Photo by Mountain Hearts Photography
When it comes to choosing your wedding vibe, Pinterest is going to be your best friend, and your worst nightmare. A social site full of beautiful boho vibes, modern elegance, classic vintage and so much more. How the f*** are you supposed to choose just one vibe!? Especially if you're like me and love them all! Well babe, I'm here to help you turn that nightmare into a daydream! As the wise Shania Twain once said; "let's go girls!"
Ultimately, your venue is going to set the tone for the rest of your wedding! It's likely the first thing you decide on before any other planning commences. When choosing your venue, you're likely considering the season as well. If you decide on a beachfront venue, you're likely wanting to get married in the summer and already leaning towards a light and airy vibe, even if you don't know that yet. Maybe you're having your wedding on top of a mountain, and in that case, a fairy garden vibe might not fit. If you decide you're getting married in the winter in a beautiful, historic, public library, then let's set aside the boho vibe. You don't want to force a vibe into a venue that isn't made for it! You wouldn't find Pocahontas getting married in a library, would you?
Now that you've booked your venue, it's time to get the dress. THE dress. There won't be many times in your life when you'll be able to try on hundreds of dresses for fun, so take this opportunity to try on everything. I mean everything. Try on the style you think you hate. Try on the ivory dress even though you've had your heart set on pure white. Try on that Cinderella ballgown even if your Pinterest board is filled with mermaid style dresses. Try that lacey, high-neck dress that you keep eyeing even though you hate lace. When we're little, we often dream up this perfect person that we think we will marry someday, and we end up falling in love with someone totally different. Well guess what babe, if it can happen with people, it can happen with a dress! That dress you fall in love with, is going to almost set your vibe. Let's of course not forget to keep our venue and the season in mind. You don't want to be walking down the beach in the middle of summer with a long sleeve, ballgown on. Talk about a sweaty, hot mess!
Venue, check! Dress, check! Color palette....loading. We've got two of the most important aspects of your wedding accounted for now. You might still be wondering, "okay literally how is this narrowing anything down?" Quite frankly, I'm wondering the same thing. JK. You have the base of your vibe now. Let's finalize that aesthetic. Getting married on the beach and your dress is mermaid style? You could stick with a light and airy vibe and choose pastel colors or, neutral colors to satisfy the boho queen that you are. You could also host a black-tie wedding to live out your dream of feeling like a Kardashian for a day. Choosing your color palette is going to help you determine the final "theme" or "aesthetic" of your wedding. Have I mentioned keeping in mind the season? If you're having a winter wedding, try to incorporate darker, warm tones. Reds, browns, shades of green, or have a classic white, winter wonderland vibe! For my fall lovers, keep your focus on those warmer tones as well! Try to stray from those darker shades of red and orange, you don't want to blend in with the foliage! Play around with some neutral or mauve tones, too! Spring and summer go hand in hand. Choose between pastels or light and airy colors! Pinks, blues, greens, lavender, mauve, or a timeless white aesthetic. Your color palette is likely going to start with your Save the Dates and carry through to your bridesmaids' dresses, all the way to your napkin choice. Keep in mind your color palette is going to shine the most through your bridesmaids' dresses! As much as this is your day, consider your bridesmaids' features, focusing mainly on skin tone. Some colors don't work for everyone, and you'll be drowning out some of your favorite people! Your bridesmaids will be feeling uncomfortable or self-conscious all day, and that will show in your photos! Sometimes, one color isn't going to work for everyone, so consider a range of colors for your bridesmaids to choose from. This will also add more depth to your overall aesthetic and your photos. Don't stress yourself out over a color palette. If you're still stuck on which direction to go in, you might be trying to venture too far out of your comfort zone! In that case, I recommend a timeless mix of whites, ivory, or champagne with pops of lighter shades of green! An elegant look never goes out of style!
Congrats, babe! You've narrowed down your vibe and built your wedding aesthetic. For the most part anyway! Your decor and flowers will be a breeze now that you've created your color palette! Always take your budget into consideration when setting the vibe for your big day. Don't go into debt for your dream venue or dream dress. I promise it won't be worth it when the fun is over! If you can find a dupe for a designer purse, you can find a dupe for anything. Now, go delete all your other Pinterest boards so you don't change your mind. JK babe, you do you!
Xo,
Rachel Vitagliano