Define your wedding style in 3 easy steps
I attended a special event planning conference a few years ago, and a well-known wedding planner Wendy Dahl (of Chic Productions) taught a class. I attended, not knowing what to expect, but learned one of the coolest tools for getting a bride and groom to define their wedding style!
Frequently a bride (and groom) will get onto Pinterest, and begin pinning away ideas here and there, but they have no correlation to the real theme or style of the wedding – they’re just cute ideas. Instead of putting together a hodge-podge for your wedding, try using this tool to narrow down your style. It truly helps you ask the question, “does this even fit into what our style is?”
Keep in mind this exercise is meant to help you talk your wedding style out! So don’t be afraid to put those high dollar “dream” items on the list, even if you know you won’t be able to afford them. That’s just helping define your style.
#1. Print our worksheet:
CLICK HERE to print the PDF version of our planning worksheet! Print 2 copies if you want to get the groom’s wedding style too.
#2. Get a friend!
You’ll want to concentrate on visualizing your wedding (eyes closed if that works best)! So have a friend ask you questions and then transcribe your answers for you!
#3. Describe the 5 senses of your wedding:
Remember to be as descriptive as possible on these questions! The more words you can associate with each question, the stronger your wedding description will be.
-What sights are at your wedding? Describe what you can see.
-What sounds are at your wedding? Describe what you can hear.
-What does your wedding feel like when you touch things? Describe the textures.
-What does your wedding taste like? Describe anything with a flavor!
-What does your wedding smell like? Describe what aromas fill the air.
Voila! Define your style!
Now you can look over all the senses of your wedding and you’ll start to formulate trends that keep coming through – you can use these trends to make decisions further down the road also (like if I’m smelling fresh cut grass and hearing birds chirping, maybe I should consider an outdoor wedding). After you’ve reviewed your written list, come up with a short description of your style. Two to three words maximum. This is especially helpful when approaching vendors, and quickly defining what you want your wedding to look like, since there are so many options out there.
This list of descriptive terms is very helpful, but is by no means the limits to the descriptive wording you can use!
backyard: (adj) located or occurring in a backyard
beachy: (adj) characterized by beaches
bohemian: (adj) pertaining to or characteristic of the unconventional life of a bohemian; (n) a person, as an artist or writer, who lives and acts free of regard for conventional rules and practices
casual: (adj) Being without ceremony or formality; relaxed
chic: (n) style and elegance
classic: (adj) of the first or highest quality, class, or rank; traditional or typical
contemporary: (adj) of the present time; modern
country: (adj) of, from, or characteristic of the country; unpolished; rustic
dainty: (n) something choice or pleasing
dapper: (adj) neat and trim in appearance; very spruce and stylish
delicate: (adj) marked by daintiness or charm of color, lines, or proportions; marked by fineness of structure, workmanship, or texture
destination: (n) a place worthy of travel or an extended visit
elegant: (adj) marked by elegance; of a high grade or quality
eclectic: (adj) composed of elements drawn from various sources
french: (adj) of, relating to, or characteristic of France, its people, or their language
fresh: (adj) having its original qualities unimpaired
garden: (adj) of, relating to, used in, or frequenting a garden; of a kind grown in the open as distinguished from one more delicate
glamourous: (adj) full of glamour; excitingly attractive :: glamour: (n) an exciting and often illusory and romantic attractiveness; alluring or fascinating attraction —often used attributively
green: (adj) relating to or being an environmentalist political movement; concerned with or supporting environmentalism; tending to preserve environmental quality
hollywood: (adj) of or characteristic of people in the American motion-picture industry; of or characteristic of a Hollywood film
homemade: (adj) made in the home, on the premises, or by one’s own efforts
minimalist: (adj) extreme spareness and simplicity
modern: (adj) of, relating to, or characteristic of the present or the immediate past; of, relating to, or characteristic of a period extending from a relevant remote past to the present time; involving recent techniques, methods, or ideas
preppy: (adj) relating to, characteristic of, or being a preppy; relating to or being a style of dress characterized especially by classic clothing and neat appearance
punk: (adj) of or relating to punk rock; relating to or being a style inspired by punk rock
quaint: (adj) marked by beauty or elegance; unusual or different in character or appearance; pleasingly or strikingly old-fashioned or unfamiliar
relaxed: (adj) freed from or lacking in precision or stringency; set or being at rest or at ease; easy of manner
romantic: (adj) marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized; of, relating to, or having the characteristics of romanticism
rustic: (adj) of, relating to, or suitable for the country;
simple: (adj) free from vanity; free from ostentation or display
shabby: (adj) clothed with worn or seedy garment; threadbare and faded from wear; ill-kept
swank: (adj) showy display ; fashionably elegant
tropical: (adj) of, relating to, occurring in, or suitable for use in the tropics
tuscan: (adj) of, relating to, or characteristic of Tuscany, the Tuscans, or Tuscan
unique: (adj) distinctively characteristic
vintage: (adj) of old, recognized, and enduring interest, importance, or quality; dating from the past
whimsical: (adj) resulting from or characterized by whim or caprice; lightly fanciful
*All definitions from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary* Definitions pulled from THIS blog.
