If you’re planning your wedding then you know how tough it can be to cover all the details. The best way to start is to come up with a theme, a color or location. We’ve picked out 8 summer wedding themes to wow your guests and help you with plenty of ideas.
Summer Wedding Themes: Around the World
Marianne Wilson Photography
bespoke.ca
Kelly Benton Photography
Take your guests around the world. Marriage is an adventure right, so where will it take you? This can easily be achieved by gathering all your favorite places around the world with the places you’ve been to or plan to visit and bringing it all to one place. Bring little things that correspond to each place and make them the center of each table like travel postcards instead of table numbers. Have your guests sitting in China with mini red lanterns and dragons that will bring luck. Guest sitting in Paris can have a souvenir Eiffel tower in the center and a small framed photos of iconic spots. If it’s difficult to pick one place, use map globes around the reception and make the world your main theme. This theme immediately sparks conversation with guests sharing where they’ve been and where they want to go.
Instead of thinking of a wedding top, think about the base of the cake. Get a suitcase from your nearest thrift store or on eBay. Place the cake on a pedestal in the suitcase and add some flowers for a soft touch. This can save you money by simplifying the cake design. My husband and I created a travel themed table as the place for guests to leave gifts and deposit envelopes. We found an old creme colored Samsonite set of luggage on eBay and I whipped out a glue gun and used white and mini gold dotted fabric to fill in the interior so it looked pretty. We bought a book of postcards about Australia and Fiji and covered travel tags with photos of Australia and Fiji since that’s where were headed on our honeymoon.
Summer Wedding Themes : Barn
Story & Colour Photography
Braedon Photography
Refield Photography
Think rustic. Add elements that have a mix and match like appeal like the picture above with an old wooden ladder, lanterns, a picnic basket and picture frames filled with photos of the happy couple. Grab an old pitcher, polish it with a fresh new coat of paint and add wild flowers. Look at everything you own inside and outside your home before visiting a store or renting items for decor. You have may treasures you hadn’t thought about. Simplify your cake by skipping the traditional fancy frosting and decorate with berries and flowers and put it on a piece of wood as the cake stand.
Summer Wedding Themes: Bohemian
Delbarr Moradi
Whitney Neal Photography
NBarett Photography
Bring low key chicness and vintage to a wedding everyone is going to love. Make this non-traditional wedding a night to remember. Instead of having all your bridesmaids carrying a flower bouquet, why not have them wear the flowers as a crown. This will help with hair do options as well. The same flowers used on the flower crowns can be used on the cake. Simply order the cake with a basic white coat of frosting and when received, decorate it yourself with the flowers that will be used for the flower crowns or table decorations.
As far as the table decorations, don’t spend money on vases or big center pieces. Minimize your cost by simply buying pots of flowers and plants. Set these pots on the tables and have your guests leave with a party favor that will not just sit in the corner or be thrown in the trash. Give them a plant that will bring life to their house or garden. Most flower centerpieces die within the week after the wedding, but these are most likely to live if taken care of.
Summer Wedding Themes: Ec0-Friendly
Once Like A Spark Photos
Once Like a Spark
Once Like a Spark Photography
Be eco-friendly in every way you can while keeping it simple and classy from the table setting to the bouquet. Not only will you be saving the planet, but you’ll likely save some money. Start collecting glass bottles from home and taking the wrappers off. To get that clean finished look, use alcohol and cotton balls to remove that sticky residue left from the wrapper. Pick the flowers and plants from your backyard or buy them at your local shop garden store. Use baby’s breath flowers as your main decoration. It is one of the most inexpensive flowers out there and brings a soft and delicate touch to the environment. Save water as well by getting succulents. They don’t need as much water and care. As far as the bride and bridesmaids’ bouquets, go green. Use as much green leaves to fluff it up and add a soft touch of any color of your choice.
Summer Wedding Themes: Nautical
Buttercream Bakeshop
Kate Headly
Brian Dorsey Studios
Get lost at sea and find yourself with the hidden treasure named love. I know, I know, super corny. Take a trip to the beach and collect seashells ad mussel shells. Use these as your decorations. Instead of a table runner made out of fabric, make it out of seashells. Fill up clear vases with seashells or broken sea glass found in the sand.
Have the wedding by the water, instead of investing in a photo booth, have the ocean be your backdrop.
Summer Wedding Themes: Something Blue
Rachel Smith Photography
Rachel Smith Photography
Marni Rothschild Photography
Don’t forget to add something blue for good luck! Instead of just wearing something blue, make your whole wedding blue. Blue is supposed to be soothing and relieve stress so maybe it will help with how crazy planning a wedding can be. There are so many pretty flowers and plants that you can use that are blue like hydrangeas and the larkspur. A dark blue table cloth with white plates stands out as a bold contrast.
Summer Wedding Themes: Tropical Paradise
Aaron & Jillian Photography
Ashley Kellemen Photography
Brandon Kidd Photography
Invite your guests to a tropical wonderland filled with green and bright colors. This a fun theme because you can make this wedding as bright, bold and vivid as you want. Use tropical flowers such as plumerias, hibiscus and lilies. Use the philodendron leaf to decorate your place setting. All these flowers and plants will bring that tropical vibe and color scheme that will keep your guests intrigued.
Save money on your bridesmaids’ dresses. Instead of going to an expensive bridal designer, go to a regular retailer for floral dresses. With bridesmaids in floral dresses the bride will still stand out in dramatic contrast whether in a traditional white dress or other color.
Summer Wedding Themes: Vintage
The Ganeys
The Life You Live
Sara Maren Photography
It’s summer, take the wedding outdoors to enjoy the sunset as you and your guests take a trip back in time. Make this a nostalgic vintage memory that you’ll always remember. The fun part of this theme is that not everything has to match as far as the table setting. All chairs do not need to match as well, you can mix in furniture that you have at home as well instead of renting it all. Tall and short candle holders are a must. Get your hands on inexpensive Moroccan tea lights that will set the mood. Light those candles and let it set the mood. Collect brooches, strands of faux pearls and add it to your table settings or replace flowers on your bouquet with brooches and vintage pins.
My Wedding
I’m from NYC and now live in Los Angeles. Since we had guests coming from the east coast we wanted to treat them to a wedding by the ocean. Our ceremony was in the Wayfarer’s chapel located on a hillside by the ocean and designed with glasses and wood beams so you see nature. Our reception was in Santa Monica at the beach. Here are just two photos I couldn’t resist sharing. The church was next to a big open field so we took advantage of it and brought a vintage chair from home and voilà we had a perfect photo scenario.
Let’s be friends! Follow me on social media: @alisondeyette