Theme For A Day
RJ Scott Photography
Courtesy Tableau Events
Jim Nelson Photography
Paul Retherford Wedding Photography
While there is an endless variety of options for a couple planning a wedding, choosing an overall theme can set the pace for the entire affair.
Choosing a theme for your wedding is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for the big day. To choose a wedding theme that matches the bride and groom’s vision for the day can be difficult.
“I always recommend that the couple stays in line with their personal style and avoid trends,” said Janelle Langmaack, a wedding coordinator with Castle Farms in Charlevoix.
Some couples mistakenly think that they need to be planning a huge wedding for a theme to be necessary. But in fact, for any sized wedding, a theme becomes a very useful tool from which to narrow down the vast array of choices you’ll be presented with.
“Couples will often pick different ideas out of magazines and with technology today, also the Internet,” Langmaack noted.
Where many couples begin when brainstorming for a wedding theme idea is something as simple as color.
Sit down and designate one of you to keep track of your ideas on a sheet of paper. Start with the basics like favorite colors or whether you want an indoor or outdoor wedding. Other deciding influences can be things you have in common, such as hobbies that you share, favorite songs and poems.
Location also plays a big part in what theme options might be available. Where you want to get married will have a lot of impact on how you plan out the details. But to narrow it down a bit, start out by answering a few questions such as traditional or modern, casual or formal, rustic or chic.
“Your theme can be specific or general,” said Debbie Norris of Stafford’s Hospitality based in Petoskey. “We most often do Michigan themed weddings due to the nature of our business.”
Stafford’s commonly provides wedding events for couples and guests from out of the area.
Guests might not even be aware of what the wedding theme idea is, unless it’s made apparent to them.
“Even if the theme isn’t the first thing your guests notice, they will feel a sense of it in what you provide,” Norris said.
Whatever theme you decide on, it should be chosen carefully and thought over for several days or weeks while you consider how it will be incorporated into your wedding.
“Our Michigan themed weddings will often use a large variety of local products from cherries to whitefish and morels,” Norris noted.
Don’t hesitate to change your mind if your original idea doesn’t quite fit your needs. Perhaps you’ll find the theme you chose is too narrow and you expand it, or maybe you’ll go in the opposite direction.
Most importantly, make sure the unique wedding theme idea you choose reflects both of your personalities.
“You can’t over-emphasize the importance of going with something that matches your personal style rather then a current trend,” Langmaack said.
“Your theme should create a mood or feeling so try to envision how you would like your guests to remember your wedding day and build off of that,” said Sheila Dodson-Wright, owner of Tableau Events in Bay Harbor.
Her business specializes in custom invitations and papery, specialty rentals and exclusive wedding and event decor.
“Whether it is playful, elegant, festive or formal, your event should truly reflect your personality and style. Incorporate elements such as custom papery and linens into your design to pull together a personalized environment that is truly distinctive,” Dodson-Wright said.
Another popular option is to let someone else take over. Wedding planners are very popular and will assist the bridal pair in every aspect of the wedding.
In the end, the spirit of your wedding is going to be set by you and your guests, even if there aren’t any words to describe it. The theme will just be the template it starts with and something that can make planning the rest of the wedding a little bit easier.
Up North Bride Home » Fall 2011 Edition » Theme For A Day