Unique Wedding Themes for 2023

We’re sharing with you the most trendy and unique wedding themes that you’ll need to consider if you’re getting married in 2023. Buckle up, and get ready for all the inspiration.

If you’re interested in season wedding themes, check our part 1 of this article HERE.

Best Vintage Wedding Themes

What is a vintage wedding?

Vintage weddings use design elements, decorations, and attire that take you back to an era or period in history. If you own a wide range of vintage clothing, accessories, and decor, you may be inspired to create a cohesive vintage look and feel for your event that transports you and your guests to a different era in history.

Sticking closely to one particular vintage wedding style can help you create an unforgettable wedding experience. A themed wedding can be especially fun if the two of you share a common interest or passion; choosing a wedding style that relates to something important to both of you can elevate your wedding from ordinary to extraordinary!

Old World Grecian Wedding Theme

Ancient Greece is a beautiful, romantic, and timeless setting for weddings. We can provide you with all the elements you need to authentically recreate this theme at home.

To look every bit the part of a Greek goddess, consider including either green olive leaves or golden crowns into your wedding day hairstyle, as these are very popular in Greek culture. 

As for decor, go either with an olive theme and include these as a design element in everything from your decorations to your center pieces or pull together a cohesive blue and white color palette that’s reminiscent of the Greek islands. Sparingly, you can also incorporate Greek sculptures and stone pillars, which will make a very nice backdrop for photos. 

Roaring 20s Wedding Theme

What should a wedding inspired from the 1920s should look like? Choose an elegant art deco setting, special outfits and a truly bohemian atmosphere. Fine music, champagne and a live band playing jazz or swing-style music will add to the 20s vibe. Remember, everything has to be luxurious, so the guests can enjoy an authentic vintage celebration.

Aside from decorating with feathers, florals and metallics, brides should look for elegant and feminine dresses that scream “vintage” – include details such as sequins, feathers, lace, pearls and beads; add gloves and a headband worn across the forehead for a truly authentic look. Grooms can add to the overall look by wearing a black suit with either a fedora or a bowler hat.

Retro 50s Wedding Theme

The 50s was an era where life had a relaxed pace. A time when men wore suits to work and women dressed for dinner every night. And yet, despite its simplicity, it remains one of the most romantic styles there is – from the dresses to the tuxes and everything in between! You can recreate that atmosphere at your wedding by choosing vintage-inspired decor, keeping things simple and classic, and using bright colors, flowers and accessories.

Replicate the 1950s style of wedding dress by choosing a tea-length gown with a fitted bodice, nipped waist and full circle skirt with crinoline underneath. And the shorter length allows you to show off a gorgeous pair of statement heels! Add a bird cage veil to finish off your 50s bridal look. Have your bridesmaids find a similar style dress in bold colors or a pastel palette; you can also customize the look by adding a contrasting crinoline underneath. 

A 50s wedding theme would not be complete without a live band – hire one that can specialize in the rock and roll hits from the 50s. 

Groovy 70s Wedding Theme

Looking back at the 1970s, nothing screamed “the 70s” louder than a disco ball filled club with people dancing to the latest hits from the era. To set the mood for an upcoming party, add some vintage music equipment (like old records) in order to create a nostalgic environment.

To pull off a themed wedding, set yourself up with some fun decor and props. For example, if you’re going for a 70s theme, you might want to set up a vintage van outfitted with retro items like lamps and posters.

With accessories, this is the time to pull off a fun colorful flower crown for your wedding hair accessory. Add velvet where you can too, from your wedding outfit to that of your bridal party and certainly into your decor within your reception space.

Movie-Inspired Wedding Theme Ideas

From details in your dress to your wedding cake to how you’ll decorate your reception space, movies can offer plenty of inspiration for any type of wedding theme. Here are some popular movie-inspired wedding themes – pick one as a source of inspiration for your big day!

Disney Princess Wedding Theme

There’s no denying that Disney movies are full of romance, beautiful visuals, and heartwarming moments. Each one of us has our own personal favorites from these films and we’ve grown up with these memories close to our hearts. 

