Having trouble planning your wedding reception theme? No worries, we’re here to help with some great tips for choosing a theme. Everything from colors to decorations will need to be considered, along with details relating to a specific theme if you are having one, so once you’re armed with a scrapbook of ideas, read on for tips on how to organize those ideas to create the perfect reception theme for your day.
Choosing your colors:
Finding the right colors can be as simple as picking your favourites or as difficult as finding colors to fit with a certain theme. Choosing your wedding colors is perhaps the best place to start when it comes to planning your reception as once decided upon it will help you to fit in everything else. Purchase a color wheel or print one from the internet to help you find shades which coordinate and compliment each other and also to give you a pantone reference you can hand to suppliers so they can match the colors exactly.
Typically I suggest choosing just three colors, but you can add in an additional color or various shades of the ones you have. Try not to choose too many colors though as you may find it impossible to work with them all. A final tip for choosing your colors is to look around you and the colors you surround yourself with everyday. A wedding should be a personal expression of the couple getting married so if you typically like loud, bright colors then you should follow along those lines, whilst those who prefer paler, more subtle shades should stick with a more subdued palette.
To theme or not to theme?
These days a wedding theme can be anything from adding butterfly’s to every detail to going all out for a guys n dolls themed extravaganza. Wedding themes are not to everyone’s taste especially if specific dress codes are involved, but they can help to give you a point of reference when choosing all the decorative details needed to bring your reception to life.
Do not be too ambitious with your choice of theme, remember you will need to be able to do it within budget and of course find all the things you will need to create it in the first place.
Try to avoid being seduced!
Wedding magazines are great for giving you ideas for themes and the latest reception trends however they are also great at producing stunning glossy images of venues dressed to the nines with decorations, candles, flowers, lights and tableware. Remember magazines have big budgets, they also get an awful lot of things for free from wedding companies looking for publicity. They are therefore able to produce wonderful big budget reception themes which can easily seduce any bride-to-be.
Compile magazine clippings in your scrapbook as you build your ideas and note down any suppliers of interest. Real weddings are a great source of inspiration for weddings with true-to-life budgets but do research alternatives especially if you are on a budget.
Location, location, location…
Once you have your color choices, theme ideas and budget set you will need to find the best venue to match your dreams. This is a bit of a juggling act now as you will need to balance the constraints of your budget with your reception dreams. If you have chosen a very specific theme, especially if it is historical e.g. 1920s, medieval etc then you will need to find a venue to match. If you want to have a garden/tea party wedding then you will want a garden venue and if you want your wedding to have a modern feel you should look for chic, boutique hotels or restaurants.
San Diego wedding venue Los Willows advises that because these days there are many different types of venue to choose from, you will have lots of things to consider before you choose the right one. From the point of view of your reception theme you will need to be able to coordinate your colors with the existing décor and fixtures and fittings without needing to radically change everything within the venue.
Create a moodboard…
The final step will be to put all the colors, details and features together on a moodboard. These are often put together by interior designers so they can judge how colors and details will work together and to provide a point of reference. A moodboard will help you to see how your choice of colors and decorative details will work together and give you the chance to experiment with your ideas before settling on your perfect theme. Once you have your moodboard you should take it with you when you meet with your cake maker and florist so they can design cakes and flowers to fit.
So there you have it – lots of inspiration for creating your perfect wedding reception theme. If you have an idea or photo to share, we’d love to hear from you.