Summer wedding ideas
1. Tropical
Transport your wedding guests to a tropical paradise with an island-themed celebration. A wonderful way to feature bold, bright summer wedding colors, this theme is perfect for a destination wedding.
Use fresh fruit in your centerpieces and potted palm trees and garlands of tropical flowers as decor. Dress your bridesmaids or wedding party in colorful tones or island prints, add tropical flowers to your hair, or decorate the floor with tropical flower petals. To complete the experience, create a menu featuring tiki cocktails and Caribbean BBQ.
2. Vintage
Vintage-styled weddings always look gorgeous. If you’ve booked a timeless, customary wedding venue, this could be the ideal theme for your summer wedding.
Make your entrance and exit in a classic car. Line the aisles with traditional floral arrangements. Wear a vintage wedding dress or suit, and have your bridal party wear quirky, mismatching vintage bridesmaid dresses to complete the look. Dance the night away to a playlist of nostalgic retro hits.
3. Soft Pastels
For a soft, romantic look, we love the idea of theming your celebration around a soft pastel color palette. While you might think these wedding colors are only for a spring wedding, they’re also stunning as a wedding theme for summer.
Choose an accent color and feature it across your wedding invitations, outfits, tableware, and wedding decor. Ask your florist to create beautiful bouquets with hydrangeas and baby’s breath in pastel tones. Continue the theme with a multi-layer pastel wedding cake or cupcakes in each of your chosen colors.
4. Rustic Boho
Thanks to its DIY appeal and cozy aesthetic, the rustic boho look never goes out of style. A rustic wedding is a perfect summertime choice for a barn or backyard wedding, but it can work for any wedding venue.
Look for natural elements to include in your decor — like warm-toned woods, twine, dried flowers, and rope. Add in fresh wildflowers and plants to bring color into the space. Make your own chalkboard wedding signs, and set up a rustic pallet wall to act as a backdrop for a homemade photo booth area.
5. Beach Wedding
When you think of wedding themes for summer, a beach wedding always springs to mind. If you love being by the ocean and want to say your “I do’s” there, an outdoor ceremony on the sand could be ideal for you and your betrothed.
Keep things simple and sophisticated with flowers lining the sandy aisle before reaching a driftwood arch at the end. Have mini parasols and fans ready to hand to your guests that they can take home as wedding favors. After the wedding ceremony, celebrate on the beach with personalized cocktails or head to a venue nearby for dinner and dancing.
6. Retro Surf
Try a retro surf-inspired wedding for a fun take on the usual wedding themes for summer. Whether you hit the waves after the ceremony or not, you can still host a totally rad retro surf wedding celebration.
Invite your guests to join you on the dance floor to bust a move to some classic beach tunes. If one or both of you love to surf, have someone create a custom wedding cake topper that features you with your boards. Alongside your usual wedding sweets, have popsicles and candy you might find on the boardwalk — think salt water taffy or cotton candy — for your guests to enjoy.
7. Sunflowers
As the weather starts to change at the end of the season, you might be tempted to borrow inspiration from a cozier fall wedding theme. Embrace a warmer color palette, country-chic vibe, and plenty of joy with a sunflower-themed late-summer wedding.
Swap a traditional bridal bouquet for a handful of lovely sunflowers, and make sure there’s plenty of them around your ceremony and reception as decor. Choose warm yellows and burnt oranges as accent colors to continue the theme. Go bright and bold with your cake, or opt for an understated sunflower edible topper. As a cute wedding favor idea, send your guests home with a packet of their very own sunflower seeds.