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Planning your own wedding is a daunting task, but luckily, styling your own wedding is the fun part — and here’s how you can do it like a pro!

To style your wedding like the professionals do it, you need to think about the different elements you want to bring into your wedding. You also have to consider key items and styles that can make a wedding look come together, or make it clash completely. Your wedding style will be determined by the things you like most, such as favorite colors for a wedding, decor elements and focal points. In this post I will discuss all of these wedding styling elements, as well as a few helpful tips and ideas for your wedding look.

The Ultimate Collection of Wedding Design and Style Tips

Wedding styling can be something that proves to be a challenge when you don’t know what you’re doing — so do enough research before you dive in.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned about wedding design is: At first, stay away from Pinterest.. (You can go there later once you know exactly what you want and what the design of your wedding will be. Pinterest is always nice when you need some extra inspiration and when you know what you’re looking for.) Randomly typing in “wedding inspiration” will definitely inspire you, but it will not help with decision making when choosing elements for your wedding style.

A great idea when discovering your wedding design, is to decide what you and your groom like, and use that as a guideline. You can also go bold, with new ideas that won’t let your wedding look like the last three you’ve been to…

Make sure your interests in wedding styles fit in with your Groom’s likes, though…

I saw an episode of a wedding show in which the bride and groom couldn’t decide on a color scheme. They decided on purple (which SHE loves) with camouflage patterns (because HE likes hunting and fishing). I don’t know, some people might like it. But it wasn’t easy on the eyes, to say the very least!

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Only use Pinterest once you know exactly what you want to search for

Styling your wedding with color

Your wedding colors will be the most important element of your wedding style. Colors bring out emotions and awe, it is important that you choose the right colors that will bring out your wedding look cohesively. In studying color theory which was part of my graphic design course, I learned about the different subconscious feelings that certain colors evoke.

The colors that spoke to me in particular, were whimsical colors, pastel shades and light, natural hues. All synonymous with weddings…

However, even though these colors work well with wedding styling, there are additional, bold colors that can work just as well with a wedding look.

I did a little experiment with colors which I have selected from Pantone, to show you an example of what I mean by working with contrasting colors…

Using a wedding theme for your style

A word of caution on wedding themes: literal wedding themes such as the travel theme, Warner Bros inspired weddings, Disney weddings, and the Las Vegas theme, among other, are definitely not in style anymore. Was it ever really? A theme can easily take away a “wedding” vibe, and turn it into a 40th birthday bash or children’s party vibe!

However, with that being said, you can still hint at your favorite characters or themes in a subtle way, without being too literal about the entire thing. If you love Belle from Beauty and the Beast, a single red rose will be enough.

Wedding themes are moving towards a more modern look and feel, and the days of giving each guest table a topic that fits in with the theme, are over. So is using every decor element as an opportunity to showcase your obsession with [insert movie, series, book here].

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Rather opt for basic elements that will hint at your favorite theme, so as to not take away from the whimsical and romantic vibes that naturally come with a wedding.

Choose your wedding decor, wisely

Your wedding decor is another deciding factor of how your wedding look will come together. It will also influence your wedding budget greatly, along with your choice of wedding flowers which I discuss below.

Before deciding on hiring any decor at all, first consider what decor the wedding venue might already have available. Many wedding venues include the use of their wedding decor (if they have any) as part of the wedding venue hire fee. Other wedding venues insist on you renting their decor, unless of course they don’t have the items available that you want to add in your wedding styling.

Keep in mind that you will most likely work in multiples for most wedding decor items, except for an easel here and a stand there… This means that your decor hire will have an impact on your wedding budget.

I have worked with many wedding budgets before, and none was as comprehensive in their wedding expenses sheets, as I had hoped them to be. So I have decided to create my own version of a functional wedding budget, to print out and place in your wedding binder, which you can also use to track and manage all of your wedding expenses (including a massive list of hidden costs at your wedding). You can get my wedding budget planner and tracker over here.

When choosing your wedding decor pieces, make sure you stick to your wedding style’s cohesiveness. It’s so easy to get shiny object syndrome when shopping for decor, and you can easily fall into the “oh-that’s-pretty” trap! When working with metallics, know the difference between copper, rose gold and bronze. Bronze has a brown undertone, where copper has more of an orange undertone. Rose gold lean more towards copper in color, but with a pinkish undertone. You’d be surprised how many rental companies get it wrong!