Whether it’s the current heroines like Anna and Elsa from Frozen or the classic romances of the Disney princesses like Snow White, Cinderella and Ariel – the Disney movies has inspiration for everyone! So whether you’re going for a fairy tale wedding or a fancy affair, draw inspiration from your favorite characters and your wedding is going to be memorable from start to finish.

Game Of Thrones Wedding Theme

There are countless ways to incorporate Game of Thrones (GoT) into your big day, but here are some ideas to get you started. Choose a color scheme that matches your chosen House (or two) and then choose a location that fits the mood. For example, if you’re going for a rustic feel, go for a country estate. If you want something more formal, consider a castle.

The best way to incorporate the GoT color palettes into your wedding is to bring in the House colors: Targaryen red and black; Lannister red and gold; green and gold for Tyrells and grey and white for the Starks. Hang banners from each of the Houses and decorate the head table with medieval-style goblets to really add to the feel of the venue. Table centerpieces will need to have lots of candlelight to set the proper mood as there was no electricity back in the Seven Kingdoms and add lots of fresh foliage and natural materials into the wedding decor. 

Harry Potter Wedding Theme

Including some aspects of the Harry Potter series into your wedding will add extra color and fun to your event. Before the ceremony begins, sort everyone into a Hogwarts “house” and give each guest their corresponding “house scarf”. Then during the reception, have everyone line up according to their houses for pictures. It’ll make for an unforgettable wedding photo shoot!

Also, you could incorporate Harry Potter themes to into your wedding decor, invitations, guest favors and even the catering. For example, include jellybean favors, butter beer, and candy wands at your reception; recreate the end of year feast for your reception dinner and your wedding guests will surely remember your nuptials for years to come!

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

From Hollywood classics to chic, modern weddings, shades of turquoise have become increasingly popular for fashion-forward, modern weddings. So you won’t have any trouble sourcing decor in this shade of blue, inspired by the iconic movie.

The iconic Tiffany-shaped box, lends itself perfectly for guest favor boxes – just fill the boxes with whatever favors you’d like and tie them with a beautiful white bow. You could also go for a square shaped tiered cake instead of the traditional circle shape in the classic Tiffany blue color. For an extra special touch, scatter some glittery crystals on your tabletops. 

Unique Wedding Themes for 2023

While we’ve provided lots of popular ideas for wedding themes, you may also want to be inspired by less traditional ideas so that you’ll stand out from the rest. Have a look at some unique wedding themes that’ll definitely have guests talking about for years to come. 

Halloween Costume Party Wedding Theme

If you want a super unique wedding theme, consider throwing a Halloween costume party as only 1% of couples get married on Halloween day. However, Halloween will fall on a Tuesday in 2023 so there are number of things to consider if you’re choosing this date for your wedding (and future anniversary celebrations):

• If the guests you’re inviting are parents kids who are still of the trick or treating age, consider what time you’ll be holding your reception as you’ll inevitably be asking them to skip trick or treating to attend your nuptials. Unless you’re set on having October 31st as your actual wedding date, you could have your wedding the weekend before and still have a Halloween-themed wedding. 
• To get everyone into the festive mood, make it a costume party where guests either need to dress up to a specific theme or they’re free to wear whatever costume they’d like
• Go goth and wear all black outfits with red or purple accents and skip the white decor and wedding dress completely
• Carry out the Halloween theme all the way from your invitations to your wedding favors. How fun would it be to give out little jack o’ lanterns filled with Halloween treats as guest favors?

Winter Wonderland Festival Wedding Theme

The least popular months to get married are January, February and March – less than 1 out of 10 couples get married during these months, which means it could be the perfect unique wedding theme for you! Not only would planning an off-season wedding mean cost savings for you, it turns a relatively dreary time of the year into a wonderful celebration! Here are some decorating ideas to bring your Winter Wonderland Festival wedding theme to life:

• Have your ceremony and your reception at a cottage or barn – the outdoor scenescapes complete with snow laden branches will make a beautiful backdrop for your wedding photos
• Hire a company to offer either horse-drawn carriage rides or sleigh rides
• Replace typical floral arrangements with lots of holly or evergreen boughs
• Use miniature Christmas trees as the centerpieces and lots of twinkle lights
• Decorate with big bows that compliment your wedding color palette – you can do traditional Christmas colors or modern metallics
• Give out custom ornaments as your guest favors

Fast Food Feast Wedding Theme

Your first date was a movie and then the local fast food joint where you unexpectedly ordered the exact same burger and fries combo. Why not infuse some of those early memories and make it part of your wedding reception?

