How to Design Your Wedding Aesthetic

Now that you have your overall budge, it’s time to start the design process for your wedding aesthetic! Your wedding aesthetic is everything that your guests experience from receiving the invitation to the favor they leave with at the end of the night.

The aesthetic is what determines every decision you will make moving forward. Using my background in brand design, I’ve broken down the process into 6 easy steps designed to lessen the number of choices you need to design a beautiful wedding!

PRO RESOURCE

FREE Wedding Mood Board for Canva!

Click the link to customize my Wedding Mood Board that I created on the free Canva app! Enjoy this space to play around with color tones, textures, and images that inspire you from Pinterest or previous weddings from your venue. Once complete, use this to communicate your aesthetics to your vendors for a seamless design interface!

Personality, Interests, Values, and Traditions

Recall the information that you talked about with your fiance concerning your personality, interests, values, traditions, etc. in the first post in the series, How to Start Wedding Planning with Healthy Communication.

Now, begin to write down all that you both want to incorporate into your wedding. Here are some examples to get the ideas flowing:

• If your personality types are more introverted, you may desire a smaller, more intimate wedding ceremony; while extroverted couples with wide social circles may desire a larger-scale affair.

• If you come from different cultural backgrounds, you could express your culture through the food, custom cocktails, music, colors, and textures in your clothing, or include a combination of wedding traditions from each side of the family in your ceremony.

• If you are passionate about eco-friendly living, you could use live plants for your table centerpieces instead of cut flowers, use one large sign for the menu or ceremony program to save on print products, or even incorporate natural elements into your decor.

• If the groom’s favorite hobby is golf, you could opt for a golf-themed groom’s cake, golf-themed groomsman gifts, or even host the rehearsal dinner at a country club.

• If you both love spending time together hiking, you may opt for a more casual wedding set in the mountains or hills, showcasing your love for the outdoors.

Determine the Wedding Formality

Now that you know the interests, values, and traditions you’d like to represent, determine your wedding formality by choosing one of the three options below:

1. Casual — These are weddings less concerned with following traditions. The dress code is usually business casual, with women wearing sundresses and men wearing khakis with button-downs. The ceremony usually takes place in the daytime with simple meals and refreshments at the reception.

2. Semi-Formal — These weddings focus on tradition but allow room to incorporate non-traditional elements. Women usually wear cocktail attire while men wear a full suit. The ceremony usually takes place in the early evening and the reception offers a light meal or cocktail hors d’oeuvres.

3. Formal / Black Tie — These weddings focus on tradition, etiquette, and high-end aesthetics. These are your higher-budget weddings that don’t skimp on the details. Women generally wear formal cocktail attire while men wear dark suits or tuxedos. The ceremony takes place in the evening with plated dinners and can even have multiple courses at the reception.

Choose a Wedding Style

Classic, Glam, Modern, or Rustic

The Wedding Style is known as the overall look and feel of the event and represents the foundation of your wedding aesthetics. This typically influences who you book for your larger vendors like the venue, photographer, as well as color palette.

Choose one of the four styles (Classic, Glam, Modern, and Rustic) that best represents your overall wedding vision, then you can customize it further with themes as you keep reading!

Classic Wedding Style

Classic Weddings are semi-formal or formal weddings known to be timeless and traditional. They try to stay clear of current trends, typically take place inside, and choose soft, neutral color palettes that won’t go out of style in the years to come.

Venue Ideas

• Ballroom or Banquet Hall

• Country Club or Yacht Club

• Church or Cathedral

• Chateau, Castle, Historic Site, Private Estate

• Garden or Vineyard

• Hotel, Resort, Bed & Breakfast, Inn

• Library or Museum

Photography Styles

• Fine art, light & airy, or natural

• Hands-on with traditional poses caught at eye-level

Color Palette

• Neutrals like white, cream, greys, navy or black

• Muted (greyed) tones like blush, pale blue, or soft greens paired with minimal accents of silver or gold

Glam Wedding Style

Glam Weddings are formal weddings known to value tradition, but dress it up with a fashion-forward aesthetic that exudes luxury. They are usually adorned with metallics, crystal chandeliers, or glittering dresses and represented by a refined and dramatic color palette. This wedding style loves an excuse for a champagne tower.

