Okay. You've got the ring, you've got time to plan, and you've got...no clue where to start. Your mother-in-law is telling you to have a Hollywood themed wedding, and your best friend is telling you to theme it for the beach. All that is well and good, but neither of those ideas is of interest to you. You want a theme that matches your personality, not theirs.

Where do you begin? Well, you could spend a lot of your budget on hiring a wedding planner, who'll spend all your money for you. Or, you can hit the books and have a look at what's out there! If you want something more original, and not mainstream, try eliminating what is mainstream. Ask the married women you know what their wedding themes were. Not only can you find out what someone else has done, but you can use it as a way to brainstorm for your wedding. If you really like Shelly's theme of Water, but also like Anne's theme of gardens, try combining them! What do you get if you mix Water and Gardening? Tropics, Ponds, Gardens, Ocean, Parks! They are both unique and easy.

If that idea doesn't appeal to you, just look around you. What kind of decor does your home have? Is it more traditional, or is it more modern? Do you decorate with tiles, or paint? What colors do you like? If your home is more modern, think about what reminds you of "modern". To me, when I think of modern, I think about what's in style - Retro! If your home is more traditional, do the same. What reminds me of traditional is the old life. Farms, small towns, rural living, old sporting - Rodeo!

If you're still reading this, then you probably still need ideas. If your friends didn't help, and if looking around you didn't help, maybe mainstream is a good idea. There's plenty in that idea bank! You can always add your own spin to it. What are mainstream favourites? Seasons. Things like a Spring theme, or a Fall theme. My sister's wedding was an Ocean themed wedding; and since then, it's become quite a popular choice. I've also heard of many Sunset themed weddings. How do you put your own spin on these popular favourites? Instead of having a spring theme, why not pick a certain flower that you love? Or, instead of Ocean theme, pick a certain beach you like, and hold the wedding there!

Still no ideas? Well, if all else fails, there's always wedding magazines. Wedding magazines always have fresh, new, and unique ideas. They're all over the big book stores, and sometimes you can find them in second-hand stores. Who wants to pay full price for a magazine when you can get another one for 1/2 the price? Keep those in mind when you're doing decor shopping for your wedding as well. Second hand stores can have just what you're looking for, and are usually a lot less then the brand new stuff.

If you're fresh out of ideas still, try thinking of colors, and what they remind you of. Red reminds me of cinnamon, of spices, and things like that. Herbs! Orange reminds me of fire. Campfires, bonfires, hula dancing. Hawaii! Green reminds me of mint. Mint is in breath mints, in sweets, and cooking - candy! Think of any color you like, and think of what it reminds you of. You can try this with smells, too! Bread reminds me of bakeries, flowers remind me of gardens. Sooner or later you're bound to stumble across something you like.

If you want to be more outlandish than all that, why not have a theme based on another country's traditions? Have a Chinese themed wedding, or a Dutch wedding. Maybe Italian or African. Many of earth's cultures have unique styles of wedding, and would be fun to plan out. If you cant pick one country or culture, you could always pick your favourite bits from many cultures, and have a mosaic wedding.

If that isn't enough for you, there are always modern subcultures. There are Goths, hip-hops, rap lovers, sport heads, TV heads, gamers, school kids, and many more. You could have a Gothic wedding or a wedding themed with your favourite video game, or your favourite genre of music. Its a broad world out there, fit with many subcultures just waiting to be picked!

How about copying the set or scene of your favourite TV show or movie? Lord of the Rings has the Shire, Soaps have the almost too-perfect city scene, and 24 has the big city panic. Any of your favourite things to watch have a certain scene, feeling, or set. If you like it, copy it! You'll be flowing with ideas!

Maybe this is all a little too much for you, and you'd like something a little more basic. Well, how more basic can you get than industrials? Iron, steel, glass, stone, gold, diamond. Those things are easy to find and easy to base a theme around. It gives a strong look, and can be fun to plan with. There's brushed metal, stained glass, candles, wood, brass, and tons of other things in this category. Go wild!

If even that is too much for you, then there are every day common items that could prove to be a lot of fun. A rainbow, clouds, leaves, chairs, numbers, phones...There's a whole list of basic, everyday things that could very well be your theme. Just because you see them every day doesn't mean you can't make them a unique and successful theme idea!

Well I hope I've helped you pick out your theme, and I wish you a happy, successful wedding and marriage! Remember, planning can be fun, but planning with a few extra hands willing to help you makes it a lot more fun, and a lot faster!