Identifying Your Wedding Style: How to Choose a Wedding Aesthetic

One of the most fun parts of planning your big day is deciding on the look and feel of your festivities! If you’re looking for advice on how to identify your unique wedding style and your vision for your big day, this is the post for you.

Choosing the styles for your ceremony and wedding reception isn’t simply about picking from one of the popular wedding themes of the moment. Your wedding style is made up of a variety of elements that define the visuals and the experience of your day. Selecting a color scheme, detailing the dress code, shopping for a wedding dress, ordering a wedding cake, and picking floral arrangements or other wedding decor becomes easier when you’ve taken the time to clarify your desired look for your special day.

Whether you have a modern wedding aesthetic or a vintage wedding vibe in mind, this advice will help you define your unique style for your dream wedding look! Read on for some expert tips on selecting your wedding day style for an aligned and authentic wedding aesthetic!

Resist the Temptation of Trends

If you’re overwhelmed by the constantly evolving trends consuming your Instagram feed, you may find that a more timeless aesthetic suits your taste. Try to avoid letting this season’s hottest trend dictate the direction of your entire wedding design.

Not to mention, trends must often be followed precisely to be done well. From the linens and creative displays to decor and lighting– the vision needs to be executed completely to avoid appearing disorganized. Marry modern styles with your own creative vision to create a balanced and personal aesthetic.

Rustic theme weddings have been a huge trend for quite a while. But if you don’t regularly sit on hay bales and wear cowboy boots, why would you choose a rustic wedding theme? Why would you put candles in mason jars on top of burlap table runners or wear a wedding dress that looks like a lace doily if your style is more glam, luxe, or refined?

Take a look inside your closets – what colors and fabrics do you both just love? Are there elements of your home’s design that you want to elevate for your wedding day? Your guests should feel like this wedding complements you as a couple completely – starting with your invitations through to the music chosen and the meal served.

Highlight Your Personality

Weddings give your family and friends a chance to celebrate a new union, and your personalities should shine through. Before diving feet-first into those wedding magazines stacked high on your nightstand, take some time to chat with your partner about how to marry your unique tastes into one cohesive wedding aesthetic. (Hint– check out the 20 Questions of Wedding Planning to get yourselves started on the right foot!)

Think about how you like to host guests in your home – what you’d serve or how you’d decorate the room. Consider how you like spending time with one another, what characteristics of your relationship you’d like to highlight and how you’d like your guests to feel throughout the day.

Create a design plan that is a distinct reflection of you, and you’ll be able to fully appreciate your wedding on the day and for years after.

Consider Design and Experience

Using Pinterest, wedding blogs, and bridal magazines as inspiration can help you during this first phase of planning. Finding inspiration allows you and your partner to get clarity on what suits your needs best.

And speaking of Pinterest, it’s best used to help establish a cohesive vision board to bring in all the elements that will contribute to the day, rather than just a collection of things you like. Your vendors will use this Pinterest account to truly understand your style, so try to use a distinguishing eye when adding to your final vision board.

If you have a destination wedding in Hawaii in mind, you may want to consider sourcing some tropical wedding inspiration or beach wedding ideas. If you’re after a glamorous wedding vibe, you can look for inspiration that will elevate the experience as well as the look of your celebrations.

Pay close attention to the aesthetics you and your partner are naturally drawn to as you continue the design process.

Ditch Outdated Traditions

Through the process, you may find that some wedding traditions don’t match your needs or style perfectly. Maybe you and your partner don’t like dancing. Why bother renting a dance floor and putting yourselves through the awkwardness of a first dance neither of you wants to partake in?

If the two of you are more outdoorsy, you could look for unique venues like barns or ranches vs. a hotel ballroom. Perhaps you opt for a casual wedding brunch reception rather than a seated dinner reception.

Likewise, you may decide that you want to opt for a small ceremony and a backyard garden party with close friends and family. You can always follow it up with a bigger bash a few weeks later without the pressures of a conventional wedding timeline.

If you choose to have a wedding party, feel free to break the traditional attire rules. From giving a varying color palette to allowing your bridesmaids to choose their own dresses, there are no rules anymore regarding wedding attire. They can wear dresses that aren’t officially deemed “bridesmaid dresses,” and no one says that carrying a bouquet is required by the bride or bridesmaids!

Choosing an authentic wedding day style

Your wedding day should not only look but feel naturally you. So, don’t be afraid to make adjustments and reinvent new traditions rather than following a rulebook.

Follow these simple tips and you’re sure to plan an event with a wedding style that’s perfectly suited to you and your partner!

Make sure to join our wedding planning community where we discuss all things wedding style, vision, aesthetics, and more!