Venue Inspirations

• Ballroom or Banquet Hall

• Country Club or Yacht Club

• Church or Cathedral

• Chateau, Castle, Historic Site, Private Estate

• Garden or Vineyard

• Hotel, Resort, Bed & Breakfast, Inn

• Library or Museum

Photography Styles

• Dramatic edits and creative lighting

• Hands-on with an editorial approach

• Sophisticated poses

Color Palette

• Neutral colors paired with dramatic bold accent colors

• Major accents of silver or gold

Modern Wedding Style

Modern Weddings can be semi-formal or formal weddings that are known to be contemporary, yet unique, with clean lines and a refined aesthetic. You can style a modern wedding from a minimal approach by letting the location be the focus, to a more artsy aesthetic by using unique elements that invite guests into a different experience altogether. Modern weddings typically steer clear of tradition and create a new perspective on what weddings could be.

Venue Types

• Art Gallery, Museum, Warehouse, or Loft

• Brewery, Distillery, Penthouse, Rooftop

• Community Center or Civic Building

• Historic Site or Private Estate

• Hotel, Resort, Bed & Breakfast or Inn

• Library or Museum

• Winery or Vineyard

• Zoo, Theme Park, Aquarium, Planetarium

Photography Styles

• Light & airy, natural, dark & moody

• Hands-off with a photojournalistic style

• Hands-on with an editorial approach

Color Palette

• Usually minimal or monochromatic with cooler tints

• Varies based on the theme

Rustic Wedding Style

Rustic Weddings can be casual or semi-formal weddings that focus on natural scenery or organic materials from the earth. You will see textures like wood, linen, stone, leather, sea shells, or glass paired with themes like family, handmade, organic, or DIY. Natural, warm, muted colors are used mostly.

Venue Types

• Barn, Ranch, or Farm

• Garden or Vineyard

• Hotel, Resort, Bed & Breakfast, Inn, Mountain Lodge

• Local, State, or National Park or Forrest

• Waterfront at a Beach or Lake

• Winery or Vineyard

Photography Styles

• Natural or dark & moody

• Hands-off with a photojournalistic style

Color Palette

• Neutral, warmer tints like greens, creams, browns paired with pinks, and oranges

• Can be monochrome or muted color palettes

Choose 1-2 Wedding Themes

the Icing for Your wedding style

Once you’ve chosen your wedding style, you can accessorize it with a theme (or two!)! This not only adds character to your wedding story but also allows you to speak the language of your wedding vendors so they understand exactly what you’re going for.

Choose a Wedding Theme(s)

Here are some example themes to pair with your wedding style:

• Adventurous

• Alternative

• Artsy

• Art Deco

• Backyard

• Beach

• Bohemian

• Chic

• Colorful

• Country

• Cultural

• DIY

• Eclectic

• European

• Fairytale

• Garden

• Hollywood

• Natural

• Nautical

• Organic

• Offbeat

• Preppy

• Quirky

• Retro

• Romantic

• Simple

• Seasonal

• Southern

• Tropical

• Unique

• Vintage

• Vineyard

• Whimsical

Add it to Your Wedding Style

Here are some live wedding examples of my own brides that have used various themes to compliment their overall style. Check it out below:

No Style, Only Theme?

A more creative method

Have you ever seen a Great Gatsby-themed wedding? Or Harry Potter? Though super uncommon, these themed weddings are super untraditional and aren't always the most elegant of events…. but they sure are fun! Feel free to get as creative as you want, making sure every element is influenced by the theme from the invitations to the favors.

The Color Palette

Now, it’s time to put everything together! Choosing your color palette can be super challenging — so instead of just starting from scratch, I suggest using other weddings as inspiration and building your look from there!

Utilize Pinterest and Google to Research

Use your keywords (traditions, formality, style, theme) in Pinterest and Google to research popular color palettes. Create a Pinterest board for color palette IDEAS, and have fun pinning your favorite variations of colors. But don’t make a defined decision just yet.

