It’s all about money. Or is it? The most memorable weddings are not necessarily the most expensive. Maybe technically not a theme, a D-I-Y wedding, influenced by the latest from social media, combined with a secondary theme, e g Beach, can become the coolest, and the least expensive, wedding of the year.
A theme should relate to the couple getting married. How did the love story start? Did you fall in love during carnival in Rio? Or when buying ice-cream in New York? There will always be something from the common past which could serve as inspiration for the wedding. And a good story to tell during dinner.
Or let the proposal procedure develop into a theme. “-Five months after the proposal, I found hundreds of photos from our relationship with romantic messages written all over. From that moment, the planning for the wedding started and all the photos were used in the theme setting”.
It’s not only about colours. Try to create a balance across more elements of the wedding. And who said that there can be only one theme? Create that unique mix that no one else has ever done. The key is to visualise before you execute. The theme should definitely be reflected in the wedding invitation. As a template, with an uploaded image, or clearly stated in the text on the invitation card.
Rustic is probably the most common wedding theme. It becomes increasingly common to divide the main category into several
– Rustic Vintage, Rustic North American, Rustic Exotic and whatever feels right for you.
Other themes are Garden, Outdoors, Romantic, Classic, Contemporary and more. But don’t forget – you can incorporate DIY into all of them.
Our wedding couple, Jane and Austin, did plenty of DIY projects. No need to hire a wedding planner. There are more than enough DIY wedding decorations out there. And no worries, no need for handyman skills. We're talking priceworthy wedding flowers, table decorations and all the lights you can think of. But before you do anything – start with creating an idea of the final result. Everything needs to fit together. Start with the visual and work your way backwards. Call it reverse planning. Begin with the easy tasks, the wedding invites and the design of the seating chart.
We don’t mean who to invite, that is probably more difficult than finding who to marry. In addition to the wedding invitation card, the chart is one of those things to keep forever. Rather than having to arrange personalised cards for each guest, put up the chart and no one gets lost.
Even if your wedding theme is Boho Chic, Vintage or Traditional Indoor, you will need suitable lightning. Bistro lights are as good as it gets and perfect for all DIYers. Install lights in the reception or party areas and customise according to taste. Hide the cables with garlands and sweet wedding poems. If there is enough space, dangle string lights are a cool option. Hanging from a palm tree, you immediately feel like being in the Caribbean.
Back to the couple of the day, Jane and Austin. Once the theme was decided, they made sure the photographer understood, not only to include the theme on the wedding venue, but also on the invitation cards. Austin decided that the Save the Date cards should include a photo but the other wedding stationary not. “After a long coffee get-together, the photographer made us feel very relaxed, and yes, he knows exactly how to express the right atmosphere.
And talking about garlands, drape garlands of greenery, can be used on the bar, the photo boot and to convert a grey wall into something warm and trendy.
Flowers belong to all weddings. But unless the local florist is invited to the party, you can easily ruin yourself without some serious planning. Instead of choosing a ready-made wedding package, get creative and buy a few, but well selected, flowers to put into clustered vases. Try bud vases, all sorts of bottles, and whatever you can fit a flower into. There are 100+ types of roses and too easy to get overwhelmed.
Create a look that will be remembered. Prepare some empty spots in case guests bring flowers themselves.
In addition to the seating chart and the wedding invitation, a well-designed menu is another memorable item to keep forever. Make sure a personalised wedding menu follows the chosen theme. Stay with DIY and print your own. It goes without saying that it should match, not only the invitations, but also the wedding information cards, the table number cards, the thank you cards and more.
If the theme is Outdoor, Vineyard, Beach, Ice-bar or Garden, a backdrop for the ceremony might not be necessary, but otherwise the backdrop design is very DIY. If you didn’t manage to buy all those flowers, now it’s the time to paint them. Or just put your favourite photo up there. Or hundreds. Or… The options are endless. No Bahamas this time? Just fill the backdrop with palms and beaches. When the ceremony is over, use the same backdrop to cover the new bedroom wall.
The rest of the DIY-list is long.Bring the muffins you normally bake at home, add some of mother’s honey to the desert with a proper photo of mummy and a signature. Old jars can be collected from home and be filled with home-made candy and cookies. Place the jars where the guests don’t expect them.
If everyone else did the photo boot, be different with a creative guestbook. Rent a Polaroid and add space for marriage advices in the book. Will fit perfectly on the wedding bookshelf at home.
Buy second hand, or vintage frames of all sizes. Add anything from photos or pressed leaves and spread all over. The guests will love them, and the cost is pretty much zero.
If you’re doing the Beach, Vineyard or any other outdoor theme, make sure guest don’t get lost when moving between the different venues. Create funny handmade signs. Or in the same shop where you got the frames, collect some old mirrors to write on. A mirror seldom gets missed and is the ideal place to write an important message.
Disco balls. Everyone loves them. Collect as many as you can and spread them over the dancefloor. Add some paper lanterns and calibrate the effect before the DJ arrives. DJ btw. DIY-downloading the perfect mix from any streaming provider. The only drawback is that people can’t ask for their favourite song once the party started. Which is better anyway.
You probably start seeing the huge amount of wedding DIY-alternatives out there. Focus on the ones that create emotions. Remember the importance of first impression. Figure out what the guests see first – after the Save the Date and the wedding invitation card – the entryway to where the ceremony takes place is where they all walk in.
Be creative when setting up a beautiful scene of dried grass, lanterns, vintage notes and greenery. Try to be different and avoid all the typical wedding flowers. It’s all about vibe.
Never leave the guests thirsty or they might run for another party. Start with a line-up of glass dispensers that fit the theme. Arrange them side by side with a similar design. Think of the window of a bookstore with 50-copies of the same book. Fill the first one with Tequila and the last dispenser with lemonade. All liquids in the same transparent colour. The guests will soon figure out how it works.
The list goes on. Once you have decided on the DIY, the sky is the… Think of upcycle furniture, decorated wagons (with or without kids), place cards in all different forms and shapes (open mussels with a name…), comfort stations with different themes and beverages, don’t leave any tree, fence or wall undecorated, every girl on the guestlist can bake her favourite pie – name it – and put it on the pie-bench, design table ends with flowers - just remember not to overdo it – people need space for their feet, aisle décor – same thing here – don’t overdo it – stick to the same dried grass and greenery used at the entryway, fresh fruit on the dinner table, glassware can be coloured and don’t necessarily be identical for all, drinks on ice in bathtubs and large bowls – beer, white wine and vodka, baskets with all sorts of comfortable accessories, big leaves with messages, wood slices for the cake stand, fresh herbs, a bar on barrels, write the table number on empty wine bottles, games – no guest should get bored - lawn games usually do the trick in addition to creating thirst and appetite, create a reception table that matches the entryway to the ceremony….
With so many activities, a wedding program template should be ordered, and do we need to say it should match the invitation cards…