Finding Your Wedding Vision
Finding Your Wedding Vision
Wedding planning information and ideas from Wedding Planning and Management: Consultancy for Diverse Clients by Maggie Daniels and Carrie Loveless:
Before you can start on your checklist of things to do, before you can book a venue or hire a photographer, you have to find your wedding vision.
“A wedding vision is an imaginative conception of the event that encompasses all five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.”
What makes you unique as a couple? How can that be expressed in your wedding. Focus on ideas and concepts that you like from bridal magazines, Pinterest boards, photos of outings with your fiancé, swatches of fabric or any items that reflect the most important aspects of your life. When planning your wedding it is important to establish a focused vision to determine your ideal wedding day and then make that vision a reality.
In the process of finding your wedding vision, certain themes are likely to emerge. Wedding themes can vary from subtle to dramatic and generally feed into destination and site selection as well as influencing other elements such as floral décor and favors.
Consider these themes when defining your wedding vision:
- Favorite Color
- Seasons and Holidays
- Historic Periods and Eras
- Culture, Subculture and Heritage
- Earth and Celestial Elements
- Sports, Activities and Hobbies
- Popular Culture
“A common starting place is a favorite color. A color scheme can be the motivation for the entire framework of a wedding.”
“A second theme category pertains to seasons and holidays. Seasons often coincide with colors, with pastels working best in the spring, bright colors coordinating with summer, muted tones favored in the fall and festive shades and darks working well in the winter. Considering the calendar year, some popular holidays that coincide with wedding themes include Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. A specific aspect of a season or holiday period can be used to dictate the thematic elements; for instance, a harvest wedding can include a hay wagon, mums, pumpkin centerpieces, a cider-based signature drink and favors such as baskets of pumpkin bread or candied apples.”
“For those with an appreciation of the past, a wedding theme based on a specific historic period may be appealing. Renaissance and Victorian periods as well as eras such as the Roaring 1920s and the Big Band 1930s and 1940s lend themselves to specific musical genres as well as clothing styles.”
“A related theme involves drawing upon a specific culture or subculture. This may be based on the experiences or heritage of the bride and/or groom or could be based on a particular interest or borrowed culture. For example, a couple may wish to have an Ascot-themed wedding, not based on a British heritage but because of their love of horses. Another couple, equally passionate about horses, may opt for a more casual country-western theme. A subcultural theme can even be based on a career; for instance, military weddings have embedded customs and protocol.”
“Couples with an interest in outdoor activities may decide to have a beach, mountain, garden or park theme. Gazebos, atriums, resorts, national parklands and estates lend themselves to outdoor themes. A related thematic area is comprised of earth and celestial elements, which can be tied into conservationist weddings as well as those using stars, planets, the moon or angelic features.”
“Sports allow for a broad array of themes. Whether participants or fans, a passion for golf, football, martial arts, baseball, snowboarding, kayaking, surfing, soccer or any other sport can translate into a clever theme. Similarly, other recreational or competitive outlets can lead to imaginative themes. Activities and hobbies such as traveling, cooking, gardening, karaoke, camping and painting bring couples together and can lend to a wedding theme.”
“A final, broad theme pertains to popular culture, with couples frequently drawing upon books, theatre, television and film to inspire their weddings. Plot lines, time periods, clothing and music associated with historic or modern fiction, such as Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, The Great Gatsby, Harry Potter, Twilight and Downton Abbey, fuel the imagination.”
“When choosing a theme, it is important to consider the knowledge base of the guests. If the couple wishes to incorporate Scottish elements into the wedding based on the bride’s heritage, it will be helpful to explain the significance of the unique features in the wedding program so the cultural experience will not be lost on guests who are not of Scottish descent. Additionally, the comfort level of the guest must be kept in mind.”
Wedding Planning and Management: consultancy for diverse clients is available at www.amazon.com/Wedding-Planning-Management-Consultancy-Diverse/dp/0415644453.
Credit: Daniels, Maggie, & Loveless, Carrie (2014). Wedding Planning and Management: Consultancy for Diverse Clients (Second edition). New York, NY: Routledge. Illustrated by Rodney Bailey.
The Washington DC metro area makes an amazing backdrop for wedding photography.
Wedding Photography by Rodney Bailey
rodney bailey, wedding planning, wedding vision, wedding theme, wedding day
dc photographer, photographer dc, dc wedding photographer, wedding photographer dc, dc photography, photography dc, dc wedding photography
wedding photography dc, dc wedding venue, dc wedding event venue, dc weddings, weddings dc, dc wedding locations, dc wedding photos
washington dc photographer, wedding ceremony dc, wedding reception dc, wedding ceremony washington dc, wedding reception washington dc
wedding vision
photographer washington dc, washington dc wedding photographer, wedding photographer washington dc, washington dc photography, photography washington dc
washington dc wedding photography, wedding photography washington dc, washington dc wedding venue, washington dc wedding event venue
washington dc weddings, weddings washington dc, washington dc wedding locations, washington dc wedding photos
md photographer, photographer md, md wedding photographer, wedding photographer md, md photography, photography md, md wedding photography, wedding photography md, md wedding venue, md wedding event venue,
md weddings, weddings md, md wedding locations, md wedding photos, wedding ceremony md, wedding reception md, wedding ceremony maryland
maryland photographer, photographer maryland, maryland wedding photographer, wedding photographer maryland, maryland photography, photography maryland, maryland wedding photography, wedding reception maryland
weddings maryland, wedding photography maryland, maryland wedding venue, maryland wedding event venue, maryland weddings, maryland wedding locations, maryland wedding photos
wedding vision
va photographer, photographer va, va wedding photographer, wedding photographer va, va photography, photography va, va wedding photography, wedding photography va
va wedding venue, va wedding event venue, va weddings, weddings va, va wedding locations, va wedding photos, wedding ceremony va
wedding reception va, wedding ceremony virginia, wedding reception virginia, virginia photographer, photographer virginia, virginia wedding photographer, wedding photographer virginia
virginia photography, photography virginia, virginia wedding photography, wedding photography virginia, virginia wedding venue, virginia wedding event venue, virginia weddings
weddings virginia, virginia wedding locations, virginia wedding photos
