The quirky bride deserves a wedding to match. A whimsical wedding theme is perfect for the less-than-traditional couple. If you love bold colours, fairytale charm and a healthy dose of unexpected creativity then this style is for you.
Get inspired with these fun yet fancy designs that will bring out your inner child.
If the wedding invitation states ‘cocktail attire’ as the dress code, it means you are expected to wear sophisticated clothing that is neither too formal nor too casual. This means that you can play with the colours and accessories you choose to wear. Oftentimes, it can be tricky to figure out what to wear. Don’t worry we’ve got you covered.
Men
Stick to wearing a dark suit with either a white or colour shirt, or a suit jacket and slacks. You can accessorise with a fun tie or pocket square in bold colours or patterns.
Anything between a knee-length dress to just shorter than an evening dress is appropriate. You can also wear a jumpsuit, dressy suit or a nice blouse with dress pants or a skirt.
Bohemian or ‘boho’ weddings are perfect for the alternative couple who wants a relaxed and laid-back look and feel for their big day. This theme manages to bring mismatched items together in a chic way.
Think earthy elements, texture and a wide, rich colour palette.
Hotel weddings are popular venues for a reason. Hotels are generally beautifully decorated and have the facilities to cater for weddings. It is essentially a one-stop shop, making it one of the most convenient venues to choose from. Of course, as with any wedding venue, there are some limitations.
Take a look at the pros and cons of this venue type to see if it would work for you:
The location
The beauty of this venue is that you can have both your ceremony and reception in one place. Hotel venues are usually already pretty and elegant and so you will not have to do much decorating.
However, if you would like to decorate, you might be limited in terms of what you are allowed to do in the space. You will also have to accept the fact that this venue means that your wedding will have a standard ballroom look and you might not be able to have much personalisation.
If you do decide to have your wedding in a hotel, they will most likely book rooms for the bridal party and groomsmen to get ready in. Guests that have travelled for the wedding will be able to stay in the hotel and won’t have to worry about transport to and from the venue, plus, the hotel might even give a group booking rate.
Hotels will have plenty of parking space, bathrooms and the ability to house a lot of people with ease. There will be built-in sound systems for all audio requirements. The staff are experienced in dealing with lots of people at large events which will keep things running smoothly. You won’t have to rent any furniture or cutlery or crockery as they will have more than enough for your event.
But then again, this leaves little room to personalise your wedding. if you want your wedding to be unique, you might feel constrained by the limited options of this kind of venue.
While the convenience of hotel weddings is appealing, it also means that you might be limited by hotel rules. Since the venue is in a working hotel, your wedding might have a time limit as the noise might bother other guests. You could potentially have to use the hotel bar for drinks and their catering service instead of being able to choose your own.
Another negative is that hotel weddings are generally quite expensive. Even if the hotel offers wedding packages, these might limit you even further in choosing your own photographer or videographer as you might have to use the ones that come with the package.
While you might save on rental costs with a hotel wedding, the venue alone could be quite costly. You also run the risk of being bound by vendors approved by the hotel. at the end of the day, however, it will probably save you a lot of time and stress when you’re planning the wedding if your heart isn’t already set on specific vendors.
You’ve been invited to a wedding and the dress code says ‘smart casual’, so what can you wear? If this is the dress code then you can assume that the wedding will be relatively informal.
Keep your outfit laid-back but add a touch of elegance, it is a wedding after all! Dress smart but don’t go overly dressy.
Men
Wear a blazer with a button-down shirt and smart suit pants or chinos. Jacket and tie are optional. Shoe wise, wear loafers, brogues or boat shoes.
Wear a stylish mini dress or skirt or smart trousers with a blouse. You can add a tailored blazer if you’re up for it. Stick to sandals, wedges or low heels.
Your wedding will be a romantic affair regardless of your theme. However, a romantic theme is always appropriate for the day, especially if you are wanting your wedding to be a traditional, fairytale day.
Make use of an abundance of flowers, draping, calligraphy on stationery and signage, soft lighting, blush tones and delicate details to turn your wedding into a romantic rendezvous.
Have a look at these beautifully romantic wedding ideas:
Have you always dreamed of having your wedding out in the farmlands? If so, you should consider looking into using a barn as your wedding venue. Barn weddings are perfect if you would like to have a rustic theme as you get the rural vibe in an indoor setting.
The location
If you are renting out a barn on a working farm, the cost will not be that high and the barn will be a blank canvas for you to decorate however you like. However, this means that you will have to rent all furniture and decor items which will bring the cost up. Another issue with the barn being on a working farm is that it is not fit to accommodate a large number of people and there will not be bathrooms nearby unless you rent.
While a barn wedding is beautiful, the work that goes into getting it ready to be used as a wedding venue could be a bit much. What many farm owners have done is actually renovate their barns to turn it into a wedding venue. This means that there will be all the basic necessities needed but the price might be significantly higher.
What is great about this location is that it is an escape from city life and it manages to bring the outdoors in while still providing shelter and ambience. You can decorate elegantly or keep it casual. If the barn is on a working farm, it could have been used to house animals up until a day or two before your event and you will therefore need to work hard to get it cleaned so that guests with allergies don’t have any issues, and also to get rid of the smell of farm animals.
Due to the fact that this is not specifically a wedding venue, there won’t be electrical outlets or plumbing which is a necessity for vendors. The venue won’t be climate controlled meaning that if your wedding is being held during the summer months, it will get very hot or if it’s in winter, very cold.
Parking is another factor to consider, while there will be space for guests to park on the grass, if you’d like to have your ceremony outside of the barn, the cars could take up valuable space.
The celestial wedding theme is perfect for those who want their wedding decor to be out of this world; plus, there’s nothing more romantic than stargazing under the night sky. For your decor, think twinkling lights and the colours of the galaxy. This theme will show your guests that your marriage was written in the stars!
Take a look at these trendy elements to include in your wedding:
Edward Scissorhands. Beetlejuice. The Nightmare Before Christmas. Corpse Bride. All of these films are classic Halloween-time viewing that come from the mind of the unique writer and director, Tim Burton.
Many laud Burton for being the king of spooky with his dark yet comical films that have gone down in history. His characters continue to inspire many a halloween costume, and now it has even inspired a wedding photoshoot.
Miami-based couple Genesis and Kelvin have been together for 10 years and married in July 2019. However, due to personal circumstances they did not have the financial means to throw the extravagant wedding they wanted. They have four children, one of whom suffers from a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome, and her resulting medical bills have been costly.
“We didn’t really have a big wedding because our daughter has a disability,” Genesis told Business Insider US. “Our wedding day, unfortunately, was a big flop.”
The couple, who are big Tim Burton fans, were granted the opportunity to have the wedding of their dreams when their friend approached them to do a posed photoshoot.
The photoshoot, captured by photographer Angela Vallejo, recreated their wedding day in epic style. Together with Monica Reyes, event planner from ‘Events with a Promise’, the couple were spoiled with the spooky and glamorous day they had originally envisioned.
With the white piping on his lapel and the black and white colour scheme, Kelvin’s suit perfectly hinted at Jack Skellington’s attire from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Credit: Angela Vallejo Photography
Genesis went for a gothic look, sporting a black lace gown with a lengthy train.
Credit: Angela Vallejo Photography
Elements from Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice were incorporated through decor and colour scheme. Green, purple and black are focal colours in many of Burton’s films, and were stylishly woven into this styled table without looking overly themed. Pumpkins, Jack Skellington’s favourite accessory, were also included in the decor.
The wedding invites featured curlycue script on a charred paper, giving a Halloween inspired look. The envelope, which reads “Mr. Unlucky”, referred to “Jack’s Lament” in The Nightmare Before Christmas.
There was even a replica of Beetlejuice‘s “Handbook for the Recently Deceased”, except this time it was used as a guest book.
The stunning three layer black cake was adorned with dried flowers and a cake topper with the figures of Jack Skellington and Sally cut into it. It also reads “Mr” and “Mrs”. The cake stand is in the shape of skeleton legs.
The photoshoot gave Genesis and Kelvin some much-needed time to spoil themselves. Most of their time is dedicated to looking after their children, especially their special needs daughter.
“Your whole life becomes taking care of this child,” she said of her youngest daughter. “You don’t notice how much time is fleeting, and although your life becomes taking care of this child, you need to practice self-love too.”
“We don’t really have time to go on dates or things like that, so for us, this shoot was just a time for us to take a step back and really, you know, practice self-care,” Genesis said.
Rustic weddings are a popular wedding theme choice and they are perfect for the couple who wants their wedding to have a relaxed feel. This theme makes use of a lot of raw and natural elements and it is therefore a great way to incorporate nature into your wedding.
Trendy elements to include in your rustic wedding include:
