Plan a Whimsical Wedding With These Magical Decor & Invite Ideas

Have you been dreaming of a magical wedding day your whole life? Planning a whimsical wedding is one way to bring your dreams to life. After all, a whimsical wedding is a beautiful way to celebrate your dreamy love story with friends and family. Whether you’re planning an elopement or an elaborate wedding with hundreds of special friends, a whimsical wedding is sure to make it a memorable day. 

Here, we’ve gathered some of our favorite whimsical wedding ideas from themes and decor to venues and invitations. You’ll find tips and tricks to plan a magical day to celebrate love and unity.

Whimsical Wedding Venues, Themes, and Decor

The perfect whimsical wedding can mean different things to different people. Perhaps it’s a day where you tie the knot in a magical treehouse set deep in the woods. Maybe it’s a glamorous affair with glittering chandeliers, crystal goblets, and a beaded princess dress. For others, it might be a boho-chic event with suncatchers, a rustic venue, and braided rope details. Your whimsical wedding can be whatever you dream it to be.

Need some ideas to bring your whimsical wedding to life? Here, we’ve put together a list of whimsical wedding ideas including wedding decor, themes, and venues. You’ll also find stunning whimsical wedding invitations to match so you can set the tone for the magical affair right from the beginning.

Enchanted Garden Wedding

If you love being in nature, think about hosting a whimsical garden wedding. In this enchanted garden theme, the focus will be on floral arrangements and greenery. Depending on your budget, you can go for exotic arrangements with flowers like orchids and birds of paradise or more rustic options including baby’s breath, rust-colored roses, and seeded eucalyptus.

For an enchanted garden wedding, the flowers and greenery shouldn’t just be limited to centerpieces. Use greenery to adorn the aisle, wedding guest name tags, or on seating arrangement boards. You’ll also want to look for outdoor wedding venues for this theme. Look for manors with landscaped gardens, a local park with stunning trees, or host the event in a national park or nature retreat. Your wedding dress can also stray from the classic white — think emerald greens, ruby reds, and golds for extra whimsy.

Aside from greenery and florals, lighting can make a garden party wedding truly magical. You can use lanterns with string lights inside to light the aisle or opt for string lights dangling from tree limbs. You can also weave fairy lights into the wedding arch for a glimmering touch.

Boho Chic Wedding

A boho chic wedding is a beautiful way to infuse whimsy into your special day. For this type of wedding, many brides choose a simple yet detailed wedding dress. Popular styles include loose-fitting A-line gowns, lace dresses, and airy designs with delicate flutter sleeves. 

To set the scene, try to incorporate natural elements into the wedding design. Things like crocheted table runners, driftwood, and floral centerpieces are a great way to set the mood for a boho wedding. You can also add a touch of whimsy by setting out tea candles with rope accents. The candlelight lends a soft, romantic glow to the evening that’s sure to fill guests with love and joy. 

Boho weddings are also a great way to show off your quirky personality. Serve cocktails in funky bottles. Look for uniquely shaped bottles at your local thrift store or opt for fancy colored glass for a more upscale look.

You can also work with a florist to put the finishing touches on a boho-chic wedding. One idea is to use cactus wedding place cards for each guest. You can incorporate cactuses and other boho plants like pampas grass into the florals for the bridesmaids and groomsmen. For the wedding cake, you can incorporate herbs, fruits, and fresh flowers into the design to match the theme.

Glamorous Crystal Wedding

There’s something whimsical about glittering jewels that catch and throw the soft evening light. If you love glitz and glamour, think about hosting a wedding that’s all about the sparkle. For this whimsical wedding theme, you can dangle crystals from chandeliers and incorporate metallics into your centerpieces. Use geometric shapes for a modern look or stick to soft, curved silhouettes for a more romantic feel.

The color palette for a glamorous wedding is generally muted. Think white, nudes, creams, and metallics. Use white roses in your centerpieces and on the wedding arch to let glittering gems and sparkle accents stand out. When incorporating something old, you can set up a stand featuring antique picture frames in gold and silver. Inside the frames, you can display wedding photos or special snaps of the bride and groom’s family for a touch of whimsy.

Whimsical Woodsy Wedding

Transport your guests to a magical retreat with a whimsical woodsy wedding. Outdoor wedding venues are a great way to set the mood for this wedding theme. Some national parks feature natural wedding venues or you can look into retreats in places like Big Sur and upstate New York. The main thing here is to find a spot with trees — woods with live oaks, cedars, and redwoods are all great choices.

When decorating the space, you can DIY your wedding styling or work with a professional to create the look you’re dreaming about. Pastel color palettes are great for spring weddings in the woods while earth tones are ideal for fall weddings. Your floral design can include local plants and wildflowers native to the woods where you’re getting married or classic woodsy favorites like moss, peonies, and dahlias. 

To make your woodsy wedding even more memorable, put some time into the wedding arch. One idea is to drape sheer fabric over live oak or other tree branches to create an altar that frames in the wedding ceremony. You can add twinkling fairy lights to create a whimsical mood.

Colorful Wedding

Whimsy doesn’t have to mean neutrals and understated touches. In fact, whimsical weddings can be packed with color and overflowing with love and enthusiasm. If that’s your wedding style, go for a colorful wedding theme. To avoid overwhelming the room, choose two to three colors in the same color family for this event. You can go for turquoise and yellow for a cheery look or opt for red and orange for something a tad more sultry.

Incorporate the color palette into the table spreads as well as the bridal florals and other decor. It’s also a good idea to choose a neutral hue like grey, white, or black to set off the colorful elements. You can use the neutral color for anchor items — like furniture and tablecloths — and the colorful hues for accent pieces like centerpieces, chair decorations, and altar decor.

Whimsical Wedding Invitations: Fairy Tale Stationery 

Greenvelope offers hundreds of wedding invitation suites including save the date cards, RSVP cards, wedding invitations, and thank you notes. Our invites are all digital, meaning you have one less thing to worry about. You don’t need to hassle with postage or go to the post office. Instead, you can customize wedding invitation templates all from the comfort of your own home. Best of all, you can personalize each wedding invitation and even upload your own design to make your wedding day as special as your love story.

Here, you’ll find some of our favorite whimsical wedding invitations. They’re perfect for colorful affairs and glamorous nights where magic and love take center stage.

1. Mt. Rainier Invitation

Design: National Park Foundation

This rustic wedding stationery is perfect for whimsical woodsy weddings. It features an elegant depiction of a forest accented by gold, rose gold, or white foil text. The envelope liner also features glitter, making it sophisticated and just like a traditional paper invite. You can personalize the design by changing the calligraphy and font and there’s plenty of space to include important wedding details such as your wedding website.

2. Llama Love Invitation

Design: Sogi’s Honey Bakeshop

This colorful invitation is perfect for couples that are looking to add a pop of color to the day. Inspired by festive Peruvian motifs, the design is ideal for destination weddings as well as local weddings and bridal showers. 

3. Blooming Botanical Garden Invitation

Design: Claudia Owen

This botanical invite features a monogram and modern text box framed in by blooming florals. It’s romantic and colorful with a hint of vintage flair. It’s ideal for enchanted garden weddings as well as colorful weddings.

4. Royal Scallop invitation

Design: Annie Montgomery Design

Invite guests to a glamorous wedding filled with whimsy and magic with this metallic invitation. The foil pattern is hand-drawn and adds a sophisticated air to any event. Personalize the invite by changing the gold to silver or rose gold and choose a modern or scrawling font to suit your personality. 

5. Boho Hoops Invitation

Design: Lissa Anglin

This watercolor invitation features gently curving lines and soft greenery that’s perfect for a boho event. Use it for a rustic wedding set in an old barn or for a garden wedding where guests will be transported to an enchanted garden. It also works well as a baby shower and bridal party invitation.

Plan Your Whimsical Event

If you’re looking to host a whimsical wedding, you can do all the planning yourself or work with a wedding planner to build the day of your dreams. With these whimsical wedding ideas, you’ll have a solid foundation to start designing your magical wedding reception. Check out our blog for more wedding inspiration so you can plan your big day with ease. You’ll find everything from tips on invitation etiquette to wedding planning advice and fun wedding activity ideas.