When I got married back in 2011, Pinterest didn’t exist. I know, I know, pick your jaw up. We had to plan the “old fashioned” way — doing Google image searches for things like “wedding hair styles” and “purple flowers”. Sometimes you got good results, sometimes not so much. Pinterest would have made my life so much easier — sorry, Google, you’re great and all, but you don’t bring quite the same punch when looking for inspiration images! 

Although, in some ways, I’ve come to view it as a blessing in disguise. I truly don’t know how you guys do it — there is SO much pretty on Pinterest, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. When I’m planning a styled shoot, I get lost in a sea of color palettes and unique decorations and just want to do “all the things,” which we all know never looks cute. 

So how do you create a cohesive wedding day from beginning to end? It’s actually pretty simple — details!  From the moment your first guest anxiously opens their invitation until the last napkin in cleared from the dinner table, details are the one thing that set the tone and tie your entire day together. Sure, you may be getting ready in one location and married in another and celebrating somewhere else, but if you have all the right details in place, your guests will just have one big experience! I put together a list of some of the most popular wedding details and how to make sure they stay cohesive with your theme. 

+ INVITATIONS | The absolute first taste of your wedding day comes from you invitations! They typically are sent out anywhere from 45-60 days before the wedding and should reflect what you want your guests to experience on your wedding day. Having a casual beach wedding? It wouldn’t fit to have a black tie-esque invitation suite! 

+ ACCESSORIES | Again, you want to make sure the formality is fitting with your day. If you’re getting married DAR Constitution Hall, cowboy boots might not really fit the feel of the venue. And if you’re doing colored shoes, they should absolutely match your color palette — although I feel like there is one exception to this and that’s having blue shoes for your “something blue”! 

+ BOUQUETS | These are typically the first peek your guests will have at your flowers for the day! To help the ceremony flow into the reception, make sure you centerpieces include some of the same florals as your bouquets. 

+ LINENS | Linens seems so simple until you start delving in to all the options — different colors, different fabrics, different lengths — it’s crazy how many options there are! Satin linens are typically best for a more formal wedding, whereas they might feel overdone in a more casual setup. 

+ CAKE | Okay, so no cake is bad cake, let’s just make sure that is said. If a traditional cake is your style, I think that fits with any wedding! But I have also seen some really unique fun takes that make it just another personal touch. One wedding, where the bride was American and the groom was British, had a surprise inside of a red-white-and blue American flag! Another loved all the flavors at their tasting and ended up with five different cakes for guests to try! So this one is just something fun to add something extra. 

At the end of the day, these are all just ideas. I always tell my brides, your wedding is YOUR wedding!! There are no real “rules” and you can do things your way; you only get to do this once. No matter what, as trends change, there will always be things you wish you did different. So just keep your day as “you” as possible and you’ll be happy — after all, it’s really about marrying the love of your life! Below are 4 very different wedding that all did a great job of carrying their theme from beginning to end.

 

DAR Constitution Hall Wedding
I absolutely LOVED this red, white and blue flag themed wedding from 2014. I mean, truly, what better place for it than Washington, DC!? It was boldly incorporated into the bride’s Kate Spade heels and her bridemaid’s dresses, but never felt overdone. With the ceremony at St. Matthews Cathedral and the reception at DAR, her lace back dress felt perfectly fitting with the formality of the venues. They then continued the theme throughout the entire reception which looked stunning against the white stone. 

Thomas Birkby House Wedding
This wedding was the epitome of rustic chic. Look how stunning the bride’s lace gown looks against the all the rustic wood found naturally in this Leesburg, VA venue. Her soft pink color palette trended throughout the day from her shoes, to her invite, her bouquet, and even in the reception space — it added a sweetness that offset any masculine undertones. I love how they incorporated even more wooden signage as a play on the venue. 

Kingsmill Resort Wedding
This luxurious, feminine wedding was perfectly curated from beginning to end. From the bride’s rosette lined dress and Kate Spade bow heels; to the 3-foot centerpieces and 4-tiered cake, everything was so beautifully detailed and put together in a classic manner. I love that we even found a pink tree as an added bonus to tie in with the bride’s color scheme! 

Enoch Pratt Library Wedding
I knew this black-tie wedding was going to nail the details the second I met the groom; he could not have looked more sharp in his tuxedo. The bride chose a very soft, understated palette of creams with a hint of green that only reinforced the formality of the wedding. But it wasn’t until arriving at the library in the heart of Baltimore that I truly saw the whole picture; the grand open floor plan added to the sophistication of this beautiful day.