How to Pick Your Perfect Wedding Ceremony Theme (Updated for 2025)

How to Pick Your Perfect Wedding Ceremony Theme

There are a number of factors that can determine your wedding ceremony theme, such as time of year, you and your fiancé’s tastes, and budget.

Surprisingly, the season seems to have the greatest impact on a wedding ceremony theme. Winter leads itself to old-fashioned glamour; Spring is the perfect time for a gentle pastel palette in a garden; Summer, of course, evokes beach, sand, and water. For the fall, bold colors call the shots. Your wedding ceremony venue will go far in determining color and theme.

Next, consider your and your fiancé’s personalities. Are you relaxed? Do you thrive on drama? Do you want to stand out? Thinking about all of these elements will help you create a picture of your wedding ceremony and its theme. Don’t be afraid to question each other to discuss how you truly feel about your wedding ceremony and what is important to you.

Getting married in a church limits your option to enhance your wedding theme, but with some imagination, you can still make a church ceremony your own. On the other hand, a wedding ceremony at some unique wedding venue can set the tone for the entire day. The wedding decorations, hues, and clothes all serve to enhance your theme, so you want to keep everything cohesive.

For some great ideas on how to put together your wedding theme, check out these wedding photos. You are sure to be inspired.

• Elegant and Formal Wedding Ceremony Theme

  For an elegant wedding ceremony, begin the festivities at the ceremony wedding venue, with the bridesmaids carrying clutches instead of flowers. It’s different and eye catching and recalls an old-fashioned ball. Elbow length gloves finish the picture.

  Elbow Length Gloves - about $9: DreamHigh Women's Evening Party 21" Long Satin Finger Gloves

  

  Elaborate on the theme by having the wedding invitations printed on small, paper clutches. You can present the clutches to your bridal party as gifts, with makeup items and a personal note tucked into each one. Carrying a clutch purse calls for a more formal dress style, and the elegant formality can be carried over to the reception.

  Your menu should reflect the elegance of the ceremony with special dishes. The wedding party can, of course, pin flowers to their wrists.

  Following the ceremony, keep the elegant theme by planning a black or white wedding or Breakfast at Tiffany-style reception. Go heavy on the pearls.

• Beach Ceremony Theme

  For a beach-themed wedding, begin with the ceremony. Have the church or beach itself lit with a variety of lanterns. The bridesmaids can carry lanterns instead of flowers. And these stunning vintage lantern earrings enhance all of the colors of the seas.

  White Mini Lanterns - about $45: Kate Aspen Luminous Bundle of 12 Mini-White Lanterns

  

  You can decorate the beach ceremony site with lanterns, shells, driftwood, all emphasizing the beach theme. The lanterns will be especially stunning for an evening ceremony.

  Clothing will be less formal and can edge along to casual if you desire. The wedding gown should be easy and flowing and reflect the colors of the ocean. You can also decide to go entirely casual with jeans, shorts, and sandals (or no shoes) for both the bridal couple and the guest. Do your beach wedding ceremony your way.

  Instead of carrying flowers or lanterns, the bride and bridesmaids can carry sea shell bouquets, while the groom and groomsmen can be wearing starfish instead of boutonnieres. If you want to avoid getting hot in the sun, colorful parasols for the bride and her attendants are just the thing.

  Sea Shell Bouquet - about $43: Abbie Home Beach Wedding Bridal Bouquet

  Forget arriving at the beach in a car - Rent a boat for the wedding party to make a splashy landing onto the shore!

  Forget arriving at the beach in a car. Rent a boat for the wedding party to make a splashy landing onto the shore. You can use the same boat to make your getaway to the reception if it isn’t being held at the beach.

• Romantic Wedding Ceremony Theme

  For a romantic wedding ceremony theme, go all out with wedding flowers. These pictures should give you lots of inspiration on how to use flowers at your wedding, starting with an aisle filled with rose petals as you walk toward your beloved. String colorful garlands along the pews. And set up an incredible flower display by the altar.

  You and your bridesmaids should be dressed in silk and lace evoking immediate romance. For the ultimate in romantic, arrive at the ceremony in a horse-pulled carriage that can whisk you and your husband to the reception. At the reception, continue the romantic flower theme with an incredible cake decorated with large blooms. And decorate the tables with satin and lace napkins and cloths.

• Retro Wedding Ceremony Theme

  Few things are as fun as a retro wedding. If you start with the 1920s and move up, this gives you plenty of vintage options from which to choose. For the ’20s, opt for Gadsby-type wardrobe with the then-popular Juliet headdress. Have a singer play “It Had To Be You.”

  The ’50s are the era for cocktail dresses and Mad Men hairdos for you and your party. Play the Dell’s “Oh, What A Night.” The men should wear matching vintage suits. Follow the theme to the reception with a delicious June Cleaver meatloaf on the menu. Stop traffic by arriving at the church in a 1955 Ford Thunderbird, preferably flaming red in color.

  For the '60s, you want Jackie Kennedy elegance and a pillbox hat. And no song could be more perfect they Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Women.” To complete the picture, rent a 1966 Pontiac GTO as your getaway vehicle.

  If the ’80s are your zeitgeist, Boho is your style. Have a singer play “Endless Love” before the ceremony. For the Boho theme, decorate the aisles, and the altar section with large colorful flowers. No delicate roses here. A popular Boho trend is to skip the rose pedal-covered aisle and decorate the aisle with a plush, colorful carpet instead that creates a different type of texture. These themes work for both indoors and outdoors weddings.

  Each of the eras has its own hairstyles and makeup, with a particular emphasis on a dark, powerful red lipstick. The following wedding hair styles can be incorporated into a variety of themes and can accommodate any era. For a retro wedding, vintage clothing stores are you best friend, or check out the following ageless wedding gowns.

• Modern Wedding Theme

  A modern wedding ceremony can take place in some unusual wedding venues, such as an art gallery, aquarium, botanical garden, or zoo. The modern bridal couple wants something unusual and aesthetically pleasing. The advantage of a modern wedding ceremony is that the surroundings themselves are the wedding decorations.

  The modern bride knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to make her own rules!

  The modern bride isn’t shy, frequently choosing a dress that reveals an abundance of décolletage. Bridesmaids can wear different colored or styled dresses. Or else, go for a black and white color scheme. The modern bride knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to make her own rules.

  Instead of a lot of flowers, consider decorating the wedding ceremony venue with lots of glitter trees for a spectacular display. Or, instead of glitter, hang plush drapes from the ceiling in colors that match your overall wedding theme.

  Keep florals at a minimum by having the bride and her party carry one or two classic Calla lilies instead of a large bouquet when walking down the aisle. Use the same Calla lily and glitter style at the reception.

  The modern couple is likely to write their own vows to make a personal statement or incorporate heart-felt quotes into the ceremony. Even if you and your beloved lack the words to express their true feelings, here are some suggestions to express your love and commitment to each other.

Your wedding ceremony style is a very personal decision and will turn your special day into a splendid occasion you can look back on for years.