Planning themed weddings is fun and challenging, and requires an open mind. Here are some themed wedding planning tips to delight your clients.
We all have something that we absolutely love. A hobby, a vocation, or even just a movie or television series that we’re totally obsessed with. While theme weddings were a niche thing in the past, 2021 saw many engaged couples choosing to express themselves and their personalities during their nuptials by showcasing their interests.
If you look at TikTok, Facebook, or other social media, you’ve probably seen some stunning theme weddings pop up. I saw a gorgeous Lord of the Rings-themed outdoor wedding on TikTok. It featured the bride in a beautiful, flowing, elven-style wedding gown and the groom in short pants, suspenders, and bare feet to pay homage to hobbits!
Little Beach Street Bakery, a novel I read this past summer by one of my favorite authors, Jenny Colgan, ended with a Star Wars-themed wedding. And I’ve seen some pretty spectacular Game of Thrones weddings on Pinterest lately. It seems that people are no longer afraid of being judged as “weird” or “geeky.” In fact, they’re proud to show off their love for their fandoms on their big day.
But how can a wedding planner best work with couples to make all their medieval or gilded-era-themed wedding dreams come true?
Keep An Open Mind
While a Star Trek-themed wedding might not be your idea of a good time, if it’s what your couple has their heart set on, go for it!
Wedding planners are some of the most adaptive, creative-thinking professionals out there. It’s no surprise just how much they can achieve when they pair their creativity and professionalism with the passion and enthusiasm of their clients. Who knows? In getting to know the couple and their interests, you might just find yourself a new member of their fandom. And if not, at least you can tell other clients all about how you made another couple’s dream come true. And secure their confidence that you can do the same for them.
Research, Research, Research
If you asked me any obscure question about Harry Potter, I’m confident I’d be able to answer it correctly. That’s what reading the books over and over again and repeatedly watching the movies will get you! But if you asked me to tell you about the plot of Star Wars, I’d have absolutely no idea. I’ve never seen any of the movies.
You might luck out, and your couple will ask you to plan a wedding that involves a theme you absolutely love. But what if they seem to pluck something from relative obscurity (at least to you)?
That’s when you can really have some fun with themed weddings. Do your research. And the best place to start is with the couple themselves. Find out why they fell in love with the theme, what it means to them, and what memories it evokes for them. Why is it so important to them? Ask them for resources to find out more, and prepare to take a deep dive on the internet. All the information is out there – you just have to know where to look.
Pro-tip: Use ThymeBase’s client portals to get feedback and share ideas with your clients.
Related: How to Plan an Unforgettable Regency-Inspired Wedding
Keep Them Realistic
Let’s say your bride and groom are enamored with Disney’s Aladdin. They’re dreaming of an opulent, gorgeous wedding ceremony featuring rich royal hues, Middle Eastern delicacies, and even a hookah bar. Wait! That might not be such a good idea in a post-COVID world.
The same goes for the bride or groom riding in on an elephant (although grooms ride on the big animals in many Hindu weddings in India, since elephants represent good luck). The logistics of making that happen – and how kind it would be to the creature itself – might make for more trouble than it’s worth. Would they be willing to compromise for something less exotic, like a beautiful horse?
Chances are, if the couple has their heart set on a theme wedding, they might have some pretty lofty ideals that they want you to plan. And while you might not be able to make all their dream details a reality, you can still meet them more than halfway with a bit of creativity and compromise.
Authenticity Is Important In Themed Weddings
Perhaps your bride and groom want a Viking-style wedding. With the rise of neo-pagan religion – and Norse paganism in particular – this might not be as far-fetched as it once might have sounded.
It’d be easy to find some Viking symbols and incorporate them. And research modern-day Scandinavian food like smoked salmon and farrow salad. But if you do a little digging, you can probably find authentic, historically accurate recipes that can recreate the ancient times your couple finds so romantic.
For example, many chefs recreate ancient dishes like this pretzel recipe by Sohla El-Waylly or Max Miller’s fascinating channel! Perhaps you could even find musicians who play traditional Nordic instruments like flutes made of wood or animal bone. Best of all, you can probably find Goði, priests of the neo-pagan Ásatrú religion of the Nordic tradition.
The options are endless. And while you might not be able to recreate a traditional wedding ceremony precisely as it would have been thousands of years ago, you can include enough historically accurate nods to the past to move the themed wedding from kitschy to cultured.
Have Fun With Themed Weddings
Above all, while you’re learning, planning, and doing your best to make your couple’s themed wedding dreams come true, remember to enjoy the process. It’s not every day you’ll be asked to plan a themed wedding, so enjoy the novelty and the excitement that comes with it. You’re not only creating a day that the bride, groom, and their guests will remember forever, but one that you can look back on with pride and satisfaction, too, as a highlight of your career.
Photograph of woman in white by Melissa Castillo