Choosing the best wedding theme is a decision that so many brides stress about – after all, it does set the tone for the ENTIRE EVENT! No worries though – take cues from the elements that surround you and you’ll find the style that best reflects you!

1. Look around your home

Choose your favorite items from around your home, what is their design influence? Do they share any common characteristics? Perhaps you worship the vintage side chair you picked up at the local flea market and the wicker basket in the bathroom that holds your makeup brushes, well you may be a shabby-chic girl! If your favorite pieces of décor in your home are sculptural and saturated in color such as your red velvet curtains and statue of Buddha than you have a flare for the dramatic! The cherished things that you choose to surround yourself within your home are the keys to figuring out your wedding style.

2. How do you relax?

After a long day at work, running errands or completing household chores how do you relax? Do you light candles and draw a bath? Your wedding style is sensual and romantic. Choose music with classical jazzy notes and moody lighting to create atmosphere. Do you go for a run? You should plan an upbeat reception with lots energy and dancing. The best reception for you is sunny and effervescent! Have dinner and drinks with friends to blow off steam? Your reception style is warm and welcoming, celebrating family and friends! If you pop in a movie and grab some snacks after a tough day, your wedding style is visual and storytelling. Decorate with family photos that depict the lives of each of the families as your lives came together. Set up a screen to display old family movies – your guests will love seeing what Uncle Morton looked like before he went bald!

3. Examine the location you’ve chosen!

Look around your reception site and take cues from the décor. Don’t try to re-decorate. Even a millionaire would balk at the cost of completely overhauling a wedding venue! Instead, embrace the style choices of the location and go with them. Do they feature white linen curtains when you had pictured an intense event of chocolate and cranberry? Tailor your vision to work with the look. White can be very intense. Choose accents that are modern and angular, square vases of low deeply red flower arrangements and feature them on square white tables set with white plates on chocolate brown chargers and brown napkins. On every table set tons of small white votives. Have the venue lower the lighting – everyone looks better in dimmer light, and place white pillar candles throughout the room. You have now taken a bright cheery white room and set a much more serious tone, without the commitment of renovation!

4. Commit to a palette of more than two colors!

Do not feel obligated to choose only two colors to express your wedding theme! These days’ brides are choosing tonal color palettes rather than two distinct shades. If you are planning a story telling wedding featuring old family movies and framed shots of loved ones you could choose colors like grey, light mauve, lavender and rich dark lavender purple. These colors would set a very elegant and sophisticated vibe at your reception. Go to your local paint store and grab the paint chips from the paint department. Working with a tonal palette will open so many doors for making the most of your reception site and highlight the special touches that you have chosen to make your wedding day unique.

You do not have to drive yourself crazy discovering your wedding reception style… you probably already know it in your heart of hearts. Do some soul searching and flip through your favorite magazines for inspiration. Follow your instinct and your own choices, you’ll design a wedding reception that is elegant and intrinsically your own.