The Fundamentals of Styling Your Wedding

Every couple has a different budget.

Some have extravagant ones, others have more limited ones - having the lesser does not mean that you cannot get the look or theme that you want on your special day. 

If you are finding yourself in the smaller budget group there are a few simple guidelines that you can stick to, to help you stay on track. These guidelines can also be used if you have more leeway with your funds. 

First of all think of the overall feel of the day, this can be hard to do if you are not a visual person so starting up a Pinterest account (if you haven't already) is a great way to sort out what it is you want on the day. You have the option of making your wedding board a secret one, so you can get started on this as soon as you want without tipping anyone off. 

A lot of bridal sites will tell you not to do the trends of the time, others tell you to just do what is hot and on trend. My advice is to do what you love. If you want a rustic wedding but people are saying it's overdone - ignore them. In the end it is yours and your partners day, doing what will make you happy is what will be best on the day of your wedding, and you will look back on photos knowing that you did what you loved. 

So, number one - The overall feel. For the purpose of this blog I am going to say the couple want an elegant and very opulent look, one that exudes luxury and glamour. Nothing "boho" or "rustic" for this pair. 

The second - Colours, metals and elements. What are your favourite colours? What colours can you not stand? Are you more into silver or gold? How about natural elements like wood, fire and water? This couple like the colours orange and pink, prefer gold more than silver and would like to have fire (candles) featured throughout. Now with these colours, a lot of people would automatically think bright pinks and orange - but please take into consideration tones and shades. A light baby pink with peaches, combined with rustic gold and maybe a few copper tones is a step in the right direction to getting the glamourous wedding this couple want. You could also go "dark" this is when you take the same colours but they look neither bright or pastel, but muted or even "muddier" in tone. 

Bright pops of Fanta orange and hot pinks

Baby pinks and sherbet oranges

Dark, muted and "muddier" pink and oranges

Three - Venue. My main and most important tip that I would probably insist on sticking to is this; try to pick a place that when you walk into it, un-decorated, it looks pretty on it's own. Places that need a lot of covering up, or if you find your self saying "we can fix that" often - I would try to stay away from. I know that sometimes budget calls for us to look into places that may not have a great aesthetic appeal, but I would encourage you to keep looking and get as close to pretty without décor as you can. You should be able to find a place that can meet both requirements. Having to cover things up or adding more to a place is what will drive up your budget. You want your decor to add to the venue, not cover it up. Also, once you have the first two points figured out it will help you determine what venue you are looking for. If you want a glamorous look, you probably don't want to hire a rustic barn for your venue - in saying that with careful planning you could make a barn look glamorous, however budget comes back to it as you will need more décor and styling in order to achieve this.  

Four - Prioritise on the must haves and the "we can do withouts". Everyone's will be different, some people will want to have to flashy cars to get from A to B, others will be able to use a friends nice car to use on the day, sometimes the ceremony and reception is in the same location and you can get ready onsite - make a list between you and your partner and have a top three (or five) and a list of things that you can source from friends or can do without.  Let's say this couple would like to have a wishing well - your standard wooden wishing well would probably not be the best choice for what they are going for. Try and think out of the box, how could you do this differently? A lot of people are opting for a simple glass box that has gold, silver or even rose gold features. Trying to stick to your theme doesn't mean you have to completely omit things, just making it all match aesthetically is what you are aiming for. 

Wooden Wishing Well - more for your rustic, country themed weddings

Rose gold and glass wishing well - suitable for more glitzy weddings

Theming your wedding is what couples find the hardest -this is based off what I have found when talking to the couples of weddings I have done. If you are going to DIY your event, stick to your colours, metals and elements as closely as you can. When you start to stray from these, that's when things can start to look messy and confused. If you are going with a stylist, try to have a close idea of what you want. If you like a certain flower or look, let them know. They most probably will be able to help you get your desired look, but they need clear guidelines on what it is. Just remember that stylists are not mind readers! More information or ideas is always better! 

“For this couple I would be suggesting all of these looks below. Lot’s of glass and mirrors to reflect all the flickering flames of the candles, a choice of either tidy or organic style bouquets and flower arrangements. Using lot’s of different metallic surfaces in shades of gold, copper, bronze and rose gold. It will really warm up any space that they have chosen and add to the overall glamourous and opulent feel to the wedding. ”

Love AJ x