What is it with themes? I've always hated those fancy dress parties that have you spending stupid amounts of money on items of clothing you wouldn't normally even pick up at a jumble sale just so you can fit in with some overriding but vague theme like "eighties", "heaven and hell" or, even worse, "French". I'd rather buy a nice outfit and be done.
That was certainly my attitude to the wedding - until, that is, it began to dawn on me that weddings are now like any other party and expected to be, in some small way at least, themed. Not necessarily in a garish, "everyone must wear devil horns" kind of way but in a subtle, personal sort of way.
Those pesky wedding magazines (which I'm beginning to think may be bad for me, my health and my bank account) are forever talking about what defines you "as a couple" and suggesting ways of incorporating this into your celebrations. I read of one couple who combined sand from both their travels as part of their ceremony - a beautiful sentiment but not one for us.
So, now I'm wondering what is "us". Travel is a big thing for us but I can't think of a non-tacky way of incorporating this, and Doug's first love is golf - something which definitely needs to be done right to avoid looking, well, hideous frankly. And even if we decide to sidestep all this theme nonsense, there's still the colour scheme to choose.
We've discussed deep purple and dark green, monochrome and neon brights; we've looked at bridesmaids dresses in Coast; we've even been to Homebase and picked up paint swatches - and we still simply don't know what we want. Every time we lean one way I see everything heading off into some hideously matchy matchy world where we all wear the same colour to tie in with the table centres which match the cake - and I want to scream.
So, do we need a colour scheme at all? Can we just pick what we like when we find it and to hell with the matching ribbons? Or would this look like a mish-mash of clashing colours on the day? Answers on a colour-coded postcard please....
Hi Helen
ReplyDeletePersonally I think that wedding themes are a bit of a risky area - and an idea totally created and perpetuated by those wonderful wedding magazines you mention! Sometimes the best thing to do is keep it simple and choose things you just love - your personality/ identity as a couple will shine through and you won't be left wondering why you're spending good money on hideous matchy matchy napkins or place settings! Look at your venue, you chose that because you loved it, so see what colours are already there and work with them in deciding what to go for with flowers, decorations etc. If you've got a particular favourite flower or know what colour your bridesmaids will be wearing, you can also use that as a starting point - the rest will flow from there.
Your venue looks lovely anyway and like it doesn't need a lot of 'dressing' - so the overriding 'design' of your wedding will be led by that. Allowing your 'theme' to come together in this way will help to keep things informal and relaxed and allow your personality and style to really show on the day.
Hope that helps!
Nicola
www.brightonweddingplanner.com
Themes: we've photographed a couple of weddings where this was done really well and probably at not inconsiderable expense. I'm not sure many guests even noticed - after all the principal theme of the day is a wedding and any 'imposed' theme is likely to be overpowered by that. So I would say avoid the theme thing.
ReplyDeleteColours: yes it's definitely worth thinking about those if only to avoid obvious clashes. Flowers, bridesmaids dresses and table decorations would be worth coordinating.
I think that avoiding a theme but picking a colour is definitely the way to go. We do love our venue so yes, going with what suits it is a good tip. And we'll definitely be heading down the informal route! So many things to think about...!
ReplyDeleteHelen
ReplyDeleteIf you love travel, you could always have your table plan travel based and your table names could be of places you both love.
I saw one of my favourite table plans done by a great stationer on our list called Jo Hughes the sister of one of our brides. Actually I saw the photographers album and then researched who had made the table plan and added her to our supplier list - she happened to be the bride's sister! The lovely thing is, if the plan is attractive enough you can frame and hang it as a wonderful reminder of a day full of people who love you both and wish you well.
I agree with Nicola above about the colour theme too. Look at the seasonal garden colours and/or style of your venue.
Hope that helps and enjoy your planning!
Liselle
www.gaynespark.co.uk
PS. If you are interested, I believe I took a photo of her display table at our recent wedding fair. Have a look at Gaynes Park on our Facebook page under albums (Wedding Fair Open Day 2010)
As a florist I would say to you yes colour is important but don't get too hooked up on it. A question I always ask my clients is 'if I asked you to describe your wedding what would you say'. This will give any of your suppliers an idhatehat you are looking for. This wedding is about you two not a colour theme necessaily. Flowers stationery bridesmaids dresses cake etc need to blend and not always match. From Reading your blog ( which is great) it seems to me your friends and family are important to you as well as travel. Hope this helps. Marion poppiesflowers.co.uk
ReplyDeleteThanks for your advice ladies! We are thinking of using travel as a theme so I'll look into the table plan idea - I hadn't really thought about it being a souvenir after the event as well, that's a great way of looking at it.
ReplyDeleteSo many things to think about so please do keep reading and advising!