When it comes to picking a theme for your big event- whether that be a wedding, birthday or whatever else- it tends to go something like this. You set your heart on a specific colour scheme, fully convinced that this is the one. Then you go on pinterest, see a jaw dropping event and start to question your decision. you’re now back at square one. Sounds familiar right? It’s what I see happen with about 80% of my clients. We are completely spoilt for choice nowadays and brides specifically feel pressure to compete and have themselves a ‘pinterest wedding’ to wow both their guests and their instagram followers.
Brides literally think about the opinion of the guests before they consider their own reaction. So the first thing we’re here to tell you is- It is NOT a competition- in fact quite the opposite. Your wedding, birthday, engagements and personal events should be 100% about you, your style, taste and vision alone. Logistically it should take your guests into consideration but design wise- make it what you and your partner want. Whether that be ‘last years trend’ or an element that others don’t necessarily love, it’s your day. WOW YOURSELF FIRST. The only time I encourage clients to see what others have done is when planning a corporate event. This is for obvious reasons, no company wants to replicate their competitors events, especially on a small island like St Lucia.
The next thing to remember when choosing your theme- work with the venue- consider its’ strengths, weaknesses, defining characteristics, style, ambience and location. If you can pick your venue before deciding on a colour scheme I would recommend you do this. You can have the most amazing venue, the most beautiful theme but if they’re not styled & blended together properly, you can end up with an expensive mess. Consider the pre existing decor in the venue- if the venue is painted red your black & white wedding could go from modern monochrome to mickey mouse clubhouse in a matter of moments. You are adding unnecessary cosmetic costs which can be hugely detrimental to your entire event and budget. Remember also the restrictions you have on rental equipment, what do you have access too- many weddings you will see online are in huge cities with thousands of vendors and rental companies.
Don’t forget that everything has to be transported there and back and some items also incur a labour fee on top of the rental cost (for setup). Linen has to be washed immediately after the event and damaged or lost items have a replacement fee attached to them which you will be liable for.
And finally- When picking a theme consider all elements of the wedding, not just the visual elements. Is there specific food style that will work with the dress code -or more importantly won’t work. Noone wants to negotiate a BBQ chicken leg wearing a cocktail dress!!!!