Inspiration 101: Happy Wedding Design

Inspiration is key to having Happy Holidays or planning a wedding.  We are always inspired and ready for those special occasions.

If you are visiting our website, chances are you are expecting an engagement ring over the upcoming holidays.  Alternatively, perhaps you have gotten one as an early holiday present.  Either way, we are here to help you plan your dream day style as a bride and as a couple.

It’s Time for Wedding Design Inspiration

Inspiration abounds for wedding plans at this time of year.  Our next three blogs will be a series of first steps in the inspirational planning of your wedding.  We can be by your side with  both creativity and an eye on your budget.  And we can help you transform your wedding inspirations to reality for one special day.

Holidays Plus Engagement Bliss and Wedding Inspiration

Once you have caught your breath you will realize that planning your wedding is a rather daunting undertaking.  Just breathe.  Now think about weddings you have seen and loved; what do you remember?  The details, right!

Every detail of your wedding will shine through a central style or theme.  Experts report that easily overlooked details can distract from your Big Picture, vision or theme.

• Think about such details as color of your china.
• Imagine the texture and scent of your flowers, as well as the color.
• And even the shape of the chair-backs

Take A Breath Before You Begin and Wedding Design Inspiration

You cannot plan or even think about all the elements of a wedding at first.  It can be difficult to figure out how to assemble all the pieces into one vision.

 Bronte Bwyer, a celebrated wedding stylist in Australia suggests an inspiring first step, and it sounds deceptively simple:  Choose your colors.

Wedding Inspiration 101:  How to Choose Your Wedding Color Palette

This is one of the most defining design decisions you will make as you design the look of your wedding.  Begin by observing the colors you and your partner like.

1. It’s fun to know the trending colors.  But, do not try to force your color choice into a trend.  It is true that each year or decade features certain Pantone colors, but you do not have to follow fashionable rules.
2. As you observe your clothes, furniture and appealing pictures, you will discover certain colors that inspire you.  Are they pastel?  Are they jewel tones?
3. Now, narrow your choices down to a central color and one or two complimentary ones.

Bronte Bwyer adds, “Remember, it’s not just the obvious elements like flowers and stationery that bring color into your wedding.  Elements such as the background of your venue and the furniture materials used will also contribute to your color palette.”

Metal, Stone and Wood:  Basic to the Theme and Mood of Your Wedding

Color choices are also governed by the color of the interior of your venue.  No matter what you say your colors are, they will automatically include the color of the walls unless you choose to drape them.

Likewise,  nature dictates some of your color choices, especially for outdoor weddings.  Seasonal colors will influence your palette.  The golden palette of fall is quite different from the silver of winter, or the pastels and neon pops of spring or summer.

“Remember to consider the contrast of tones in your color palette. Unless you’re going for a completely light look, we’d recommend having at least one dark or medium tone color in your palette in order to have contrast.  This will bring the lighter elements to life.”

Another artistic suggestion is that you incorporate only one tone of wood, metal and stone.  This will give a cleaner look to your style. It’s sometimes all about editing and elimination.

First Step in Inspirational Planning:  Color as a Guide to Your Vision

Now that you worked so hard to choose those colors, they can help you make decisions.  They will become the filter through which you can choose or eliminate other elements of your wedding.

You will be surprised at how much this one decision will help with your wedding design.  Now, you can just exclude any element that doesn’t blend or compliment the colors in your color palette.

Inspiration Planning:  The Magic of a Mood Board

You might have seen a Mood Boards or Inspiration Boards in bridal magazines or on line.  They can be artsy-craftsy with cardboard, paper and scotch tape or they can be digital.  The mood board or inspiration board is a  design tool that helps you visualize the big picture behind all the details of your wedding design.

So, get a good size piece of cardboard or a bulletin board and tape photos you love on it, swatches of material you like, invitations, even dried or silk flower petals, postcards and ribbons.  How about a quick trip to the Lumber and Hardware store?  You can pick up those wonderful free paint chips to assemble your color palette.

The Inspiration Board Will Be Your Guide to Successful Wedding Design

This “show and tell” poster project, nick-named by many an “Inspo Board,” can help you develop what designers call “your wedding brand.” And if you want to create it on your tablet or phone, a Pinterest Board or a Photo Shop creation will be just fine.

Brides as well as professional wedding designers usually enjoy this process.  At Martha Stuart, we find magazine editors using mood boards and Americans have named them Inspiration Boards.  “For some editors, making these collages has become a form of creative expression.”

Style director Ayesha Patel, wedding designer for Martha Stuart says, “I love doing inspiration boards.”  She says, “They’re freeing, in a way, because you really can put up what you want, no strings attached, to create a mood or a vibe, a sketch.”  Please read more and see Martha Stuart’s examples at this vibrant online resource. You will be inspired.

And we will tell you more about that “wedding brand” idea in our next blog.

So You Have an Inspiration Board and Some Clippings, What Next?

Now, think about your wedding in chapters.  You actually might want to create several boards or digital pages so you can separate elements or chapters of the wedding.  Here are the titles of favorite wedding inspiration boards (or mood boards) that brides use successfully to plan the look of their wedding:

• The initial inspiration
• Floral Arrangements: (include all flower elements e.g. bouquets, reception table flowers, ceremony flowers)
• Stationery: (Save the date, invitation, program, menu, welcome signage, thank you cards, favor tags)
• The Ceremony: (big picture)
• The Reception: (big picture)

We suggest you make this step fun as you begin initial plans.  Involve the groom as much as he wants to be.  Bring any such ideas to Bobbymark’s Designs and we will help you refine them.  Once you know your colors and have a few photos and clippings on your Mood board, you’ll be ready to talk to the pros.

See the next blog for your next exciting steps in planning the design of your wedding and focusing your wedding brand.  Spoiler Alert:  Choosing and getting photos of your Venue will be the source of your next chapter in Wedding Design Inspiration in our next blog.  You will be inspired!

A Seasonal Holiday Message:  Gifts of the Season

Until then, enjoy your Happy Holidays from the owners and staff of Bobbymark’s Designs.  And congratulations on your holiday engagement.  Remember the real joy of the Season comes from being with friends and family and taking time to enjoy each other.

We think looking into the eyes of the ones you love and saying “I love you,” is the greatest gift of the holidays.  Enjoy this time as a newly engaged couple, ready to embark upon a lifetime of new-found commitment and adventure.