At first, the notion of branding a wedding sounds somewhat cold for such an emotional and personal event.  Branding, in a traditional sense, is typically associated with companies who use logos, colors and imagery to identify themselves to consumers and set their organization apart from competitors.  However, many couples employ some sort of branding techniques into their wedding whether they planned to or not.

Leading up to our wedding last year and even after the event, my wife and I received a lot of questions on the process we used to choose colors, produce invites and create the atmosphere we envisioned.  With our one year anniversary approaching (July 25th to be exact), I thought this would be a good time to share some of our techniques and analyze the process of branding as it relates to a wedding.

Applying the concept of branding to wedding

A brand image is the attributes one associates with a brand.  Almost as important, this imagery is how the brand owner (the couple) wants the consumer (guests) to perceive the brand.  The perception of your event is influenced by every piece of communication and every detail associated with the wedding.  The way your brand is crafted is not only an insight into the personalities of the bride and groom, but will also give subtle clues as to the tone of the big day.  For example, is the dress formal or casual?  Will the atmosphere be traditional or more laid back?  Most of these elements arise naturally due to the tastes and wishes of the couple.  However, it is important to recognize your ability to influence perception by being aware of the message you are sending.

When my wife and I first began the planning process, we didn’t set out to distinguish our event by plastering a logo over everything we did.  Rather, we wanted to create a feel that was both different from what we had seen and representative of our personalities.

The colors

For many couples, the color palette is one of the first decisions to be made.   This is sometimes due to necessity since attire typically takes several months to coordinate.  But this is also one of the first preferences to be chosen because color is a defining characteristic when it comes to setting the mood of a brand.  Most people have universal beliefs about the emotions associated with certain colors – reds are passionate, blues are calming and yellows are cheery.  Color palettes are typically selected due to the season of the event (pastels in the spring) or simply personal preference.  Because colors from the chosen attire are typically carried through to the invitations, flowers and decorations, it is important to understand the perception that color choices carry.  For example, if you planning a more formal wedding, dark bold colors are a better choice than bright colors.

Our colors were chosen due to the time of year (mid summer) and because we wanted to convey a more casual atmosphere.  We chose a palette consisting of dark blues, a garden green and shades of cream and light tan.