Sample Wedding Themes
Since a theme sets a tone and style for your wedding, it is the essence of wedding design. And wedding themes can have infinite variation, as infinite and unique as the people becoming wed. So, you’re probably not looking for a pre-fab wedding theme. Instead, you probably want creative wedding theme ideas to get the juices flowing. That’s what we’re providing here.
Of course, if you’re looking for help in creating the perfect theme, one personalized just for you, feel free to contact us, and we can help you define your theme and all the details.
Or, if you want to brainstorm more personal ideas, use our Wedding Theme Questionnaire.
Now, on to the glorious theme ideas... just click on one of the headings below to see wedding theme ideas in that category.
So, you really love the wide, open spaces? Let your sense of space drive your wedding style. The great outdoors has magnificent aesthetics to inspire your wedding. Are you inspired by a mountaintop? Flowing fields of grain? Meadows? Lakes? Rivers? Think about the places around you that you love, and how they can form a central focus for your wedding.
Outdoor weddings can be grand, and nothing is more grand than the night sky. This is a wedding theme idea we don’t see nearly enough. Is your love written in the stars? The brilliant night sky... is there anything more meaningful or romantic? Deep blues, silvers and golds... Swirling nebulae... Pinpricks of light in black... Oh, yes. However you define the aesthetic of the night sky, it can translate to a beautiful wedding. And the literature and poetry surrounding stars can add meaningful verbiage to your ceremony text and vows... like these lines from William Blake’s “Evening Star”:
Thou fair hair'd angel of the evening,
Now, while the sun rests on the mountains light,
Thy bright torch of love; Thy radiant crown
Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!
Smile on our loves; and when thou drawest the
Blue curtains, scatter thy silver dew
On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes
In timely sleep.
(Looking for other poems, songs, quotations, or original romantic text that is perfect for your wedding? Contact us.)
And since the essence of a star is light, use light in your ceremony... Celebrate at night under a brilliant sky... Or in an observatory, with the universe above you. The infinity of the stars can add the sublime to your wedding. If your wedding is in a hall, or even outdoors in your backyard, decorate with white, pinprick LED lights for a celestial glow. Consider lights in the bride’s hair in lieu of flowers, a crown of stars. The possibilities are as infinite as the universe.
The bride on the sandy shore, her wedding gown flowing in the ocean breeze... we’ve seen the pic. Hey, we even used it on our site:
Sure, everyone will get sand in their shoes, and maybe the wind will blow away the bouquet... And, of course, it’s been done before. But it can always be done gloriously! The uniqueness is in the execution. If you love the ocean, your beach-themed wedding can be elegant and exciting. Try to focus your wedding theme from the general to the specific... are you in love with the vision of a coral reef, teeming with life? Perhaps an aquarium with an undersea view of your favorite creature is the setting you are looking for. Or do you really love the white sand against a bright blue ocean? A seaside wedding followed by a bonfire reception may be the trick. Do you want to be on the water? What about a boat? There are all kinds of options: glass-bottom boats, old-fashioned sailing vessels, riverboats... Is your love of the ocean tied up with the imagery of warm tropic isles? Perhaps a Caribbean Calypso wedding theme is the way to go. Isolating what you love about the beach or the water will help you personalize your wedding and make it unique.
For colors, you don't need to stick to sea-shell pink and noon-sky blue. Consider deeper blues, purples, sandy browns, and deep greens. The orange clown-fish could inspire, or any of the colors of the vibrant coral reef.
Food! What better expression of joy, family, and extended love? Does your family share traditions of outdoor eating? A colorful fiesta wedding with traditional decor... a picnic with three-legged races and red-and-white check tablecloths (and even fireworks?)... a barbecue with huge roasting pits... a chili festival with the best chilis to choose from... Food, family, and fun go together and can create a friendly warm space for your wedding. Draw from the experiences that you cherish to make a wonderful wedding memory.
