You have finally decided to tie the knot and as the euphoria of the engagement begins to wane you realize that you have a million and one decisions lying ahead of you and you are overwhelmed with no idea where to start. Does that sound at all familiar? This is where most newly engaged couples seem to find themselves at; however, planning the perfect wedding of your dreams does not have to be a daunting and overwhelming task. One of the things that can dramatically improve the planning process is settling on a specific theme for the wedding.

Themed weddings not only provide a fun and memorable atmosphere for your guests but they can also make the planning and preparation much easier since selecting the theme will automatically answer a few questions for you. For example, if Valentine's Day is your theme, then the date of your wedding is pretty much going to default to February 14th. So deciding to have a theme wedding provides a template of sorts for your planning which can reduce preparation time and make things run a lot smoother. It may also make decision making easier since you will not have a million choices of things to choose from but will, instead, be looking for coordinating items for your theme.

While theme weddings do provide a template for your wedding planning, they are still very personal and unique so it is important to choose carefully. This will be the biggest decision that you make regarding your wedding plans so you want to choose a theme that will represent you and your betrothed as individuals and as a couple. Here are a few quick questions to help you in choosing your theme:

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  Where did you first meet or where did you go on your first date? If you met at a Japanese garden or Renaissance Faire, for example, then that location could play a role in the theme of your wedding.


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  Have a historical obsession? Do you and your future spouse share a common love for a particular period in history which could serve as a unique theme 


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  What about holidays? Perhaps your first date was on New Year's Eve or you popped the question on Thanksgiving. Holiday weddings are easy to plan and can make for a warm and elegant affair. Holiday weddings are also easy to plan if you have a lot of friends or relatives from out of town. Since they may be traveling for the holidays anyway, it is often easier to plan a wedding around a time when you know they will be in town and it allows them kill two birds with one stone, especially if they are on a tight budget.


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  What are your hobbies and interests? Into vampires? Then have a dark gothic wedding with a grand vampire ball to follow. Shakespeare buffs? How about an English rose garden with readings from A Midsummer Night's Dream for a theme? 


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  What are your favorite destinations? Destination weddings can be a great and exciting adventure for everyone involved; however, if you can not take your entire guest list to your fantasy location you can bring the location to the guests by having a Parisian theme to the wedding or a luau for the reception. There are tons of great ways to work in a location into your wedding. 


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  Do you both share a similar cultural background? Creating weddings that are deep in cultural and spiritual significance such as a Jewish or Celtic wedding can be quite meaningful and blending the two for a unique ceremony can be a very symbolic way of creating a wedding all of your own. 


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  What is your favorite season? Seasonal themed weddings are simple to plan and can be quite beautiful.


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  What is your song? Sometimes the song can help set the tone and theme ideas for your weddings since certain songs have a unique feel all of their own. For example, “Unforgettable” sung by Nat King Cole can have a very romantic, classy feel to it that would be perfect for a black and white, old Hollywood classic affair whereas something more whimsical could give way to a fairy tale princess style wedding.

Whatever theme you choose, having a themed wedding will make planning a great deal of fun and give you and your guests a unique experience that you will never forget. If you are not sure of what sort of theme you would like to use for your wedding, then check out this great list for some ideas: http://www.askginka.com/themes/themes-wedding-party.htm and be sure to keep an eye out for coming articles in this series to help you plan the perfect theme wedding.