Hey there everyone! BIG news… I’m actually ATTENDING a wedding today! One of my best friends that I have known for 20+ years is getting married! I’m pretty excited- I haven’t attended a wedding that I wasn’t also planning/coordinating/working in a VERY long time. But okay, I lied- I couldn’t NOT do anything… I’m styling the tables beforehand- because I love it so much! And then after that, I’ll actually get to sit down and be a guest! Wish me luck! ;)

For today’s Tips post, I thought I would revisit wedding styles. It’s been a while since I’ve talked about wedding styles, and so I realized that some of you might not be too familiar with the concept of wedding styles. First off, let me just clarify that I’m not talking about “style” as in fashion… I’m talking about style as in a sort of “theme” for your wedding. Because weddings have styles too! :)

Knowing your wedding style is actually a pretty crucial part of knowing what you want for your wedding. It’s one of the huge factors that will help you come up with your own unique wedding details. Determining your wedding style is definitely one of the very first things that you should do when you get engaged. A wedding style can help you choose the right place to get married, help you in your search  for inspiration, and even help guide you along in the style of wedding dress you get. Having a wedding style will also help you stay a little more focused in your inspiration searches, plus it will help you convey to vendors what you really want for your wedding!

Photo via ELV CA designer {Fabulously Wed}

If you’re already elbow-deep into your planning and don’t have a definitive wedding style yet, don’t sweat it! Chances are good that what you’re already envisioning has a style. It certainly won’t hurt anything to go ahead and define your wedding’s style though. It will most definitely help both you and your wedding vendors if you do this. That way, everyone can be on the same page. But the thing is, for everyone to be on the same page, they all need to be READING from the same book, right? Well, that’s why I created the ELD Style Dictionary! In the Style Dictionary, you’ll find definitions of all kinds of wedding styles, and it even links to weddings and inspiration shoots depicting those styles! Some styles are just descriptive adjectives, and some styles are full-out decorative nouns. You can mix and match styles, stick to one, or heck- make up your own! It doesn’t really matter- all that matters is that you and your vendors are on the same page, and hopefully using the Style Dictionary will help!

Speaking of styles, perhaps you’ve noticed that I usually state a style or two in all of the real wedding and inspiration shoot posts. And in an effort to keep things organized and easy for all of you to find inspiration, posts are categorized by style too. That way, if you’re looking for classic wedding inspiration, you know that you can search in the inspiration gallery for “Classic” and you’ll be able to see all of the classic weddings that have been posted! [I was a “classic and elegant” bride myself, and I always found it difficult to find inspiration that I could really apply to my own wedding among all the vintage eclectic weddings. Don’t get me wrong- I love vintage eclectic weddings, but it didn’t quite fit my own style, and so I often came up empty handed when searching for classic and elegant inspiration!]

Photo via ELV FL planner {Shelby Peaden Events}

Well, with all that said, I don’t need to repeat myself over and over when I’ve already said everything else in other posts, right? So how about I just make it a little easier for you… go read these two posts: {Why You Need To Know Your Wedding Style} and {What’s Your Wedding Style?}!

Really and truly, just like I mentioned in last week’s post about details, your wedding should be a reflection of you. Which means that your wedding style will also be a reflection of you. But giving your wedding a definitive style just *helps* SO much, in so many different ways! So brides, I want to know… what is YOUR wedding style? Have you figured it out yet??

[PS: Thinking back to when I created the Style Dictionary, I also had a whole series of inspiration shoots that vendors all across the country designed around styles from the Style Dictionary. Definitely go take a look at them– they’re all awesome! In fact, I’ve been thinking of doing the series again- what do you all think?!]