Expert Advice: Interior Designer Jessica Packard

We are excited to introduce Jessica Packard! She is the Co-Owner/Founder of an interior design studio called, With Love Design based here in San Diego.

They specialize in residential and boutique-commercial design, photo styling and events. She works for West Elm as a Home Stylist and coordinates events for the San Diego chapter of Creative Connection USA.

In her free time she devours design magazines, books and blogs, enjoys beautiful San Diego and shares inspiration on her own blog, Oh I Design. We asked Jessica for her 5 top wedding decor tips. Check them out:

1. The smallest details can make the biggest impact.

While I was interning for the lovely Liz Beck of Liz Beck Events I was helping her with a wedding at Scripps Forum. There was a puzzle of an engagement photo of the couple which guests were able to write on the back of the puzzle pieces as the guest book. How awesome is that?! You can frame the puzzle once you are finished and always have the kind words of your loved ones on your wall.

2. Start with the color palette.

When designing your tabletop, I suggest starting with the color scheme – once you have successfully chosen a direction for color I would then work from the outside in. Begin by selecting table linens and napkins, then work your way to the table settings and finally to the centerpieces. If you find yourself overwhelmed with options, put together an inspiration board of what you want the table to look/feel like. I am a huge fan of inspiration boards – they have proven to be extremely helpful in the organization of my design process.

3. Don’t choose a color palette based on trends.

Color can and does affect your mood in different settings so if you hate hot pink with red … don’t choose them. Go with a color scheme that elicits a positive emotional response (from you both, of course) and simply says “Mr. and Mrs. (fill in the blank)”. Also, and most importantly, DO NOT STRESS. I have attended weddings themed in off-the-wall color palettes, some of which I can confidently say I would never have chosen but were executed beautifully. Your color palette of choice should be an extension of yourselves as a couple.

4. Lighting is extremely important.

It creates the mood, and when done properly, it can make the entire design look a million times better.

5. Use elements from your home for your wedding and vise versa.

I constantly find myself looking around my home to find new ways to reuse different elements. You can use mason jars as table décor for your wedding and then reuse them in your home to hold flowers, in your pantry to hold grains, or in your bathroom to keep q-tips. You can never have too many votive candles. Okay that’s a lie, maybe you can. But it is nice to keep some around the home to create a beautiful ambiance for dinner parties or a date night as newlyweds! I think my coffee table would make an amazing escort card table and some of my throw pillows would be cute for the seating arrangements around the dance floor.

There are many ways to reuse elements from your wedding in your home. Did you purchase any of the tables or chairs? If so, keep them! I use an outdoor slat white chair as my desk chair that looks like it belongs in a beautiful outdoor wedding. Fabric is another thing to think about – if you used any to hang from the ceilings or create your altar with, I would suggest making custom window panels from them. It would be a wonderful way to remember that special day! Also, I think an awesome way to truly remember your special night is to take your invitation, table numbers, bouquet, etc. from your wedding and create a shadow box or something unique to keep those items you will treasure for a lifetime.

I would also like to mention, I would be of little knowledge of the wedding industry here in San Diego if it weren’t for one of my mentors, Liz Beck, of Liz Beck Events. And thank you for having me on The Bride Suite Blog!

Find Jessica Here:
Blog: Oh I Design
Website: With Love Design
Creative Connection USA: San Diego