If you’re a travel-lover looking to plan your fantasy wedding, an exotic destination might not fit into the budget. Or maybe you want a wedding where family and friends can celebrate by your side. Either way, there are plenty of great ways to take your wanderlust-inspired wedding to the next level.

1. Choose the Right Venue

Whether nearby or across the globe, it’s important to find a wedding venue that fits your needs. Maybe a spot near the beach or a mountain-top lodge with spectacular views. The venue doesn’t have to be travel-related. It just needs to provide the perfect backdrop for your theme.

photo by Bajan Wed Member Asia Pimental

2. Pick Out the Decor

A travel theme can be broad, meaning you have to get creative with your decor. Try to limit your ideas to a few cohesive designs that will work with your venue. For travel-lovers, consider using decorative globes as table centerpieces. Or use vintage luggage to create an elegant ambiance. Hang signs and banners with travel-related phrases, such as “Wish you were here,” and, “Come away with me.”

3. Coordinate Your Colors

With endless color combination options, take time to think through your wedding day colors. When you think of traveling, what colors come to mind? Perhaps natural tones like blue, white, green and yellow. Don’t go overboard when picking out a color scheme. One helpful trick to follow is the 1 + 2 Rule, where you choose one dominant color and one to two accents.

4. Look at the Invites

Once you narrow your theme by deciding on decor, it’s time to find the perfect invitations. For example, if your theme is flying around the world, consider an invite that looks like a plane ticket. Or find a design similar to a passport to invoke a cruise vacation feel. You can even go for more subtle designs, such as clouds, palm fronds or fruity drinks.

5. Think About Guests

You want your guests to have an experience they’ll remember. Give them something to talk about, like a seating chart in the form of a departure list. The “gates” and “destinations” match up with your tables, allowing guests to find their seats with a touch of travel fun. You can give each table its own unique spin based on the country or culture.

photo by Bajan Wed Member Asia Pimental

6. Consider New Traditions

While traditions can be good, it’s just as acceptable to break them and try something new. Instead of the typical guestbook filled with signatures, give guests blank postcards they can fill with their thoughts, well wishes and marital advice. Have an open steamer trunk sitting on a table where guests can leave the cards once finished. Later, the couple can take turns reading what their friends and family have to say.

7. Incorporate the Cake

Besides the happy couple, another vital part of any wedding revolves around the cake. The right cake decorator will provide you with options to fit your travel-inspired theme. Perhaps you want a cake that looks like a suitcase, or maybe you want a globe featuring all the countries you visited as a couple? With so many options, you can make your cake a unique part of your theme.

8. Spice Up Your Attire

A travel theme extends beyond the invitations and decor. Think about how you want your attire to fit into the wedding theme. Maybe liven the traditional white dress with something from your favorite trip, like a unique piece of jewelry. Or find a colorful boutonniere that shows off the native flowers from another country.

photo by Bajan Wed Member Asia Pimental

The Best Wedding Themes for Travelers

Maybe you can’t afford that blow-out destination wedding. But you can still have a blast and pretend you’re across the globe with a wanderlust-inspired celebration. Between invites that look like tickets and a cake resembling a globe, you’ll quickly forget you’re not abroad as you celebrate with everyone you love.

Kacey Bradley is the blogger behind The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. Along with writing for her blog, she has written for sites like U.S. News, SUCCESS, Ruffled, and more!

Follow Kacey on Twitter and subscribe to her blog to keep up with her travels and inspiring posts!

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