Many couples are choosing to break away from the purely traditional wedding and reception and adding a theme to their wedding.  Are you considering a theme?  If so, you’re not alone.  So many couples getting married these days don’t want their mother’s wedding with the Crane invitations, the white cake, and the liturgical marriage vows.  If you think outside of the box, a wedding theme might be right up your alley!

Tips for choosing your theme:
Every couple, even those that want to stick with strict tradition, need to decide, early on in their planning, what the style, mood, and feel of the wedding will be.  Are you a casual couple?  A romantic couple?  Do you feel your love story mirrors that of a different time, a fairy tale, or out of a movie?  If you do think you might want to incorporate a theme, choose it first; your wedding planning will run much smoother if you start with the big and work out the small details to support it, instead of the other way around.

How obvious do you want your theme to be? Are you thinking understated, or going all out and asking people to come in costume?  Are you thinking of just incorporating some subtle ideas and hints or do you want your guests to walk in to a fantasy land?

Different popular theme ideas:
Depending on the season, many brides, without knowing it, choose a theme, by using colors in the flowers, bridesmaids’ dresses, and the cake.  Most brides know it’s odd to have a baby blue and light pink wedding in the deep winter, just as it’s strange to walk into a springtime wedding where the bridesmaids’ wear chocolate.  Even though the colors alone don’t actually make it a theme, it does help make their wedding memorable. 

For the bride who wants to go all out, I’ve been a part of many weddings where guests were asked on the invitation to come dressed in costume, or at least wear something with the theme in mind.  Many time period themed couples do this.  From a Medieval theme, with the groom sporting a saber and riding off into the sunset on horseback to an Old South theme, at a historical antebellum home, with bridesmaids holding parasols instead of flowers, these are the perfect scenarios for guest participation.  Now, if you are picturing something out of the movie “27 Dresses”, just realize there are ways to do this without it becoming a joke.  Your wedding is a very serious matter, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun! 

Some brides and grooms, with a desire to incorporate both the traditional and their sense of theme, blend the two together.  For example, I performed at a Celtic wedding once, where they had traditional Celtic music only, performed on a historic looking instrument, and the minister closed with a Celtic blessing; the wedding party, musician, and a few guests dressed in outfits inspired by the region, but it wasn’t a full on costume.  The invitations had a Celtic knot on it as did the wedding programs.  Every other aspect was as traditional as they could make it.

Some themes that are often seen
Winter Wonderland/Christmastide                 Springtime in the garden
Valentine’s Romance                                      Black and white night on the town
Cinderella marries her handsome price           Gone With the Wind/Old South
Ethnic Traditions                                            Victorian Elegance
Medieval or Renaissance                                Football Champs

When choosing a theme, such as some of the above, location can be a big factor in pulling off the ambiance.  If you choose a renaissance or Celtic theme, an outdoor wedding, perhaps in a field, is the perfect setting; where as if you were planning a black and white wedding, it’s all about choosing a stylish venue with everything decorated just right. 

The first time that a guest gets a taste of your theme is on the invitation, which is also one of the easiest ways to incorporate a hint of theme.  Though there is something beautiful about choosing an engraved invitation, choosing one that has a color scheme, symbols, or even a background picture of the couple dressed in their theme costumes can be a great way to get the guests excited to participate. 

Choosing the extent of your theme:
If you choose a theme, make sure all of your wedding professionals know.  It is quite possible that your linen supplier has something that goes along, or that your caterer has dishes that can be given creative names to support the theme.  Of course, the obvious areas that help support a theme the most are the music, decorations, and cake.  Many couples will have a very traditional bride’s cake, but will ask for the groom’s cake to be a 3D cake of something within the theme.  Most professional musicians have music from every period, genre, and know how to incorporate the appropriate music.  If you hire a professional wedding coordinator, you have her wide knowledge of many areas to incorporate themes, no matter how subtle.  Don’t be afraid to ask if there is something you have in mind.  Your wedding professionals are there to help you know what works, doesn’t and hasn’t been tried! 

The most important part about planning a themed wedding is to enjoy it!  Every detail doesn’t necessarily have to make your guests forget what century they live in, and it’s not important for your guests to feel like they have to play a role, but you want them to walk away saying your dream wedding was one they will never forget!