You also need to be aware of the size of your decor, so as to not overpower the entire wedding look and style. Always work in groups of 3, or odd numbers, especially when working with centerpieces. And make sure that the height of your table decor is either very tall (above head height when seated), or very low (below chin height when seated). Decor should never be in your guests’ faces when they are seated, because they will likely want to see each other.

Another final tip here, before I move on to flowers (yay!), is that your rental company should also be chosen carefully. Definitely compare prices of at least 3 different companies, and also take note of your items’ availability and how many they have in stock. Check for reviews on their Facebook page as well as on Google, and make sure how much from your wedding budget you have available to spend on wedding decor.

Wedding Style Pro Tip: If possible, find a wedding venue that offers plenty of wedding decor as part of their venue hire fee or package.

Incorporate flowers into your wedding style

Wedding flowers are seasonal, and so are their prices. The availability of flowers are also determined by demand for them at flower markets. For instance, I live in South Africa, and most wedding styles here include the use of proteas, white roses, baby’s breath, and “fynbos” (loosely translated to ‘fine bush’, types of shrub that grow along the coast of Cape Town and surrounding coastal areas). For greenery, or “filler”, which florists use to fill the gaps between flowers in an arrangement, we use eucalyptus leaves, lemon leaf, gyp (baby’s breath) and honey bracelet. These are all popular globally.

The next thing I want you to be aware of when buying your wedding flowers, is the price between bunches and stems. Flowers can be bought directly from the flower market by stem, meaning by one flower or one stem each. When buying from a florist, the flowers are already bundled up in bunches, ready to be sold to the public. It is much cheaper to buy per stem from the flower market, than to buy a bunch from a florist. I won’t go into too much detail of how flowers are bought by suppliers, or put up for auction at a flower market and so on, but it is a very interesting topic to explore if you have the time!

Also, you need to make sure that the flowers you want to buy are in season, because out of season flowers are usually imported, and thus more expensive. So, even if your favorite flower is available at the market, it will likely be pricey. Do your research properly to see which flowers are in season, and when — also consider the popularity of certain flowers, as they go along with the wedding trends. These flowers will also be a little bit more pricey.

Finally, consider your flower type and color. If you have a hard time finding a pink rose, consider another pink flower that can possibly take its place — just make sure that the flower you choose is not one that will wilt easily when placed in your flower arrangement and need to survive for a day or two.

Wedding Style Pro Tip: The bigger the flower, the less ‘stems’ you will need to fill up an arrangement, so you save money on flowers. Hydrangeas work wonders with this trick!

13 Rules for styling your own wedding

Though these are certainly not all the rules in the rule book of styling a wedding correctly, these are some of the most important ones.

1. Group items in odd numbers

Like I mentioned earlier, your items should be grouped in three or five — odd numbers work best! If you use items too excessively, you might overpower your entire wedding look and take away from other key elements. The only exception is if you’re doing the maximalist wedding theme. (I go through a few themes at the end of this post, just as examples).

2. Use the triangle method

The triangle method works well if you have one key element in your centerpiece, but you want to add complimentary elements just to complete the wedding look, especially when grouping items (see number one). When standing in front of your centerpiece, think of an imaginary triangle that is drawn between your decor items and style elements. The tallest item will be the tip of your triangle, followed by one or two lower items. Also, make sure that your items are at obvious varying heights, and not at close heights within each other.

3. Centerpiece height is very important

I also mentioned earlier that the height of your wedding decor should be taken into account when guests are seated. Guests should be able to see each other without any obstacles blocking their view. This means that your centerpieces should be either very tall, or very low. For tall items, the base thickness should also be considered — it should not be too wide so that it blocks the view completely, but a little thickness is not a bad thing.

4. Use your thumbs to set a table

If you have the dreading task of setting tables as well, make sure that the cutlery are all the same width away from the edge of the table. You can check this by placing your the top half of your thumb on the edge of the table, and let the end of the cutlery touch the tip of your thumb. You’d be surprised how noticeable it is when cutlery are all at different positions on a table, especially long tables.

