Finding Your Focus

Oftentimes, brides will come to me, completely overwhelmed- and not just with the normal details that will naturally come with every wedding. They are usually more overwhelmed with getting their wedding, or their vision for their wedding, focused. If you enter your wedding planning without being focused, you run the risk of either blowing your budget (buying items left and right, with no rhyme or reason- all those little things add up!), having too many themes or visual concepts in your wedding, or just plain going crazy. Here are some tips for finding that focus:

1) Create a Story Board

Also called mood or inspiration boards, I cannot emphasize using this idea for generating and inspiring your imagination enough. By creating a story board, you will effectively create a mood, or a look, through the use of patterns, colors, pictures and even fabrics for your wedding. I personally make a story board for each of my weddings- even if the client doesn't have a design-based package. Whenever I sit down with a new client, I ask questions about the look and feel for their wedding. I also ask questions pertaining to their relationship and how they got to this point. As I write, I am creating a vision in my head based on what they are telling me. After our meeting, I'll start creating that particular story board. Choosing even pictures of objects (not necessarily wedding-related objects) can all convey a general message of what this wedding is going to be like. Maybe you like a certain baroque-style pattern, or a certain style of antique furniture- anything that will elude to your style and the overall look you want for your wedding.