Day or night, the natural surroundings of a garden can provide an elegant backdrop for your wedding. Your backyard garden can provide the setting... instead of spending a lot of money on a location, buy something that will last by re-doing your backyard into the garden paradise setting of your dreams. Is it a fairy garden with will-o’-the-wisps? A rose garden with white trellises? The style is up to you. Or, you can go afield to find the garden setting that speaks to you, at a public garden, museum, or arboreum. Natural clothes and colors, along with native flowers, will complement the setting you choose.
The aesthetic of an era is exaggerated and refined in our memory and culture after the era has passed. You might choose an era that you admire for its beauty, mythology, or ideals... that expresses your sense of fun or style. Don’t feel confined to historic accuracy. Hone in on what attracts you to the era, whether it’s a historic reality or a mythologized picture of a bygone time.
Anthony with his Cleopatra, with black, bold eyes and dangling gold jewels? Or, flowing dresses, corsets, tailored coats, and poofy white collars of a refined era? You have cultures around the world and throughout time to choose from. If you identify a time period that you love, you have a template for clothing design and decoration at your fingertips. Search out pictures that epitomize what you love about that time period... Create historical information cards for your guests (we’ll be glad to help.)
What about the roaring twenties? Naughty and nice times in the heyday of jazz, flappers, and the high life! Maybe a 1930s cinema palace can form the backdrop for your art deco wedding. Or choose the 1950s... a sun-and-surf beach wedding complete with Gidget hair! Prefer the peace and love movement? A groovy 1960s flower child wedding can include face painting for all the guests, or at least the bridal party. Or the 1970s... a disco wedding with a spinning disco ball and bell-bottom pants... gold lamé halter for the bride, of course... and huge wedge heels. Okay, you get the picture... decades are defined by aesthetics, and if you find the aesthetic that meshes with your ideals, loves, and joys...
Gothic wedding themes can be as varied as goths themselves... Here are just a few examples as food for thought, and be sure to visit our Gothic Weddings page for more discussion of gothic weddings.
The romantigoth wedding marries the romanitc with the gothic, of course, with an emphasis on flowing, dark fabrics, thorned flowers, overflowing trellises, and elegant imagery. The romantigoth aesthetic translates beautifully into a wedding ceremony, with elements of traditional romance balanced with dark imagery. Your more traditional family members can appreciate the romantic elements, while your gothic thirst can be quenched with black lace and blood-red roses.
If your gothic inclination leans toward the beings of the night, bring on the darkness, with cross imagery and caskets. Ruby jewels, long black cloaks for groom and groomsmen, and romantic clothing styles of an earlier era can set the stage for your eternal love. The bride’s deep velvet choker, of red or black, emphasizes the luxuriousness of her otherwise exposed neck. A graveyard setting or memorial chapel can provide the backdrop. Or search for local ruins or abandoned sites that speak to the eternal. You may even consider a destination wedding to Eastern Europe or New England.
The perky goth can do wonders with pink and black, a classic color combination. Above all, be true to your own perky style, however ecclectic it might be. Rainbow bridesmaid dresses backing up a black-mantled bride? Pink and purple hair for the whole wedding party? Black spanish lace and tennis shoes? Let your perky personality show!
More emo than goth? Your wedding doesn’t have to be tight jeans and long bangs. Explore the imagery and music that appeals to you. The red heart is a central theme in emo aesthetics, and can form the central imagery for your wedding. Try shades of grey as a backdrop for deep red hearts. Bring your music to the center stage, and not just at the reception, because Here Comes the Bride is not required. Decorate your wedding hall with graphitti art, centered on an emo theme.
Never want to forget your anniversary? Choose a holiday to make a double celebration. Gather your family around you for a Thanksgiving feast and wedding. Have a haunting Halloween wedding with a ghostly bride. Have a pub-hopping reception following a green, four-leaf-clover St. Paddy’s Day wedding. Or marry on New Year’s Eve... and at midnight, start your new life together with fireworks, champagne, and confetti. You get the idea. Like eras, holidays have their own aesthetics, and those aesthetics can be translated into a wedding you’ll love. Don’t just think about the traditional holidays, though.