5. Limit your colors

When choosing your wedding colors, choose 3 but not more than 5 base colors to work with. Additionally, you can add a metallic color, or another element such as mirrors, pearl or iridescent items, to complete the palette and wedding style.

6. Choose contrasting colors carefully

I also mentioned earlier that you should be careful when choosing contrasting wedding colors. A good way to see different wedding color palettes, is by going to coolors.co and choosing from there.

7. Be unique

You probably don’t want your wedding to look like the next one (or the last one you went to), right? To achieve this, you need to add your own unique twist on your wedding style. Don’t just jump right onto Pinterest, because if you saw it on Pinterest, it has already been done before. You can look for inspiration on Brides.com and ModWedding.

8. Keep lighting in mind

Another thing to consider is how dark or how bright your wedding venue will be in the evening. Pastel colors and light colors might not display their contrast as well as bold, brighter colors. You can also enhance your wedding style with plenty of candles and fairylights, in order to make your wedding more whimsical.

9. Consider costs when working with multiples

When discussing decor, I mentioned that you should check your wedding budget to see how much you actually have available to spend on your wedding decor. If you’re going to hire wedding decor, think about how many you will need to hire of each item.

10. A backdrop is always a good idea

If there is a bland wall somewhere in a high traffic area, or at your wedding ceremony, consider placing some sort of backdrop to pull focus from the wall. It works great for photos, and guest will love taking their photos there, too. The best backdrop inspiration can be found on Pinterest.

11. Stay cohesive with a motif

A motif is a certain element which you want to repeat here and there. For example, if you’re working with a certain flower, you can incorporate its colors into other wedding style items.

12. Create styled areas

Most brides just focus on one area when styling their wedding: the reception hall. But there are so many other areas that you can decorate to make your wedding look gorgeous. The cake and gift table, for example. You can also add a few things outside where guests will gather during cocktail hour. Don’t forget about the bathrooms, and of course, the ceremony area. Add some flowers to the bar area, too.

13. Keep the logistics in mind

Consider how your hired wedding items will get to the wedding venue, and who will take it. If there are large items, you might have to hire additional transport to make sure your items get to the venue — this will cost extra. Also keep in mind that your wedding decor needs to be set up. A day before the wedding if you’re going to do it yourself, and the morning of the wedding at the latest if someone else will set it up. You should try to do it on the day of your wedding, because you’ll have a full schedule with makeup and photos, etc.

12 Tips for styling your own wedding

1. Do a mock-setup of your wedding look

You need to think carefully about how you are going to incorporate your interests into your wedding design.

Most people go overboard because they have too many ideas and want to add them all into their wedding style. You also need to consider if everything you want to include, works well together. A good way to establish this, is to do a mock setup of a table, to get the overall look and feel of your wedding design – ask the venue if they can do this for you, or ask a wedding planner to help you with this, if they can.

If you’re hiring some of your decor, make an appointment to view their items and ask for a table on which you can set everything out in the shop/showroom or wherever they operate from. This should also give you more or less an idea of what is available to use.

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Create a mock-setup table and look to help you decide if your wedding style will work

2. Decide on your color scheme

Your color scheme needs to match to prevent an eye-sore.. Colors that don’t match can easily make a wedding look like a high school reunion or corporate function.

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Use Pantone.com or color swatches from the paint store to help you decide on a matching color scheme

Also Read:

3. Be careful when using custom lighting, such as laser lights

It’s your wedding and you want to make it look like an elegant affair!

If you’re going to use laser lights or multiple colored lights at your wedding, try to stick to an overall “white look” as your design. You can also use softer or pastel colors if you wish, because these colors tend to look light and creamy in the evening.

Ask you DJ or person who is in charge of lighting if you can choose one or two colors, as opposed to a whole spectrum of colors.

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Use plenty of white elements if you are going to have multiple colored lighting in the evening

4. Choose one theme

Unless it is an audition for Cowboys vs. Aliens, you shouldn’t mix themes up.

Although, some people can have some success doing a bohemian beach theme, for example, it still might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

If you want to use more than one theme, look for similar elements and try to match them in that way.

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Try to stick to one theme for your wedding to avoid elements that will clash

5. Consider the Wedding Venue

The magic of your wedding style might already be there…

Look at the overall look and feel of your wedding venue. How many extra cover-ups or distractions does it really need? It might already be perfect the way it is, and the venue might already have exactly what you need.

