by the time of year (a spring garden wedding might inspire green tones while a winter wedding silver or gold), but selecting a color or two that you feel really speaks to you will also help you out with choosing flowers, bridesmaid dresses and decor.

You may also want to come up with an overall style idea for your wedding: “simple chic”, “eco-friendly”, “Old Hollywood”, etc. This will really help narrow down the wide range of wedding ideas out there into something much more manageable.

Popular Wedding Themes & Ideas

Some of the most common wedding themes revolve around seasons or even holidays, such as:

  • Fall wedding
  • Halloween wedding
  • Winter wedding
  • Summer wedding
  • Spring wedding

But they might also center around a feeling or style:

  • Rustic wedding
  • 1920s wedding
  • Great Gatsby wedding
  • Vintage wedding
  • Romantic wedding

Or, a favorite location:

  • Beach wedding
  • Country wedding
  • Disney wedding
  • Garden wedding

Or even, a color!

  • Rose gold wedding
  • Red wedding
  • Purple wedding
  • Yellow wedding
  • Blue wedding
  • Burgundy wedding

Wedding Themes & Decorations

After you narrow down your wedding theme, you can then begin to plan the smaller details like decorations, flowers, lighting, music etc. Even little details like choosing readings for your wedding ceremony might become easier once you have an overall concept for the day.

Be sure to share color palettes, themes and any other ideas with your wedding team: your planner, the even coordinator at your venue(s), and any vendors that might be able to cater to your choices and complete the look for your unique wedding theme such as wedding florists and bridal gown specialists.

Some Final Thoughts

Once you have a basic concept for the big day, other details will begin to fall into place and you can really start to get organized with your wedding planning. Generally speaking, different wedding planning tasks will fall into a timeline that you can of course adjust depending on your own schedule and needs. You can refer to our wedding checklist to guide you through your own planning process.

For most brides and grooms, choosing a wedding date and reception venue is normally on the top of the wedding planning list, followed by choosing a wedding dress and thinking about the initial guest list. Attending a bridal expo or wedding show in the early stages is also a good idea – the winter and spring seasons are generally the best time of the year to find shows in your area. Most importantly, keep things simple, and enjoy the journey!

Next Steps in Planning