How do you decide on a theme?!

Wellyboots6

My engagement ring and wedding ring are vintage.
I like the 50's style tea dresses.
I love green.
I like purple.
The venue is a big 1800's ballroom.
The venue is mainly red, with oak paneling.
We want a Ceilidh.
We are having a handfasting ceremony in the grounds.
We would like to have a ball pool and bouncy castle.
I's like to wear converse or doc martens with my wedding dress.
We'd like a pork pie and cheese buffet.
I'd like the bridesmaids to wear something they choose.
We are getting married in a registry office before heading to the venue.
We'd like as much as possible to be made out of recycled/re-used items or have a use after the wedding. Tight budget!!

Ok... so your challenge is to untangle that lot and try and come up with something vaguely resembling a theme, as I am stumped!!

Bean83

Do you need a 'theme'? Just have the things you want at your wedding, who cares if they don't all obviously fit a certain idea!

Abbafan1972

There doesn't need to be a "theme" just have whatever you want, it's your day!

The Ceilidh wouldn't be my cup of tea, as I hate anything like that (had to look it up to find out what it was).

Also I didn't know what handfasting was until I looked it up as well.

Don't let people (pushy relatives) bully you into having things you don't want.

Fuzzy_Duck

Honestly I think themed weddings only work if they come together naturally- otherwise you're just causing yourself a lot of stress to make things themed and it may end up looking a bit try hard if you know what I mean.

The impression I got from all that was an off-beat, informal wedding, which I think works perfectly well as a theme!

Wellyboots6

I suppose I just feel like it would be less stressful with a theme.
If I go shopping for shoes, if I know what style I am looking for it makes it so much easier than looking at lots of pairs of shoes and trying to decide which ones I like. If that makes any sense?

Basically, I have so many different ideas that I can't possibly have them all and a theme would narrow it down for me so I don't have to make too many choices.

Si_Clist

Bean83 wrote: »

Do you need a 'theme'? Just have the things you want at your wedding, who cares if they don't all obviously fit a certain idea!

Exactly. Thinking back over the 400+ weddings I photographed, the main difference between the "themed" ones and the plain vanilla ones was that the "themed" brides were a PITA to deal with beforehand and far more stressed out on the day :cool:

minerva_windsong

katy721 wrote: »

I suppose I just feel like it would be less stressful with a theme.
If I go shopping for shoes, if I know what style I am looking for it makes it so much easier than looking at lots of pairs of shoes and trying to decide which ones I like. If that makes any sense?

Basically, I have so many different ideas that I can't possibly have them all and a theme would narrow it down for me so I don't have to make too many choices.

Of course you can have them all! Part of the point of having a wedding is that it reflects you and your partner as a couple, and if that means having loads of different ideas then so be it. Better that than some bland cookie-cutter wedding anyway.


However, if you do want something to tie it together then I think the colours you like could be a good starting point for things like coloured Docs/Converse (if you want coloured ones), stationery, bridesmaids' dresses, groomsmen's ties etc - green and purple could look lovely with oak panelling.

Fuzzy_Duck

katy721 wrote: »

I suppose I just feel like it would be less stressful with a theme.
If I go shopping for shoes, if I know what style I am looking for it makes it so much easier than looking at lots of pairs of shoes and trying to decide which ones I like. If that makes any sense?

Basically, I have so many different ideas that I can't possibly have them all and a theme would narrow it down for me so I don't have to make too many choices.

In that case it might help to at least have a colour scheme to narrow down your choices. You mentioned green and purple- personally I think they go great together. I'm actually planning on a purple dress with green jewellery as they're my favourite colours.

I do think your list so far comes across quite retro so you could use that as your theme? It's quite a broad theme admittedly, but it would help you focus your choices without being restricting.

Wellyboots6

I think we may be getting somewhere, thank you

I'd be happy getting hitched wearing a bin bag, in a phone box. Unfortunately Mr-Me would quite like a decent wedding and so would our families. We just have the added bonus of getting to do it all on an extremely tight budget!

Just been out in the garden to see what flowers we have that I can cut and dry for table decorations, and as luck would have it we have lots of purple flowers and lots of green herbs

Evil_Olive

I think your list is already quite 'themed in certain ways...

You want a handfasting --> Handfastings are often associated with ancient cultures of the British Isles like the Celts --> you want a Ceilidh --> Red, green and purple are all colours found in tartans (sometimes in the same one!) --> Tartan is associated with Scotland (as are Handfastings - it's the only place they are still legal without a separate registry office ceremony) --> A red 1800s ballroom sounds like a typical style for a Lairds Great Hall --> tartan was a popular fabric choice for dresses in the 1950s - You like the vintage idea --> Doc Martens look great with vintage/50s style circle-skirted dresses, especially tartan ones (one of my favourite fashion choices back in the 1980s ).

The Pork Pies & cheese are traditional foods of the British Isles which fits in loosely somehow as well.

The Ball Pool and Bouncy Castle are never likely to match any kind of colour theme anyway - they're just fun, so I don't think that matters.

Maybe your wedding dress could be a red/green/purple tartan 1950s dress or a white one with tartan accents. I've seen red/green/purple tartan DMs, and White ones.
Maybe your bridesmaids could wear similar dresses in different shades of red, green and purple, or full tartan.
The Groom would be sorted with a matching kilt

Wellyboots6

Thanks Olive, although there is no way my groom is getting his legs out in public, especially with cameras present!

Maybe it is not so much a mismatched list afterall.

It is all going to depend what we end up with anyway as we aim to beg, borrow. scrounge and make as much as we can!