This is a key thing to consider when you are still looking for your wedding venue. It is much easier and cost effective to work with an already pretty venue than one that needs a bit (or a lot) of TLC.

If you are stuck with a less than ideal wedding venue, though, you should definitely read my post on 8 ways to transform an unappealing wedding venue.

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Choose a wedding venue that is already pretty and easy to work with – the chapel as well as the reception venue!

6. Keep it simple

Most guests won’t even notice all of the hours of effort you put into your wedding styling, such as what type of flowers you had on the tables, or what color scheme you chose.

They will remember things like what food they ate and what type of music they danced to.

Rather spend your budget on catering and a good quality DJ, for example, than expensive decor items (unless you can afford to splurge on this).

Wedding Style Tip: Keep it simple – more money from your budget can rather be spent on good food and music

7. The Magic of Draping

You will be amazed at what draping can do to an unattractive wall or ceiling, and it can look stunning and romantic!

If it’s the perfect venue, but the ceiling is not pretty, consider hiring draping services and add fairy lights as an option, and if the venue allows it. You get draping in all colors, styles and with or without things like lights and flowers. My favorite colors for draping are light, creamy colors such as whites, soft pinks or blush, and cream.

If the entire reception area has to be draped, however, and you’re on a tight budget, make sure you have considered all other venue options before deciding.

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Consider adding draping and fairy lights to cover up a wall or ceiling at your wedding venue

8. Have an Eco-friendly Wedding

Nowadays, everyone is putting in their efforts to be more “green”.

Why not show it in you wedding style? Replace flowers and heavy decor with greenery like moss and leaves, or even use plants as part of your decor. It can be more affordable and the guests can take the plants home as extra favors.

I have discussed the eco-friendly wedding theme in more detail later in this post.

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Go green! Consider having more greenery and plants rather than flowers at your wedding

9. Soften up your Wedding Look

If your overall look and feel of your wedding style comes across as hard, masculine or cold, consider using lace or ribbon here and there to soften things up.

Having soft detail such as tulle in the background, or adding some soft netting to the cake table, for example, can make your wedding look more feminine.

Wedding Style Pro Tip: white and blush elements can also soften up a masculine wedding look

Also Read:

10. Be specific with your wedding style or theme

Make sure you know exactly what you are looking for in your wedding style.

You cannot aim for a “vintage” look and go that route, as the term is very broad. For example, “retro” will also fall under “vintage”. Furthermore, there are other vintage styles such as classic vintage, quirky vintage, 50’s vintage, 20’s vintage, Gatsby and art-deco, just to name a few…

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Be specific with you theme when you are searching for your wedding look, especially on Pinterest

11. Opt for a Timeless Look

If you look at old photos of your mother’s wedding or grandmother’s wedding, you will notice there are elements that just always work, at any wedding.

Many brides aim to do unique things at their wedding, which is a good thing. But sometimes, they try to do too many different things and then it doesn’t work out so well.

Why not stick to classic, traditional decor and style. For example: Red roses with Baby’s Breath, gold accents and fine porcelain to dine with? It might sound boring and ordinary now, but you can always add one or two extra elements to make your style unique.

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Timeless, classic elements at a wedding is always a winning strategy!

12. Get the Groom involved

Here is a great opportunity for the groom to get involved:

Both of you make separate lists of things that you like. Do it in separate rooms, preferably, because you shouldn’t know what is written on your partner’s list, and influence each others’ decisions. Think about favorite colors, flowers, metals, places you’ve traveled to, etc. If you think of something you like, write it down.. Which food? Which outdoor activity? Board game? Cocktail? Make a huge list, so that there is a lot to compare with each other’s lists.

Don’t write what you think your partner might like because you want them to be happy on your wedding day. Be selfish – think about what YOU like. 🙂

Afterwards, compare the lists with each other, circle the similarities, then brainstorm only on those ideas. Think of how you can make your similar interests stand out on your wedding day. It is so romantic when a couple works with a theme that fits both their personalities…

Wedding Style Pro Tip: Ask the groom to help you decide on a style, based on your matching personality traits and interests

13. Create a mood board

To get an idea for your wedding look and feel, why not create a mood board with your favorite wedding images, colors, fonts and so on. You can get a rough idea of what your wedding vibe will be.

