Watercolor Wedding

When we think of watercolors, we bring to mind pretty colors and brush strokes taken with care and love. This inspirational wedding photo shoot does just that, with a wedding cake that looks like it was removed from a painting on the wall. Why not style your upcoming nuptials with this theme?

What to Look for in a Venue for a Watercolor Wedding

A watercolor wedding theme is highly versatile. Couples can choose between indoor and outdoor wedding venues or plan a half-in and half-out style wedding to have the best of both worlds.

Some couples prefer open terraces with a beautiful indoor area to host the reception.

Many couples who want more of an outdoor party vibe can use the watercolor inspiration to beautifully mix the formality of a reception with a fun-filled dance night. The wedding venue can be the hotel's banquet hall, an indoor garden with screens and water bodies, or a beachside area with a blue, white, and peach watercolor theme.

Color Palettes for a Watercolor Wedding

Since watercolors are so versatile, there is no point in having a single theme. Instead, you could make a selection of several colors without going overboard. You could plan a watercolor theme around pastels in gorgeous shades to stick with a partly traditional look, or you could opt for a black and white polka-dotted theme in watercolors.

Since the color palettes can be diverse, you should select based on your favorite shades. Most couples have a specific vision for their weddings. Some want the cake in a particular pattern, while others want the table setting style to be unique. The color schemes should wholly depend on your final vision.

Details for a Watercolor Wedding

Watercolor themed or inspired weddings are special and unique. They have a soft feminine grace that looks mystical and romantic. To incorporate watercolor themes, you do not need to have everything look like a painting, but you can have unique elements like paper napkins with images in a watercolor pattern.

Many artists prefer using watercolors even for digital prints. If you plan a large portrait for the wedding, you could have it commissioned in watercolors to hang even after the wedding in your new home. The wedding details need not be restricted only to your portraits; you could also have a watercolor map of where you first met and add the escort cards to it.

Table Setting Style for a Watercolor Wedding

There are several gorgeous ways to plan the table setting for a watercolor themed wedding. You could make it a mix of acrylic furniture with the color coming from the colors. This is a unique table style, and not many people are currently considering it. The table and chairs can be acrylic, with just a few strokes of watercolors in your chosen shades.

Instead of a floral centerpiece running across the table, you could opt for several white potted bouquets in pastel shades like blush, beige, peach, and light orange with some greens. You could also add some red roses to make the colors pop. Square white plates with gold cutlery and peach-colored napkins should complete the watercolor-inspired theme.

Budget for a Watercolor Wedding

Most wedding budgets usually get out of hand pretty quickly. The best way to avoid overspending is to make rough guidelines about the overheads. The most significant chunk of the funds usually gets allocated to the wedding venue, rings, and caterer. Post these, you need to budget for lighting, entertainment, photography, furniture rentals, and décor.

Since the overall wedding décor is unique and specific to a theme, you will have to spend extra on artisans, painters, and other creative watercolor specialists who can bring the theme together aesthetically. Cohesive mixing of these elements may cost you extra, so it's best to consider the maximum spending limit.

Wedding Invitations for a Watercolor Wedding

Watercolor wedding invitations are gorgeous! They are feminine, romantic, and have an old-world charm that is not easily reproduced with digital prints. Many designers specialize in hand painting the invites with watercolors or acrylics and then transferring the prints into digital copies.

Before this is done, you should have a good idea about the overall invite, shades, and background. You can also add any special characters in watercolor before the print gets digitized. Once this is done, it is easy to customize the script in calligraphy and ensure it is ready for printing. If you want to go paperless, the watercolor converts look exquisite as images too.

Wedding Cake Ideas for a Watercolor Wedding

The best way to incorporate a watercolor theme into the wedding cake is to have it hand painted. Most artisan bakers have specialized staff to modify and design wedding cakes as per unique preferences. If you have an idea for a hand painted cake, this is the time to tell the gourmet bakers.

Some brilliant ideas for hand painted cakes could be something on the lines of 'The Starry Night' or 'Irises' by Van Gogh, or 'A Vase of Flowers' by Margereta Haverman. These artists are excellent for inspiration for the hand painted designs in watercolor (even though the originals are in oil on canvas). The wedding cake can also be plain white with ombre hand painted roses on green vines from the lowest to the highest tier.

Portrait Props for a Watercolor Wedding

Some beautiful portrait props can be a blank canvas wall. You can have a set of watercolors laid out for guests to use and sign instead of a wedding guest book. This is a unique method to allow everyone to participate in your wedding theme and have a special guest book that you can frame.

You can also have small glass votives hanging from thin gold wires and placed against a plain backdrop. These glass votives should be filled with dried watercolors to add to the beauty of the décor. The current rage is to have a painter paint the wedding in vivid detail in watercolors or acrylics, so it becomes a stunning memory and an excellent portrait prop!

Reception Décor for a Watercolor Wedding

Some stunning reception decorations for the wedding can be mason jars painted in watercolors for the big day. These mason jars can double up as table décor or ceremony décor by filling them with a bit of water and lighting a floating candle. Not only will the lit candle glow from within, but also the watercolors on the outside will get illuminated.

Other pretty examples of reception décor are plain glass vases in mismatched sizes, painted with watercolors and filled with flowers. These are subtle ways to hint at the wedding theme without seeming overpowering. Instead, adding watercolor reception décor will help with some stunning pictures too.

Favors and Gifts for a Watercolor Wedding

Many people still enjoy trying their hand at painting. If you want to make the wedding favors interactive, it is easy to set a small mounted canvas and some paints in front of each guest, so they paint their own wedding favors! Once the paintings are ready, guests can take them home.

However, if you want to avoid the mess with live paints, you can make a hamper with some pots of watercolors in your chosen wedding shades, some paintbrushes, and a small paint palette. These gifts are unique to your wedding, have special meaning, and speak volumes about the theme. Most guests will appreciate such a thoughtful gesture.

Watercolor Wedding

A watercolored wedding theme is remarkably beautiful! Your day will look like a true work of art. Incorporate watercolors into everything from a hand painted cake to your custom wedding invitations and thank you cards. Watercolors are by nature soft and feminine and a wedding based around them would be spectacular!

Credits: photo Credits: table, plates, drinks, thank you cards, dress, candles, invitations, mason jar, hawaii map, escort cards, bouquet