A meaningful and aesthetically wonderful gothic wedding, the Dia de los Muertos wedding theme has a rich heritage. Gather together with family and friends to celebrate the past and those who have gone before you. After all, your ancestors are what brought you here, and your marriage is the continuation of your families into the future. Capitalize on the rich Dia de los Muertos aesthetic, which provides a rich array of color. Marry before your own hand-made altar, surrounded by marigolds... Build a menu of the favorites of the family members who cannot be with you... Take your clothes and decorations from lovely Dia de los Muertos catrinas... Wedding favors of sugar skulls...
Ancient festivals bring a sense of history and communion with nature to your wedding. A winter festival wedding doesn’t mean Christmas, as we’re sure you know! A Yule wedding can evoke ancient traditions and ritual, bringing the glory and joy of winter to your wedding ceremony.
If you’re celebrating in the spring, consider the Celtic May festival of Beltaine marking the beginning of the summer season. Include a bonfire rite, and the lighting of the home hearth from the flame, a ritual evocative of the home life you and your partner are embarking on. Also, consider including May rites from other sources, such as a colorful maypole.
Celebrate! Gather a huge crowd... papier-mâché masks... purple and gold beads... New Orleans fare... feathers... dancing... you can see it now, can’t you? The Mardi Gras wedding is a day of celebration... yes, Bacchus will attend. Unrestrained revelry is the core of the day. A wedding path lined with balconies, with revelers throwing confetti and beads to the passing wedding party... horses... wild costumes. This is a wedding few will soon forget!
The little glitch on the calendar? Any excuse for a party. Take the leap on leap day... even arrange a bungie-jumping party, or just a trampoline. You’ll have an extra-special reason to celebrate your anniversary every four years. The rule is... any holiday can be translated into a wedding theme!
Did you know that March 14 is Pi Day? Yes, in celebration of pi, eat a pie on March 14 at 3:14 (or some say 1:59, to get 3.14159...) If you have a numeric bent, you might have a pi (and pie) themed wedding, with circluar and geometric decorations, wedding pies instead of wedding cakes, and an infinite amount of fun!
What about Darwin's birthday? If you're of a scientific mind (or just a rationalist!), celebrate your wedding on February 12, the birthday of one of the most important scientific figures in history. Oh, how your love has evolved into something glorious! How about a destination wedding to the Galapagos Islands, also known as “Las Encantadas,” the enchanted islands? Closer to home, decorate with a great tree of life... the biggest family of all.
Have a special cause or belief? Bet someone has a special day to celebrate it. Find the holiday to suit your interests, and you’re on your way to a great wedding theme.
Winter, spring, summer, autumn... every season has its unique look, feel, and meaning. The winter season brings clean beauty... the predominant white with hints of strong color. The warm glow of a fire can inspire your winter wedding. Spring is the time of growth and rebirth... budding leaves and flowers, with a pallette centered on green can create a beautiful and meaningful aesthetic. Summer brings fullness and warmth. Bright yellow is the summer color... bring in the activities that make summer beloved. Autumn, with its oranges and browns, its feasts of plenty, hayrides, apple-picking... provides a rich background to create an elegant wedding.
Perhaps you have a strong cultural heritage, or perhaps the culture of a specific area resonates with you. Draw from the clothing and traditions of the culture that you love, feeling free to modify and adapt your wedding theme to your modern life.
Love to ski? Hit the mountain slopes for a ski-weekend wedding. Met at a knitting bee? How about knitted table decorations, bridal party accessories, and favors? Even hand-knitted invitations! These are the ties that bind! Okay, so knitting probably isn’t your obsession... but from a chess-board wedding, to a knitted ceremony, to a stamp-collection themed wedding (dare us to make it wonderful!), any beloved hobby can be turned into a very personal, very memorable wedding theme.
Telling stories is part of the human condition. Stories help us understand the world and help us process our knowledge. So, what story is your story? A romantic classic like Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Casablanca or Romeo and Juliet? Something that turns classics on its head, like The Addams Family? Brazil? Fight Club? Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Interview with the Vampire? Run wild with ideas. The real question is not “Would you associate this book or film with a wedding?” but “Does this book or film resonate with me and my partner?” Remember... your wedding can be anything you want it to be!
