Whether you’re wedding itself will be an adventure or you’re looking for ways to incorporate adventure into a celebration even grandma can enjoy, we’re here to help! Hopefully these adventure wedding theme ideas will leave you feeling more inspired to create something than that same old “you’re my greatest adventure” sign.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that quote and many of the cheesy cliches that are out there and over done. But that’s not why you’re here. You’re here to get inspired and find ways to come up with new ideas that will fit your unique style and vision. You’re here to make your wedding day your own and one to remember!

The cool thing about an adventure wedding theme is that the more adventure you plan into your wedding, the less you need to do to create a theme around it. As adventure weddings are gaining popularity, couples are making their weddings a literal adventure. Instead of trying to turn the neighborhood hall into a wonderland, couples are taking their guests along for an actual adventure.

I imagine the same goes for most wedding themes these days. Gone are the days of “fairy-tale themed weddings,” why not get married in an actual castle? There are challenges with these more elaborate or epic wedding ideas. While your theme might become a reality thus simplifying some things, other details get more complicated. How is grandma with heights? What if Uncle Ned doesn’t fly?

We’ll address all of that and more in the adventure wedding theme ideas below!

adventure wedding theme ideas

(and how to come up with new ones)

have an adventure and then share it

Some of our couples set out on an adventure to exchange vows somewhere remote. This highly intimate (yet well documented) day is then shared with guests at a larger and perhaps more traditional reception though prints, albums, and/or a slideshow. It’s a win-win, it’s a compromise, it’s pretty amazing to witness!

I’ve been loving this choice to incorporate the best of both worlds allowing couples to have the ease of elopement while still finding a way to share their joy with their community. Go to Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia, Zion, or any of our amazing National Parks to explore and adventure together and then bring that home to share with your guests.

It’s like a pre-honeymoon. And yes, you can do both!

make the day an adventure

This might be an obvious one but it’s worth mentioning because simple things are often overlooked. How can you make your wedding day an adventure? Can you rent out a summer camp and have everyone on site in cabins or yurts? How about a jeep ride or kayak paddle to the ceremony site?

If that sounds like too much for most of your guests, do it with a few close friends. Wedding days are turning into wedding weekends anyway, why not incorporate some of what you love into the rigorous timeline and let go of those timeline tasks that don’t excite you.

visualize the adventure and then select the details

It can get overwhelming to try to create an environment or experience. However, that’s essentially what we’re doing when we’re planning a wedding or other event. I find it helpful to visualize. Humor me here.

Close your eyes and visualize a specific adventure. Something that sticks in your mind that contributes to your desire to have an adventure themed wedding. I’m pretty sure this is how everyone started having a s’mores bar at their wedding. They love the joy of sitting around a campfire with friends and that’s the environment they wanted to create for their wedding.

So visualize that campfire, what else do you see? I see a good college friend playing guitar and people joining in singing. There’s the bottle of whiskey being passed around and added to hot cocoa. There’s people randomly showing up in costume. Is there any of that we can incorporate into the wedding bonfire and go beyond just a s’mores bar?

create an experience

We believe adventure weddings are about the experience. You can’t create an experience just by having a pretty cake. However, you can create an experience by how you serve that cake. You can’t create an adventure by having a sign about getting outside your comfort zone. However, you can absolutely encourage and provide ways for people to get outside their comfort zones at your wedding.

Creating an experience is what most designers are trying to do with a theme. They’re delighting your senses. Your taste, touch, and smell are influencing your experience. What you see it combining with that. The sometimes missing element that I feel is important when it comes to an adventure wedding theme is emotion.

find the key ingredients

Adventures have a way of sticking with you because of the fear, delight, or other intense emotions that you felt. I believe that’s why adventure weddings are getting more popular. Not only are couples that love rock-climbing wanting to make that passion a part of their marriage. They also want to grasp the elements of rock climbing that make it special and epic and utilize them to make their wedding day special and epic.

I might ask you to visualize again. What is it about climbing or rafting or diving or your adventure of choice that you love that has you on the edge of your seat? There’s some key ingredient to the things that we’re passionate about. To create ideas for your wedding theme, simply tap into that key ingredient.

Adventuring puts me in the zone. Everything else disappears. I feel small and perfectly present in the moment. Ok, how do you make that happen at your wedding? Have an unplugged wedding for a start, take everyones cell phones away? Have powerful music or speeches that leave people speechless.

These are just some of my ideas! Time for you to come up with new ones. Ready? Go!

adventure wedding theme ideas in summary

have an adventure and then share it
make the day an adventure
visualize the adventure and then select the details
create an experience
find the key ingredients

Stay tuned for more tips for adventurous and outdoorsy brides! You can view more of our current and most popular wedding planning advice. If there’s a question we can answer, reach out. Most of our content is built from questions from our readers such as these tips for planning a remote wedding in a wilderness location.

FREE comprehensive e-guide: Prioritize your planning so your wedding is a memorable adventure.

Popular adventure wedding related blog posts you might enjoy:

We are Marc and Brenda Bergreen, a husband and wife photography team specializing in Colorado mountain wedding photography, videography, and other adventures. Capturing people in nature and the mountain lifestyle is a passion that became a dream that became a life.

Based in Evergreen, CO we travel throughout the state as Colorado adventure wedding photographers. We also frequently travel to California and other wedding destinations to document love and adventure in a variety of memorable settings. Don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know how we can help! Be sure to follow us (weddings instagram & adventures instagram) and/or like us (facebook) to stay tuned.

In the meantime, remember to…