How will you style your wedding? Here are inspirational wedding ideas for every bridal style. Ten popular wedding themes from a floral wedding theme to an outdoor wedding theme – and many more in between, to suit all tastes.
1. Floral Wedding Theme
When we think about inspirational wedding ideas, think out of the box. We don’t just mean flowers when we talk about a floral wedding theme, for example. Introduce floral detailing on your wedding stationery or buy a wedding dress covered in stunning floral lace. When it comes to flowers, give some thought to where to position floral arrangements, such as the desk where you will be signing the register after your ceremony. Your photographer will be capturing this moment – and your floral displays. A floral wedding theme will work well during any month of the year but the summer arrangements at Sophie and Anthony’s wedding, designed by Firebird Events, were stunning!
2. Monochrome Wedding Theme
If you’re a fan of monochrome, then a black and white theme throughout your wedding day could look truly striking. Consider having your bridesmaids wear stylish black dresses. Here is an example below of a wedding I photographed in central London. Take a look at Jane and David’s Leicestershire wedding at Kilworth House Hotel. Not completely monochrome, just stylishly interwoven. Maybe a black and white striped cake or mix and match black and white tablecloths could complete your monochrome wedding style.
3. Country Garden Wedding Theme
If you’re getting married during the summer months then a country garden wedding theme could be ideal. Consider Pimms on the lawn and giant garden games to keep young and old entertained. Or for more of a cottage garden feel, jam jars filled with home grown flowers. At a recent grand wedding I shot at the magnificent Elvetham near Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, the principal men wore formal dress suits, guests sipped champagne on manicured lawns and a string quartet played melodically under a spreading tree. Magical!
Photographed by S.R.Urwin Wedding Photography
Country Garden Weddings with marquees are very popular. I hope this video, An English Countryside Wedding, which I photographed towards the end of Summer, may inspire you.
4. Vintage Themed Wedding
Are you a fan of bygone eras?. Then think ‘vintage’. Choose a vintage wedding dress and vintage table accessories at your reception. Why not think about a live band who specialise in music from yesteryear? You could go all the way and ask family and friends to dress in appropriate outfits to match the theme. This would be a wedding photographer’s dream, of course, and make brilliant pictures for your album! However you decide to style your wedding, many brides will choose a vintage car to get you to the church on time. If you are going ‘vintage’, then why not an old London double decker bus for an added splash of colour!
Photographed by S.R.Urwin Wedding Photography
5. Travel Wedding Theme
If you’re planning a super honeymoon, or you fell in love abroad, or maybe thinking about a destination wedding, then a travel themed wedding day might suit you both down to the ground. Complete your theme by naming your reception tables with places you have visited around the world. You could send out airline ticket-style invitations. Why not consider a sandcastle-shaped wedding cake? At Ayesha and Hussien’s destination open-air wedding at the beautiful coastal location of Pine Cliffs Resort in Albufeira, Portugal, my couple had chosen a travel theme. A great touch was an ice cream vendor’s vintage bicycle offering treats such as mango sorbet and cookies with cream! This brought back great memories for them.
Photographed by S.R.Urwin Wedding Photography
Photographed by S.R.Urwin Wedding Photography
6. James Bond Wedding Theme
The purpose of this blog is to give inspirational wedding ideas for all bridal styles. Well, if you’re both major fans of James Bond films, then you’ve simply got to choose a 007 wedding theme! This was the theme for Sheila and Dave’s wedding. Pick Bond film names such as Skyfall, Diamonds are Forever and For Your Eyes Only as table names. Arrange a casino event for your evening entertainment (after Casino Royale), with life-size cutouts of the man himself around the room. We all had great fun at this wedding at the Ardencote, located between Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon. Contact me for the event planner, it was a huge success. You may find that your guests won’t want to go home at the end of the day.
7. Rustic Wedding Theme
My inspirational wedding ideas are really about suggesting a starting point. Have you thought about hessian?. Use this tactile fabric for detailing around your bouquet and on your reception tables. A tower of cheese as your wedding cake with a hessian burlap backdrop could be a great starting point for an exciting wedding theme. Maybe you are looking for a rustic barn style wedding venue. Michelle and Mike’s wedding was one I loved shooting. This was another festive marriage ceremony with fairy lights and mistletoe, held at The Kingscote Barn, near Tetbury, deep in the Cotswolds. The bridal car was a VW Beetle and the groom and bestman wore stylish tweed suits. There are more Barn Weddings on my Galleries pages which may inspire and Just a Perfect Day is my video of a summer wedding at Mythe Barn, Leicestershire.
8. Colourful Wedding Theme
If you are looking to add a splash of colour to your wedding day then perhaps choose a couple of bold colours to display. You could feature the chosen colours on stationery, your floral bouquet, bridesmaid’s dresses, the groom’s tie and waistcoat, and table centre pieces. A lovely couple chose this theme for a wedding I shot at Hellidon Lakes Resort in Northamptonshire. Inspirational wedding ideas come in all shapes and forms. A bold move would be to use every colour of the rainbow throughout your day. This would definitely create truly stunning and unique wedding photography and guaranteed to put a smile of every guest’s face!
Photographed by S.R.Urwin Wedding Photography
9. Festive Wedding Theme
Many couples I have worked with chose to marry around Christmas. Weddings arranged for times away from the popular summer months can be less expensive. If you choose an hotel for your wedding, then you should find it decked with holly – as well as Christmas trees, lights, balls and tinsel! Continue the theme with your own festive centre pieces, a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and crackers as wedding favours. This would pull this fun wedding theme together beautifully. India and John’s seasonal wedding I photographed at the 5-star South Lodge hotel at Horsham, West Sussex was a terrific success.
Photographed by S.R.Urwin Wedding Photography
10. Outdoor Wedding Theme
Here goes my final thought on inspirational wedding ideas. Are you thinking about an open-air wedding ceremony? Do you love the idea of your friends and family congregating in a garden to celebrate your special day with a champagne reception? Then an outdoor theme could be for you. From lining your outdoor aisle with beautiful floral arrangements to enjoying garden games on the lawn, this could be a wedding your guests will remember for a long time. If you have a riverside location, why not go one step further with a boating party! I can recommend The Cherwell Boathouse in Oxford for a fun time on the river. A summer punting party was a major highlight at Jo and Adam’s outdoor wedding.
Maybe I haven’t completely covered inspirational wedding ideas for EVERY bridal style but I hope my Top 10 wedding themes may give you some ideas to get your started. Good luck!