I remember when my husband, Jay, and I started planning our own wedding how much time we put into researching, imagining, and making decisions. We loved wedding planning but it was so time-consuming! Between figuring out a budget and searching for the perfect venue and photographer, a bride and groom definitely have their work cut out for themselves. Something I wish I had done early on in our planning to make things easier on ourselves would have been to create an inspiration board. Back then I had no idea how useful an inspiration board could be so today I thought I’d share my thoughts on why I think every bride needs an an inspiration board, what an inspiration board looks like, and how to make one.
Why you need an inspiration board:
I love Pinterest but it sure doesn’t help narrow down any bride’s focus! The more time you spend pinning, the more ideas you have and the more you can start to feel overwhelmed. An inspiration board forces you to really zero in on how you want your wedding to look and feel. It forces you to narrow down your collection of images and select only those that truly represent your style. Once you’ve curated your images and created your inspiration board, it will be useful in two main ways. First, you can share it with your vendors so that they have a clear idea of what you’re looking to achieve. And second, an inspiration board will drive the decisions you make regarding your wedding décor. This is so important because you want to make sure that all the details will come together in a cohesive way.
So what does this look like?
An inspiration board essentially looks like a collage, only prettier. It includes key decor elements that will bring the design together as well as a color palette to keep the design cohesive. Here’s one I made from Trish and Mike’s wedding last year. They were married at Sandy Hook Chapel and had the most gorgeous rentals and florals by Faye and Renee.
How to create an inspiration board:
Now that you’re ready to create your inspiration board, here’s how to do it:
- Gather your images. Pinterest is great for this! Remember to include images that represent the colors, florals, themes, and style of your wedding. I’m Pinterest-obsessed so be sure to click here for plenty of images for your board. My Pinterest account is always updated and full of pretty wedding inspiration!
- Curate, curate, curate. This part is hard if you went a little overboard when gathering your image but curating your collection is the most important step when creating an inspiration board. My suggestion is to choose 8-12 images that truly represent your wedding day vision.
- Create your inspiration board. You don’t have to be skilled at Photoshop in order to create your inspiration board. You can just use Canva – it’s free and I’ve made my inspiration board template available for you to use. Click here to access it.
- Share your board. Now that you have your inspiration board, don’t forget to share it with your wedding planner, invitation designer, florist, friends, and family members who will be helping you to achieve your wedding day vision.
Further Reading:
Here are a few useful links for wedding inspiration:
Zola Seasonal Inspiration Boards
The Ultimate List of Wedding Blogs
Burnett’s Boards
Magnolia Rouge Inspiration Boards
Snippet and Ink Inspiration Boards
Have fun creating your inspiration board and if you’re one of my brides, please send me a copy – I love getting a sneak peek at the gorgeous weddings I get to be a part of each year!
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