One of the ways to make wedding planning a breeze is to determine your wedding style. This will inform all of your future decisions when it comes to decor, bridesmaid dresses, flowers, even your own style. It’s also something you can decide on before you get engaged or in the very beginning stages of wedding planning.
We suggest sitting down with your fiance to discuss your preferred style and see what you both like and dislike when it comes to your wedding.
Here are some questions to discuss.
Where Do You Want to Have Your Wedding?
This is an important question to answer for both your wedding ceremony and reception. For the ceremony do you want it at your church, synagogue, or other house of worship? Or do you prefer having your wedding at a location special to you both, or perhaps at the reception venue?
It’s also important that you narrow down your the location you want your wedding reception. If it’s still early in the process and you aren’t ready to book a reception hall, consider narrowing down a few locations to make the process easier later on.
The location of your ceremony and reception will help to inform your style. Maybe you want a more traditional wedding complete with a traditional church wedding. Or maybe you want something less formal and more relaxed. Consider what you want your photos to look like, and the first impression you want to give to your guests during your ceremony.
What Season Do You Want to Get Married In?
Each season brings its own unique feel to a wedding. While some couples may choose the season they get married for financial reasons, restrictions with taking off from work, or other personal reasons, most couples choose a season because it’s in line with their vision for their wedding. If you want an outdoor wedding ceremony for example, warm weather is a must. Determining what season you want to get married in is a helpful way to make decisions regarding many things for your wedding.
What Time of Day Do You Want to Have Your Wedding?
Daytime weddings by nature, tend to be on the more casual side, while evening receptions tend to be more formal. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but taking the time of day you want to have your wedding into consideration can help you make some decisions about your wedding throughout the wedding planning process.
What Colors Do You Want to Use?
Choosing 2-3 colors you want to incorporate into your wedding is much easier than trying to find the right flowers or bridesmaid dresses and hoping they come in the colors you want. Try to pick a color palette by determining if you want bright and bold colors, jewel tones, pastels, earth tones, metallic colors, citrus colors, etc. From there you can pick your favorite colors from that palette. Then, when it’s time to choose flowers, bridesmaid dresses, linens, invitations, and other decor it will be much easier to narrow down your options!
How Fancy Do You Want Your Wedding to Be?
The level of formality you want for your wedding will help inform a lot of your decisions when it comes to wedding planning. For example, if you want to have a Black Tie affair with a traditional religious ceremony, you’d likely have your wedding on a Saturday evening at a reception hall, preceded by a ceremony at your faith’s house of worship.
This decision may also impact how many people you want at your wedding. Formal weddings often tend to be more formal, while smaller weddings often have a less formal feel. Again, this isn’t always the rule, you can do anything you want, but keeping these things in mind will help you make your decision.
What Parties Do You Want/Need to Have?
While you only “need” to have one party – your wedding – you likely will have a few other parties surrounding your big day. Some other wedding related events to consider include:
- Engagement party
- Bridal shower
- Rehearsal dinner
- Bachelor and Bachelorette parties
- Morning after brunch
What “Vibe” Do You Want for Your Wedding?
As you’re planning your wedding, keep in mind that while the theme of your weddings affects the look of your wedding, it can also set the tone. An evening wedding in a stunning ballroom will ramp the elegant quotient quite a bit, while an outdoor garden wedding will give guests a more relaxed casual feel.
There’s no right or wrong – just what feels right to you. You want your personalities and passions to shine through, which is what ultimately makes your wedding stand out and be extra special.