We’re not thinking that you need to have your ceremony at your favorite fast food joint, but what about getting them to cater your favorite menu items as a late night snack for your guests? Or, rent a limo bus and shuttle all of your guests to the actual fast food joint – how fun would it be to shut down the place and exclusively rent it out for all of your guests to enjoy a private reception?

Lights, Camera, I Do! Wedding Theme

If you’re a fan of watching films together, consider turning your wedding into an epic cinematic experience. You could go for something fun and romantic, or a more nerdy take featuring your favorite genres of film noir and sci-fi.

There are several ways to create a memorable movie-themed wedding:

• Book an authentic location and use movie props as part of your decor
• Rent out a classic theater and use the space for either your ceremony, your reception or both
• Check out the availability of your local drive-in movie theater that could be used as your venue
• Roll out the red carpet and use that as your aisle way to the altar
• Handout popcorn and candy as wedding favors for your guests

Unique Unicorn Wedding Theme

Unicorns can be used to symbolize something other than just kids’ birthdays for some couples! For example, couples who truly feel that their relationship is one-of-a kind and unique can incorporate unicorn themes into their wedding festivities.

Here are some tips for transforming your wedding from just another wedding to an unforgettable unicorn-themed affair:

• Have a custom unicorn cake created for your wedding cake
• Use unicorns in all your wedding planning, from the invitations to the decor
• Book a dreamy castle for your wedding ceremony and reception

Sports Wedding Theme

Your love for each others’ company is only equaled by how much you love your sport. Any of the games you ever enjoyed playing or watching can make a perfect choice for your upcoming wedding. You could take advantage of any sporting events being held near you during your big day. Whether it’s baseball, football, basketball, hockey, golf, tennis, volleyball, rugby, cricket, or soccer — you’ll find wedding planning ideas that incorporate these sports into your plans. For instance, if you’re having a football-themed wedding, then you might consider having a tailgate party as your reception. If you’re lucky enough to watch a game live, you can consider booking a box suite or a private reception space for and host a viewing party for all your wedding guests.  

Here are some ways to incorporate your love of sports into your wedding:

• Design wedding invitations that look like tickets to a sporting event 
• Book your wedding ceremony and / or reception at your local stadium or arena
• Instead of a guestbook, have a sports jersey signed and framed instead
• Curate a reception menu that includes your favorite game day foods
• Serve a cake that has been custom designed with your favorite team’s colors and logo

Animal Lovers Wedding Theme

Animal themed weddings allow couples to create their own fun adventures together by choosing from a wide selection of animals. For example, you might choose to name yourselves after two different types of animals-like Tiger and Bear-and then plan a safari-style celebration at a nearby zoo (or even a safari at your house!). Or maybe you’re planning a beach ceremony where you both wear matching animal print bathing suits. Whatever kind of animal-themed event you dream up, we’ve got some tips to help you get started!

There are some interesting ideas for having a totally different – but fun – animal-themed wedding:

• Book space at your local zoo, aquarium or farm
• Pretend you’re hosting a safari adventure when you’re sending out your wedding invitations
• Incorporate animal or safari prints into your wedding day outfits
• Sponsor an animal or donate to a wildlife fund on behalf of your wedding guests

Choosing a Wedding Theme That Is Individual To You

We may have given you a ton of ideas for wedding theme inspiration, but the whole point is to encourage you to choose something that speaks to you. After all, it is YOUR special day and it should reflect you and your future spouse’s interests and passions. We know that whatever theme you land on, it’ll be one that you’ll cherish for years to come.