By Lauren Allvord
Whether you’ve been dreaming of your wedding since childhood or just created your first Pinterest account, there’s always room to hone in the vision for your big day. And using a mood board, wedding planning pros attest, is the most tried and true way to make sure even the smallest details align with the rest.
Here, Rachel Welland, owner and wedding + event coordinator at Bliss Events, and Stephanie VandenBerg, co-owner and event planner at Events Inspired, divulge where to start with yours (spoiler alert: it’s the color palette!), how to draw inspiration, and when to call in the experts to execute your vision.
Without further ado, let’s set the mood.
Look around
On beginning with your color palette, Welland encourages you and your partner to embrace your current creature comforts.
“One of the best ways to choose a color scheme that you will love now and far in the future is to look around your house and your fiancé’s house, and through both of your wardrobes, to discover the colors that you are both already drawn to,” she says. “This way you can ensure that you will both like your wedding color scheme for many years to come, instead of it being color choices that are simply based on current trends.”
Then look back
Thereafter, reflect on how your styles have evolved through the years, VandenBerg says, and gut check yourself on the details that you now cringe at (everything from zig-zag hair parts to neon blazers) and the others that evoke a sweet nostalgia—that is what’s timeless to you.
“When going through photos, couples are able to recognize re-occurring elements, and get a strong sense of their style and the look and ‘feel’ they are trying to achieve,” VandenBerg underscores.
Note what you love
Beyond your personal albums, branch out your reflections by perusing magazines, social media pages, and other outlets. Then make note of what elements you like in those mediums such as certain fonts for your stationary, flowers to include in your bouquet, and dress silhouettes.
As VandenBerg explains: “Think about what draws you to an image. Is it the colors, the lighting, the mood? Add sticky tabs to pages in magazines and make notes on the tabs. These will help you when you refer back.”
And resist a little longer to put everything in one place online
Take your inspiration gathering one step further by venturing into open spaces and soaking up what’s around you versus on a screen.
“Instead of going straight to Pinterest and searching for wedding-related keywords,” says Welland, “try finding inspiration in public places such as museums, parks, malls, or a stroll through a public place.”
After this practice, consider yourself free to unleash your vision on a screen, such as via a Pinterest board, folders on Instagram, etc. You should have all of the keyworks in your head you’ll want to search, thanks to your on-the-ground research.
Finally, outsource your vision
And as much fun as it is to dream up your wedding vision, the safest bet is always to hand your ideas over to the pros for your execution. To that end, VandenBerg pared down a few pointers for how to work with your planner on bringing everything together:
- Come up with three words to describe how you want you wedding to be.
- Share the images you’ve flagged online and offline with your planner or coordinator.
- And stay open-minded to the expert’s suggestions—they’ve done this plenty of times before and are sure to have elements you’ve never thought to include.
- Know it’s OK to take breaks from the brainstorming. You always want to make final decision with fresh eyes, as to not act in the moment and then later muddy up your vendors’ execution.
