Planning a wedding can be an overwhelming job. The best way to approach it is by breaking it down into manageable pieces. Where to start? First, your venue. Is it tropical? Rustic? Elegant? Take snapshots of the ceremony area, the cocktail area, the reception area and even the surrounding areas that your guests will walk through. As you plan your wedding, the venue is very important to keep in mind. You want to enhance and coordinate with the environment. To turn a rustic barn into a french palace is just a tad unrealistic.
Next, a vision board. Gathering bits and pieces of what you love and putting it together can help you create the vision of your wedding. Once the over all theme and color palette come into focus, everything else will just fall into place. Go through wedding magazines, fashion magazines, even home decor magazines and pull out anything that “speaks to you”. Another fabulous source : the internet! Here is a list of my favorite blogs/sites for inspiration and DIY projects:
StyleMePretty.com : almost 18,000 inspiration boards for you to browse.
StyleUnveiled.com : you can see my 2009 best Real Wedding of the Year
LoveandLavender.com : Love this site! Very cool, unique weddings are featured.
JunebugWeddings.com : not only great inspiration, but lots of great resources!
RocknRollBride.com : I love me a tattooed bride
if you are rock‘n roll, you’ll love this site.
ExquisiteWeddingsMagazine.com : From the publishers of San Diego Magazine, this is a great resource specifically for San Diego.
WeddingChicks.com : This website is loaded with content, tons and tons of real weddings posted everyday.
etsy.com/category/weddings : Did you know etsy has a wedding category?? Soooo cool! You can find super cute favors, jewelry, pretty much anything.
BHLDN.com : Ok, this is to DIE!! Anthropologie had launched a wedding site.
After you’ve gathered your inspiration, put the snapshots of your venue next to your clippings of inspiration. Then start eliminating what doesn’t work with your venue. Then eliminate what doesn’t work with each other. What you’ll have left is the complete vision of how your wedding will be styled. Now break it down into manageable chunks.
Wedding Stationary : save the dates, invitations, programs, favor packaging, place cards, table markers, etc.. if you start with a “Design theme” that will be on everything printed, it can really help you decide on the other details.
Wedding Dress and Bridesmaid Dresses : These dresses set the tone, so decide on them early in the planning process.
Florals : Pick flowers that will be in season on your wedding day. Out of season flowers are not only very expensive, but tend to not hold up very well.
Ambiance : Lighting, Music, and general decorations.
Tablescapes : Centerpieces, place cards, linens etc…
Food and Drinks
Venue and Rentals
Transportation
Enjoy every part of the planning process, believe me, it will be your wedding day before you know it! And if you want my input, I’m happy to give it!! If I could be a wedding stylist and a photographer, I totally would!!