Unpopular option: I love a good wedding theme.
No seriously, I LOVE a good wedding theme. Every wedding that I have any creative control in has some sort of theme. Why? Because I love a good theme. Duh!
A wedding theme is something that I feel is necessary in telling the right story with your wedding. It's like a North Star for your planning process, and helps you ideate, define and drive home the core message for the day that you want to have.
It also sets the tone for what type of experience you are creating for your guests, while infusing special details around your day. It threads all the messaging and details together. From the save-the-date’s, to the flowers, venue, drink choices, music, all the way to the final toast and thank you cards. A good wedding theme will anchor all your crazy ideas and many Pinterest pins down to the perfect day.
In November 2021, I remember getting a call from John saying that he and his fiancé Michael were looking for a wedding planner. They had gotten my info from the management of a previous client’s venue.. During our first meeting, I learned more about them and what they were looking for in a wedding planner. When meeting with clients for the first time, I like to find out the very high level stuff, like what are your interests and hobbies, what are you passionate about, the proposal etc. When I asked the lovebirds what they enjoyed doing as a couple, travel was at the top of their shared list. They lit up when they mentioned Paris as one of their favorite places to visit. I knew then that was the direction that I wanted to take them. A Parisian themed wedding.
Now, the couple had given me parameters already. The venue was booked. The color palette was set. They just needed someone to come in and bring their vision to life. And that’s where I stepped in. After our initial meeting, I couldn’t stop thinking about this Parisian-themed wedding and how far we could take it. I started researching black and white weddings and Paris themed weddings and I got some inspo, but not exactly what I was looking for. Everything that I saw was, in my opinion, too feminine and really didn’t speak to who the couple was: two beautiful Black men committing to love one another as long as they can.
I wanted something that would be a Paris theme, but one that was more refined and masculine. More Tom Ford than Coco Chanel. More cognac than champagne. More moody than airy. But have that touch of opulence that Paris is known for. A dash je ne sais quoi. Like walking the streets of Paris after a night on the town.
It hit me.
One Night In Paris.
The lightbulb went off and I instantly knew that this was it. It would be more of a Paris-Noir themed wedding. A merger of seduction and sophistication for one night of love. I further defined it as ““A romantic evening with a French-noir vibe that takes inspiration from the couple’s favorite city….PARIS!”
I then worked to create a Design Proposal and Event Roadmap deck that would explain their theme and how we execute in it all of the details. While the theme would tell the story of the wedding day, I also added in keywords that would guide us toward our final destination: glamour, opulence, romance and sophistication. From there key themes and design elements would tie into one of the key words and support it.
Glamour:
Use of gold accents
Wedding attendants attire
Textures and patterns in fabric choices
Opulence
Lush flowers
Fancy script font
Show-stopping cake
Romance
Glow from candles
Unique personal touches that tell Michael & John’s love story
Sophistication
Groom’s Attire
Use of Black and White
Venue
I really wanted to make sure that we told this story and theme from start to finish. I also created a logo for them, and shared a moodboard that showcased their theme from a high-level artistic standpoint. But the peak of this theme coming together would be the classic black and white photography. But not just ANY Black and white photography, I was going to ask my couple to take engagement photos. In Paris. (Of course!)
I met with them and presented "One Night in Paris” with bated breath. And they LOVED it. The theme. The ideas. The moodboard. All of it. Even down to taking their photos in Paris. So the hard part was over. Getting the buy-in and approval from the couple, Now the easy parts. Pulling it all together to make a one-of-a-kind experience for Michael and John.
The other great thing about having a theme is that it will help you frame out your details in a way that your guests will appreciate. The details do matter. Don’t let anyone else tell you differently! The details from your wedding are what make it personal, intentional and authentic.
When thinking of the many details that I wanted to include for Michael and John’s wedding, I considered the venue first and foremost because the right venue will not only support your theme, it will elevate it. The Glenwoodie Golf Club’s main ballroom has a french country vibe that I wanted to play on, so candles and lanterns were a must for the table displays. I also wanted to surprise the couple and incorporate their engagement shoot in the wedding decor as well, in black and white, to make it feel like an immersive experience. Here are a few more fun things that I did at Michael and John’s wedding to make it come to life.
Script Font
I Used a script font as a part of their paper goods. From the invitations to the menus the font played an important part in bringing that french romantic vibe.
Use of French words/phrases
If we’re in Paris, we gotta speak the language! The welcome signs to the seating chart and the table numbers all were in French. Voila!
“One Night in Paris” Specialty Drink.
You can’t be in Paris for the night without sipping champagne! One of my favorite drinks is a French 75, often made with gin or cognac. Because their specialty drinks were using gin and cognac, I added it as a bonus specialty drink as a nod to France.
Last April, it was time to pull this all together to create a true celebration with a story for Michael and John. They wore custom white jacket tuxedos from Indochino with their wedding party wearing all black, with white flowers created by Scheme Artists accented the looks.
It turned out to be a beautiful day filled with love, pride, joy and happiness as this couple shared some of the most beautiful vows in front of their friends and family. Not a dry eye in the building!
After the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour while the newlyweds ventured off to the golf course to get some amazing shots by the talented Jermaine Horton of Jermaine Horton Studios. A buffet dinner curated by the couple prepared by Clara’s Catering was served, while DJ BlK Soldier protected the vibe with the music. Of course, Michael and John had a show stopping cake created by Simply Sweetness Food Design that the guests enjoyed along with the dessert display after dinner. Of course we had to have some fun an a “For the Culture” moment with the infamous Jay-Z/Kanye West song “Ni**as in Paris” for Michael and John’s grand entrance.
So, if you ask me, are wedding themes important? I’m always going to say yes. Because it adds so much personality to a day to make it really special for the couple, along with their guests. I loved how Michael and John’s themed wedding came to life over the span of 14 months, and I can’t wait to share more tips and ideas to create your perfect wedding day.
Ciao for now!
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Love my style, my vibe? What to see your theme come to life? Click here to learn more about me or click here to learn more about my services.