What type of bride do you want to be?

Modern weddings in the Western world are veering away from the traditional white wedding and becoming much more original and creative. The bride and groom are starting to think outside the bridal box, gleaning inspiration from other cultures too. 

With so many options, how does a bride even begin choosing her wedding theme? What kind of look do you want to rock? Do you see yourself barefoot and strolling along the shoreline, as the waves roll in, or is Bollywood magic more your vibe? How can you represent your personality as a couple, through the theme of your wedding? Let’s have a look at some of the latest trends on the bridal front.

Whimsical Bride

I imagine this type of bride to be quirky and a little eccentric. Her wedding décor is eclectic, almost like something out of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. Her color palette is bright and diverse. Her wedding may be like a garden party in the summer with colorful balloons, or a banquet in a forest with paper butterflies and hanging lights. There should be plenty of flowers all around. Her dress will be light and airy with plenty of lace.

Bohemian Bride

Picture Titania, queen of the fairies, from Shakespeare’s A midsummer night’s dream. A Bohemian wedding should be enchanting, for the free-spirited bride. The wedding is trying to encompass a woman at harmony with herself and with nature. A Boho Chic wedding will be romantic and earthy. The bride should look comfortable and free, in flowing fabrics with flowers in her hair – which could be braided or loose and wavy. Flower crowns are also very popular. The outdoors and textured fabrics will be her inspiration. Hanging Macramé decorations or ethnic rugs and cushions work well. Fill up the tables with candles and fruit bowls. The venue could take on aspects of a music festival too.

Vintage bride

Vintage is back but a little passé. In order for your wedding theme to be considered Vintage, there need to be items in the wedding décor which are considered old. It’s also important to narrow down your vintage theme to a specific era. Lacy Victorian, roaring 20’s, filigree art deco of the 30’s or big band 40’s, and then there is the retro style of the 1950’s and 60’s. You get to choose. A vintage car whisking the bride and groom away into their future adds a quality touch.

Crazy adventure bride

For an outdoor wedding with a bit of adventure thrown in it’s important to have appropriate footwear; hiking boots, flip flops, or something waterproof and sturdy. For a more edgy wedding there are really no limits; from open fields to mountain tops, and skydiving to scuba diving. It’s all about breaking the status quo.

Carnival bride

For a more festive wedding, a carnival theme works well. The feeling is light-hearted and playful. Tents and caravans, acrobats and jugglers. The colors are bright and the décor is bold. The bride can be more daring with her outfit too. There is a lot of room to play with fun food ideas. A number of different food trailers selling popcorn, candy-floss, burgers etc., could be at the venue.

Rustic bride

Maybe you’d prefer a barn brunch with a romantic, countryside themed wedding. In this case choose a more rural venue. If you find yourself on a farm, make sure that you have a pair of rubber boots. Decorate the venue with wooden furniture and fairy lights, candles in sand bags or in mason jars, or find other handmade decorations like bunting and pompoms. Your guests should feel at home.

Nautical bride

How about having a nautical wedding, and literally tying the knot, a fisherman’s knot – the strongest kind – as part of your ceremony. Obviously, the ocean and sailing paraphernalia will have a strong influence on your wedding décor and outfits. Your color palette will be more rigid, and the wedding may have a more structured feel. But then again there are no set rules. The ceremony could be on the beach, as could the reception. 

The most important thing is that you enjoy your wedding and have fun with the preparations. Whichever style you choose, spend time browsing Pinterest and wedding sites on the internet. Once you’ve chosen a theme stick with it and embrace the creative journey of bringing your dream wedding to life.