Once you’ve chosen the type of ceremony (religious or civil), set the date, and selected the venue, you will need to start thinking about what your wedding will look like. Will it be a theme wedding? Or one with a particular style? Planning a wedding means, above all, customizing it so that it reflects the personalities of the bride and groom. It’s important to make choices that reflect your personal preferences and taste, and not let fashion trends lead the way. It’s hard to make consistent choices regarding set-up, wedding dress, cake, and tableau de mariage (the decorated seating plan), if one hasn’t first chosen a style. Inspiration for the choice of a theme comes from the bride’s and groom’s interests, such as movies, travel, music, wine, etc. The style of the wedding, on the other hand, is all about design, colors, shapes, and materials. Identifying with a specific style is all about coordinating and harmonizing the visual elements. The venue itself often provides the right inspiration for the style of a wedding: for example, organizing an outdoor reception in a farm-holiday resort means infusing the event with country chic, shabby chic, or boho chic. If the wedding takes place on the beach, one can focus on the seaside theme, with a natural chic style that favors all-natural features. Nature lovers may go for the eco-chic style by choosing a “green” wedding, which has well-defined criteria: natural colors such as green, a menu featuring locally-sourced organic products, environment-friendly and/or recyclable materials for décor and set-up, and, above all, no plastic. Choosing a style and a theme (yet the latter is less important and not indispensable) for one’s wedding is essential to create a common thread that runs through every detail connecting the place where the wedding ceremony takes place with the reception venue, and naturally the party.