You should start by deciding on the type of mood you both want to create. Are you looking at having a formal evening wedding or will this be a more casual, daytime wedding? Are you both very fun loving people who might choose to have a "Mickey and Minnie Mouse" wedding theme or would you both prefer a romantic theme?

To begin pulling your ideas together, you should both sit down and work together to create a list of everything that you both enjoy, from hobbies to sports to animals. Anything and everything that is important to both of you. Then you can start eliminating items from your list until you have two or three theme ideas that sound reasonable and simple enough to put together, without breaking your budget or your sanity.

Next, you'll need to come up with a color scheme to match your theme. Some themes lend themselves easily to color matching, such as an Irish wedding or a Valentine's Day wedding (red, white, pink). With some other themes, you really don't need to worry too much about colors, as the items for the theme will create your setting anyway, such as a nautical wedding theme or a Hawaain theme, for example.

Always keep your budget in mind when planning out your decorations. Be aware of the size of the rooms you will have to decorate, for both the ceremony and the reception. Don't forget to include any flower arrangements that will be used for decorating. How many tables will there be that require centerpieces? (Guest tables, head table, buffet or any serving tables, guestbook table, etc.) If your wedding is being held in a place of worship, how many pews will need pew markers? What type of decorating can be done at the altar?

To help you with planning and placement of decorations, take pictures of all locations from different angles. This way you'll be able to sit down and really look at what needs to be done and what decorations will be required, instead of trying to rely on memory.

Keep your decorating simple, yet elegant. Simple touches make a lasting visual statement. Using too many decorations or ones that are large and overwhelming will detract from the main purpose of this special day - the marriage of two wonderful people. Be sure to also consider preparation time. If you're making your wedding decorations by hand, how long will each piece take to make? How easy will they be to transport to the location? And how difficult or long will set up take?

By keeping the above points in mind, you'll be sure to avoid costly mistakes and it will help keep the workload to a minimum. After all, a wedding should be fun, creative and joyful, not a chore that "has to be done". So be playful, use your imagination and enjoy picking and choosing those special wedding decorations that tell the world - "That's us"!

============================================= Rose Smith is the owner of Wedding Themes and More, a website designed to help you discover your perfect wedding theme. Find more great ideas, resources and articles on wedding planning and wedding themes at: http://www.wedthemes.com/wedding-planning.shtml =============================================

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