A great tool I use to design mood boards for clients, is Canva. This will be great for anything else you design for your wedding, too, such as wedding invitations. They also have plenty of templates to work with, which you can change to suit your style and needs. I highly recommend you get the pro version of Canva, to unlock gorgeous premium fonts, photos and design elements.

Here is an example of a mood board I designed in Canva, just as an example…

14. Determine what influences your wedding style

Many couples decide what influences their wedding style based on where their best memories happened. For example, where the groom proposed, or where they first went on holiday together. Destinations can inspire your wedding style, for example, by incorporating certain flowers or plants from that area, or prominent colors, etc.

6 Wedding Themes with brilliant modern twists

The eco-friendly wedding theme

Sustainability has become a prominent topic in most industries. It has also influenced the wedding industry in the most unexpected way: brides incorporate environmentally friendly elements into their wedding styles. Think recycled glassware, bamboo cutlery and natural elements such as wooden underplates.

The colors for this theme can be shades of blue and green, as well as natural colors such as brown, beige and orange. The eco-friendly wedding theme has also become quite popular for small wedding budgets, since items that doesn’t have an alternative replacement simply gets left out. You can make your wedding stationery from recycled paper, or better yet, make everything digital.

I have taken every aspect of this wedding theme and discussed it separately in this post. You will also find plenty of brilliant ideas which you can incorporate into this theme, including ideas for wedding favors, gifts and even your wedding dress! Have a look here.

The greenery wedding theme

Greenery was Pantone’s color of the year for 2017, but even before the hype of the actual color, greenery has replaced flowers and other elements in many brides’ wedding style. And even now, greenery at weddings is still a very popular choice — especially if you’re on a small budget.

The idea is to replace wedding flowers with green, or “filler” type plants and stems, to make the wedding look all natural. This is paired with white as a base color, and some brides even add a metallic element, such as gold, in the mix. It’s an easy theme, or wedding style, to work with.

Important note: Make sure the greenery you use are hardy enough to survive without water, if that is how you plan to use it on tables. Plants like eucalyptus (‘silver dollar’ as well as ‘baby blue’) and ivy can be used. Also make sure that plants stand in water for at least a day, before using them, so that they can hydrate properly.

The natural wedding theme

The natural wedding theme has tons of naturals elements — quite obvious in the name. Use wood, branches, pampas grass, wildflowers and so on to bring this wedding style to life. The idea is to use elements in its natural state.

It goes well with a rustic theme, if you had to pair it with another style, and works well with most venues. Colors are all natural shades (brown, orange, beige, green), mostly paired with white or cream.

The natural theme can also be paired with bohemian elements, such as macrame and twine.

The Scandinavian wedding theme

This theme is very old world with a modern touch. It’s also quite controversial, as some non-traditional items are included in this wedding theme. It’s also mostly an outdoor wedding, and works well in secluded venues such as forests or the mountain side.

Key elements are things like antlers, heavy metals and fur. If you want too add more unique elements, faux skulls can also be included in this style.

The scandi wedding theme is also perfect for a winter wedding. Also, you can get more inspiration from the hit series Vikings, as well as certain scenes from Game of Thrones.

The minimalist wedding theme

Ironically, you still need to add items to your wedding style if you want to do a minimalist wedding. However, this is one of the most affordable ways to style a wedding, and still make it look modern and elegant.

You can add single flowers or stems to bottles with water, and place them unevenly on a long table. This theme goes along well with the greenery wedding theme, because you can simply work with green and filler for your wedding decor. To give the minimalist wedding more color, opt for colored glass bottles in various sizes and heights.

The key to achieve a minimalist look is to not make the tables look too cluttered.

The maximalist wedding theme

Like you probably guessed, the maximalist wedding style is the exact opposite of the minimalist style. The idea is to add as much as possible to your wedding tables. It’s a colorful, over the top wedding theme that is slowly catching on. You can add anything to your tables, including flowers, the usual wedding decor item, glassware, books and other items that you can think of.

The maximalist wedding theme is difficult to work with, because you need to add as much as possible, without making it look cheap and run down. Your wedding style should still come together in such a way that it looks somewhat cohesive and still gives a wedding vibe.