Deciding on a wedding aesthetic can be one of the most challenging parts of planning your wedding day. You want to get it right, but so many potential variables can influence the vibe of your nuptials. The venue, the season you're getting married in, and even how many people will attend—these all play a key role in determining what kind of theme or aesthetic might work best for your big day.

Work with a wedding designer

If you're unsure what style to go for and need help curating a custom look for your big day, hiring a pro is the way to go. A professional can help give direction by sharing ideas and offering suggestions that will make the most of your investment without sacrificing quality or style.

If you're worried about the investment, an alternative to hiring a full-time wedding planner is to hire a designer for the design process.

Decide what matters most to you

When it comes to your wedding aesthetic, there's no right or wrong way. Your style should reflect who you are as a couple and be something that feels authentic to the two of you. To help narrow down the options and make decisions easier, consider these questions:

What matters most to me?
What do I want my guests to remember about this day?
How do I want to feel at the end of it all?

Consider your venue and the season you're getting married in

When you're trying to determine your wedding aesthetic, it's important to consider the season and venue you'll be getting married in.

If it's fall and your wedding is outdoors, you may want to consider a muted palette to allow the fall colours to ground your design. If it's winter and there's snow on the ground, try something in shades of white or grey with pops of colour! Summer months can be muted, or colour can be added to create a garden feel.

If you're getting married in a location with lots of natural beauty, consider incorporating those colours into your palette to avoid competing with the current aesthetic. With a more neutral venue palette, you can include colour and accents to enhance the space.

Consider how many people will attend your wedding

If you're having a large wedding, it's important to consider the amount of investment and space needed for decor. You'll need more tables, chairs, linens, and place settings if there are more guests. If you have an intimate wedding, you can allocate more of your investment to higher-end items or additional decor for the smaller guest count.

Develop a style board with inspiration photos of decor, florals, and stationery that speak to you

If you're unfamiliar with the term "style board," it's a collection of images representing your wedding aesthetic. It can be a physical board or a digital one, but it should contain photos of decor, florals and stationery that speak to you.

A style board will help communicate your vision and style preferences for your wedding designer to build your dream wedding aesthetic.

Think about your guest experience

Now that you know your wedding aesthetic, it's time to consider how it will affect your guests. This is especially important if you have a destination wedding or invite out-of-towners. Think about how you want them to feel when they arrive at your venue and as they interact with each other throughout the day. The overall tone of the wedding should be reflected in everything from the invitation suite down to things like table decor and centrepieces--and don't forget about music!

If any activities are planned for guests during cocktail hour or dinner service, make sure these are also considered when determining what kind of vibe your day will have. These could include anything from an open bar where people can mingle freely around tables around an open space or even stations set up so everyone can enjoy food while standing up rather than sitting at their assigned table number.

The most important thing to remember is that your wedding should reflect who you are. When it comes down to it, the design process can feel overwhelming and stressful but remember having a designer on your team can bring your dream wedding style to life while enjoying the planning process.