Styling your wedding around the seasons
Whether to go retro, green wedding or spring magic, there are many beautiful themes and motifs for weddings, and more and more bridal couples are celebrating with elaborate themes. Working with the seasons is the key to creating the experience for both the lucky couple and guests alike. Read on to find out how to match your wedding theme with the seasons.
What suits the couple’s style?
Powdery, delicate colours for flowing, feminine gowns. No question, such a stylish spring wedding looks great – but it also has to suit the bride and groom. Because if the two are otherwise known for a rustic, down-to-earth style through outfit and furnishings, such a playful wedding motto really has nothing to do with their personalities. Surely, instead, there’s a shared hobby or favourite travel destination that would be much better suited as a wedding theme. Do the two of them like to be in nature? How about a wedding in the countryside? The couple loves fantasy role-playing games or is completely at home in 1950s style? Then themed weddings with fairy tale or vintage motifs are a good choice.
But one thing is clear: What looks beautiful, usually also makes more work. A themed wedding requires more planning and preparation because not only the bride and groom and the guests should be dressed according to the theme, but also the table decorations and the furnishings of the wedding location should correspond to the theme. This applies even to small details such as the guest book or the place cards next to the plates. Thus, a motto or theme should run like a thread throughout the entire wedding. Here are some of our favourite understated but fun themes you can work with.
Spring Wedding
When nature awakens anew in spring, this is not only the sign of a new beginning for all flowers, plants and trees: Many couples also start a new life together with their wedding, especially in the merry month of May. The power and light of the sun create colour explosions in the plant world: Tendergreen buds in bright green are followed by the colourful blossoms of tulips, daffodils, lilacs, magnolias and fruit trees. This riot of colour is perfect for the floral decorations and other decorative elements of a spring wedding – or the couple can celebrate right away in the greenery and use the natural play of colours as a backdrop.
A wedding in May or early June is tempting to celebrate outside. However, in our reality it can still be cool in the morning and evening – or very wet. When looking for a suitable location, remember that you can also use a nicely decorated tent or a pavilion if necessary.
Or you can look for a location that offers you the possibility to celebrate indoors and outdoors – for example on a large terrace – depending on your needs and the weather. For the decorative setting, typical spring flower colours such as yellow, pink, purple, orange or red are ideal. These colours can be found in the bridal bouquet as well as in the hall and table decorations.
Summer wedding theme
Summer evokes feelings of warmth and happiness. Nature shows itself in rich green, the summer flowers are in full bloom and the warmth makes the anticipation of the summer holidays rise. The weather and the season are just perfect for a glittering party with a colourful, light summer wardrobe. Of course, it is most beautiful when the wedding can take place outdoors: The colourful flowers and the green of meadows and trees then also form a great contrast to the mostly white dress of the bride. Speaking of which, why shouldn’t the groom do away with convention and opt for a light linen suit in light of the rising midsummer temperatures?
Top locations for a summer wedding are manor houses, country inns, monastery complexes or locations on lakes. As an alternative to the usual buffet or menu, a stylish barbecue is just the thing – and a non-alcoholic “juice bar” to encourage young and old to drink.
Since you have to expect a lot of heat, especially around noon, you should be able to offer your guests shady spots in a tent, pavilion or indoor area. It’s nice if the actual wedding ceremony and lunch or dinner take place outdoors. In the decoration, quietly restrained colours such as white or cream can now set the tone, as nature is already colourful enough.
Think also of fairy lights, lanterns and candles, so that the celebration can extend atmospherically into the night. The freshness tip: water sprays, refreshing towels, small hand fans or chic fans will help guests cool down a bit on hot summer days.
The green, sustainable wedding – Spring
Whoever hears “green” and “sustainable” might now think of eco-sandals, vegan food and billowing cotton clothes. Environmental awareness and raucous festivities need by no means be mutually exclusive. After all, hosts with a healthy environmental conscience can very well emphasise sustainability without sacrificing style and fun. No matter how many “green” elements a couple incorporates into the celebration, most brides and grooms find it important to use resources that are already available and to use regional service providers with local products whenever possible. That goes for the florist as well as the caterer.
For the wedding menu, look specifically for vendors who use seasonal and locally produced foods. Since experience shows that there is always food leftover, you can ask the guests to bring cans beforehand or you can donate the rest to a food bank. It is with the small things around the celebration that a couple shows which values are important to them and what they stand for: This starts with the invitations, which also look good and individual on recycled paper. You can even get wedding rings and jewellery from fair trade precious metals today. If you like and appreciate traditions, you can also have new wedding rings made from old heirloom jewellery from your ancestors – or forge them yourself under supervision. Ask your local goldsmith guild for providers of such courses.
A fairy themed wedding – Summer
Doesn’t every wedding have something fairytale-like about it? Perhaps partly because most brides still like to wear long white robes during the event. Many want to feel like a real princess for it and go to the church in a carriage. Why shouldn’t they and other friends of fairytale sceneries celebrate a romantic fairytale wedding? Including a magnificent wedding dress with a hoop skirt and train will certainly evoke these feelings. The groom should appear in a classic dinner suit to match the theme, and for a stylish glamour wedding, it may even be one all in white.
The be-all and end-all of a fairytale wedding is the right ambience: Rent rooms of a castle or a castle, that is nowhere near as expensive as you think. If there is no suitable place in your area, you can also decorate any other ballroom accordingly. If you like, you can catapult yourself back into the Middle Ages with a chivalrous feast.
The Vintage Wedding – Autumn
Celebrations in the retro-chic of a vintage wedding have their origin in the USA. However, such celebrations are also popular in the UK. Here, the bride and groom are oriented to the style of past eras – mostly from the 1920s to the 70s. Some particularly like things from grandmother’s time – like lace doilies, photos in sepia, old suitcases or sewing machines. Others would rather have a rock’n’roll party in the style of the 1950s or a Hollywood glamour party á la “Golden Twenties”. Apart from the distinctive style, a vintage wedding also has other advantages: it’s “green”, i.e. sustainable, because many things are reused and therefore often cheaper than other weddings.
It becomes especially authentic when you use things from your family history as wedding decorations. For example, how about wedding photos of your grandparents or great-grandparents decorating the wedding hall? That’ll give your guests something to talk about right away. If you don’t have your own family treasures, you can find them at flea markets, flea markets and online. You can design just a few details for your wedding in a retro look or the whole wedding – from the invitation to the thank you card. Including the guests, who should get involved in the theme with an individual outfit – make that clear on the invitation.
Whatever theme you choose to go for, Groom Hire has got your wardrobe covered – to find out how we can create the perfect enquire about our wedding suit hire today.