Before you Choose Your Venue

Wait to finalize your color palette AFTER you’ve booked your venue. You may want to incorporate tones that make up the stone walls of the garden or make sure the shade of taupe you picked for the bridesmaid dresses doesn’t contrast with the church carpet. Even further, your venue owner can show you examples of previous weddings on their property. Take photos of the venue grounds during your initial walk-through and add these to your Pinterest board as well.

The 5-Step Color Palette

Now that you’ve done some research and you’ve seen examples of colors within your traditions, formality, style, and theme, as well as what your venue looks like, it’s time to start making decisions! Creating a 5-toned color palette is a great place to start:

1. White Shade — This can represent the background of the invitation, the table linens, napkins, drapery, etc. This is your lightest, whitest color possible!

2. Light Muted Color — This is a lighter, greyed color that can be a mix of your main accent color with your white tone OR another complementary color entirely. You can use this for the bridesmaid’s dresses, tones within your florals, or in other textures like table linens, napkins, drapery, etc.

3. Main Accent Color — This is the main color that is consistently seen throughout your entire wedding. Use this color like you would a throw pillow — for smaller consistent accents like the groom’s tie, within the table decor, napkins, or even your wedding initials on your invitations.

4. Dark Accent Color — This could be anything from the tones of the greenery or a secondary accent that balances the entire palette.

5. Black Tone — This is your darkest color and can be seen in the groom's suit or the lettering on your invitation suite.

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Textures, Patterns, and Custom Designs

And last, but certainly not least — by incorporating various textures, patterns, and custom designs, you will create an unforgettable aesthetic that will keep your guests talking for years to come!

Textures

• Wedding Dress — Think about how the textures on your dress mimic your wedding aesthetics. You could use the ethereal 3D applique, intricate beading, classic lace, or even soft feathers.

• Invitations & Stationary — From the various types of paper (acrylic, parchment paper, cotton fiber, linen, vallum, glassine, and pearlescent), to the printing method (thermography, engraving, letterpress, embossing, foil stamping), to even 3D elements like a custom wax seal & stamp or tassels.

• Linens — You could use anything from subtle sequins, romantic velvet, or feminine tulle. Use inspiration from your floral arrangement, votives, or place cards, so the details come together seamlessly.

• Cakes — Ruffles edged in gold, a buttercream petal effect, raised piping, and watercolor paint strokes are all amazing ways to make a statement with your wedding cake.

Patterns

Adding a custom pattern is a great way to incorporate your color scheme in one fair swoop! You can use it in the groom’s tie, table linens, invitations, and stationery. Depending on your theme, a pattern may be used sparingly or as often as you deem appropriate!

Custom Designs

• Invitation Suite — a very popular place to add a custom design is on your invitation suite! I’ve seen initials or motifs (think modern family crest) at the top of the invitation, as well as throughout the entire invitation suite like the RSVP card. One of my favorite designs is a custom-drawn map of the wedding location included in the full invitation suite.

• Reception Lighting — Create a unique ambiance at your reception by using your wedding initials or motif on the floor or wall at your reception for all guests to see!

• Hand Written Signs — You can use these at your reception for seating cards, seating charts, a custom cocktail menu at the bar, or even the calligraphy on your inviations.

PRO RESOURCE

Get My FREE Wedding Mood Board Template for Canva!

Anyone can customize my Wedding Mood Board that I created on the free Canva app! Play around with color tones, textures, and images that inspire you from Pinterest or previous weddings from your venue. Once complete, use this to communicate your aesthetics to your vendors for a seamless design interface!

Final Thoughts

As you embark on the journey to design your wedding aesthetic, remember that this process shapes every detail, creating an unforgettable experience for your guests. You will be making aesthetic decisions throughout the entire wedding process. But by designing a framework now, you establish a visual guide that keeps you stay focused and less overwhelmed throughout the planning process.

Stay tuned for valuable insights on creating a guest list that reflects your vision and mastering invitation etiquette with grace and style.

Next up in the Calm Wedding Planning Series:

How to Compile Your Guest List

View other posts in the Calm Wedding Planning Series here: