It is so easy to want your wedding to look Pinterest worthy. However, unless you have an eye for décor or can afford to hire a decorator, it’s not as easy to make it all happen.
Some of us just aren’t blessed with being able to create an amazing and cohesive look for an event or space. I have friends who can walk into any home store and pick out pieces immediately that just go together. Their homes look like they were just pulled out of a magazine, and I never know how they do it. From my perspective, understanding how a bunch of little pieces come together to make one amazing look, just doesn’t happen. And if you’re anything like me, you know what I’m talking about.
Knowing that it is possible to create a cohesive look for your wedding, without having a background in or flair for design, I’m sharing with you what I’ve been able to research and pull from my own experience.
While it can still be overwhelming to make décor decisions, if you’re able to follow the specific steps below, you should have an easier time with two very important things. First, you’ll be able to make decisions quicker because you’ll have a vision for what you want on your wedding day. Second, you’ll end up with wedding décor that does really go together and creates a beautiful look for your day.
This post is all about creating a vision for your wedding day and sticking to it throughout your wedding planning process, in an effort to create a cohesive look for your wedding. There really is a method to choosing certain styles and colors, and then using those choices as guidelines for things like invitations, florals, linens, and clothing. All you have to do is have a little intention up front and find what speaks to you and your preferences.
Let’s get into it some specific questions that should help you determine the look you want for your wedding, and then make it happen.
1. WHAT KIND OF VENUE DO YOU HAVE?
Your wedding venue is an excellent place to start when it comes to designing.
When you think of your venue, what comes to mind? Is it rustic? Elegant? Modern? Did you go with a venue that needs a lot of décor, or one that is already intrinsically beautiful? Some venues really don’t need a lot added to them. You may be able to gather all your remaining inspiration from what is already there, whether that be amazing art, a gorgeous garden, or incredible architecture.
Another question would be if your venue has particular colors that would be a complementary or clashing backdrop to other colors? This may also help you with your vision. For example, if there is a large red wall in your venue space, you may want to rethink a green color scheme unless you’re having a Christmas wedding. Using your venue space, the colors there, and your own preferences will start to set the stage.
Examples of venues and common wedding décor inspiration behind them:
- Beach – With a beach wedding, you’ll have a natural blue water backdrop and pale yellow sand, so go with colors that match those. Often with beach weddings, you’ll find references to the sea on any invitations or thank you cards, with icons like waves or shells.
- Barn – Barns definitely make things feel really rustic. Deep browns, mossy greens, and reds often go with barns, as well as romantic twinkly lights and wooden or mason jar centerpieces.
- Winery – Depending on the winery, you may find that there are elements of sophistication that go with them. You could go all in on deep reds and purples as backdrop colors, wine glasses on your save the dates, and use barrels or bottles as tables and centerpieces.
- Garden – Depending on the garden, you may not have to do a lot of decorating at all. Gather inspiration from the colors found in the garden’s flowers, and provide a simple backdrop of white chairs, lace, and minimal touches to showcase the beautiful space you’re already in.
2. WHAT STYLES OF DECOR ARE YOU DRAWN TO?
If you’re anything like me, details can be overwhelming, so starting broad can help ease that feeling.
When you think of your wedding, you may have an overall vision for the type of style you want to plan for. Or, you may be totally lost with what your taste is. This is where creating a vision board is key.
Creating A Vision Board
Depending on what kind of person you are, you can totally do this virtually or physically. Virtually, Pinterest makes creating a vision board super easy. All you have to do is create a board and start “pinning” what you find in the search and what speaks to you. Physically, you can create a vision board by cutting out photos from wedding magazines and putting them together in a scrapbook or actual poster board.
Once you have a board together, take a step back and see if you can spot some patterns. Are there certain colors or styles that you see over and over? Are there any patterns that you don’t see? Can you tell from your board what you like? These are all items to consider as you move forward.
3. WHAT IS YOUR WEDDING THEME?
A wedding theme can be anything, so stick with me here.
This is a whole post about wedding themes, but the short version of it is that a theme can really help you pull your wedding décor together. A theme can be from many different sources, like your venue, your favorite hobby, or a location. Once you choose a theme that speaks to you, you can then use that theme throughout your wedding to help make decisions.
For example, my wedding had a “Autumn” theme. All of our colors were Autumn inspired, so there were a lot of reds, oranges, and golds. Our signs and invitations had falling leaves on them. Our drapery was gold and the lighting was cozy. You get the idea. Having that theme as a guideline made it easier to choose what to decorate with and created a cohesive look at our wedding.
If you aren’t into a theme, you can absolutely skip it, and perhaps just go with colors, which are coming up below, or a motif. A motif is a light theme, and can be a style, pattern, or subtle design. You may see motifs throughout a wedding with cohesive fonts, cloths, or even some sort of icon that pops up throughout the wedding.
Examples of themes:
- Mountains – Create a rustic feel with mossy green and wood décor. Give guests a s’mores themed wedding favor. Have guests sign a tent as your guest book. Hold your wedding in a barn or actually out in the woods. Check out this article for more fun ideas.
- New York – Hold your wedding at an industrial location. Serve New York Style Pizza as a late night snack. Name your tables after New York attractions (Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, etc.). For lots of New York Wedding inspired items, check out this Etsy page dedicated to it.
- Trains – Use old train names as your table names. Full disclosure, my husband loves trains and this is what we did. Our guests sat at California Zephyr, North Coast Limited, Sunset, and The Canadian, among others. Send “tickets” instead of invitations. Check out this gorgeous wedding for more ideas.
- Spring – Pastel pink, blue, or green colors for your flowers. Bridesmaids with parasols. Serve strawberry lemonade as a yummy beverage. This article had lots of cute ideas.
- Summer – Bright peach, yellow, or blue as your colors. Your bouquet is made with sunflowers. Serve a berry mint beverage as your signature drink. From being outside to having flip flops handy for guests, this post has a lot more creative items to think about.
4. WHAT ARE YOUR WEDDING COLORS?
Once you’ve gone through the process of looking at your venue, creating a board, and choosing a theme or motif, you probably have a good idea of your preferred wedding colors.
When it comes to wedding décor and colors, you’ll want to have a few shades or colors to use. Ideally, having 3-5 complementary colors will give you a decent pallet to use while making design decisions.
The important part about wedding colors is that they don’t clash with each other and they are consistent throughout your wedding. Once you make the choice to invest in décor, be sure to stick with it as you create your look. It will all come together beautifully on your wedding day.
Examples of color palettes:
CLOSING THOUGHTS
While it may seem stressful at first, creating a cohesive wedding day look can be absolutely possible for almost everybody. There are a ton of resources online that will fit almost any budget, and all you have to do is decide what looks the best for you, your partner, and your wedding, and go with that choice. As long as you remain consistent, your wedding will turn out totally incredible.
More From Hummingbird Wedding Advice:
Seven Things Wedding Guests Actually Care About
Ten Wedding Money Saving Tips (For Any Budget)
Did you find this post useful, inspiring? Save THIS PIN to your Wedding Décor Board on Pinterest!
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