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7 Places to look for inspiration for your wedding design that aren't Pinterest or Instagram.
Social Media ISN'T The Best Place To Find Inspiration For Your Wedding
I see you typing 'wedding inspiration' into Instagram and pinning dozens of images to your Pinterest board (for a laugh go and look at the wedding pins you saved 10 years ago). We've all been there. When I got married I was exactly the same. I spent hours scrolling through Pinterest & Instagram looking for ideas for my wedding, but somehow the more time I spent searching for inspiration, the less inspired I felt. Because of how social media algorithms work, I kept getting shown the same kind of images again and again. I didn't know what to look for, or where to look for it, to get the kind of modern wedding inspiration I wanted.
I knew I didn't want the same wedding as everyone else, but I wasn't quite sure what I did want.
If that sounds like you, then keep reading because I'm about to share my secret to finding wedding inspiration with you! It doesn't involve spending hours on social media or trawling through magazines. My method also guarantees that you will create a wedding design that actually feels like you, not like somebody else. We've all been to weddings where the design might have been beautiful, but somehow it didn't feel reflective of the couple getting married. Where a couple known for their bold, colourful sense of fashion ended up with a super classic green and white wedding. It happens A LOT, mostly because people don't know how to translate their style into wedding design. Well, I'm here to help you! I'm Becca, a design led wedding planner & stylist for modern couples who want mega-fun, meaningful weddings.
7 places to find inspiration for your wedding design that aren't Instagram or Pinterest!
One: Your Wardrobe
Yup, your wardrobe. Go and look at the clothes you love wearing. Are there certain colours or fabrics that appear again and again? Do you have a love for sequins or velvet or bold prints? If you're struggling with design inspiration for your wedding then your wardrobe is a great place to start. If you always wear black and white, then why not consider a monochrome colour scheme for your wedding. If you are all about bright colours and clashing prints then think about how you can incorporate these into your design. There are no rules with wedding design, but starting with colours and textures you love is a brilliant place to start.
Two: Your Home
Your home is FULL of design choices. From the architecture to the soft furnishings, every single item in your home is a design choice. Maybe you are really inspired by mid-century design, or you love a more boho style. Whatever it is, you love it for a reason, so it's a great place to start getting some inspiration for your wedding design from. If you know you aren't happy with the style of your home then think about what you'd like it to look like in an ideal world. What colours have you picked? What fabrics and materials do you accessorise with? Do you love vintage pieces or prefer modern design? Thinking about the type of items you love to fill your home with can help you when making decisions such as which candlesticks to choose for your wedding tablescapes.
Three: Your Spotify Playlists
What music do you love to listen to? Some eras have a very distinct aesthetic so you could always use that as a starting point for your wedding design.
Whether you listen to classical music, the latest hits, or 80s bangers, your favourite music is a great place to find some inspiration for your wedding. I'm a HUGE Taylor Swift fan so when I was designing tablescapes for our wedding party I drew inspiration from the colours and artwork for her 'Lover' album.
Four: Fashion Shows
Fashion trends influence wedding design trends so if you want to be ahead of the curve then look to the runway! Celeb red carpet fashion is another great way to spot upcoming trends - for example, puff sleeves and pearls were huge trends on the runway before they crossed over into mainstream bridal fashion.
Think about the clothes but also the overall design of the shows - these are often themed and feature some amazing installations that could inspire your wedding decor.
Five: Travel
I'm not just talking destination weddings here. If you love to travel you could incorporate design elements inspired by your favourite destinations - it could be colours, or textures, or materials.
Think the rich jewel tones of Morocco or the lavender fields of the South of France or the glitz and glamour of LA. I've designed several weddings and styled shoots based on inspiration from travel or a destination. For example, the styled shoot pictured below was inspired by a trip to Marrakech. The rich jewel tones and vibrant textures were the starting point for my design but I also added more modern elements for a striking and unique look. For more of this shoot check out the feature on Whimsical Wonderland Weddings here.
Six: Your Favourite Haunts
Do you have a favourite restaurant/bar/coffee shop. What is their design aesthetic? Lots of restaurants/bars/hotels work with top interior designs to create cohesive, stylish, evocative interiors, so if you have a favourite spot then why not use it as a starting point for your wedding inspiration.
Think about how you could incorporate the look or feel of your favourite haunts into your wedding design.
Seven: Your Venue
If you've already found a wedding venue you love, then using it as the starting point for your wedding design can be a great idea.
Think about the landscape, architecture, décor, colors, and textures and how these could be turned into design elements. If your venue has a statement feature, then think about how you can highlight that.
Creating a wedding design that is unique to you is actually easier when you give yourself a break from social media and allow yourself to reflect on what inspires you in the rest of your life. The pressure of creating a 'Pinterest worthy wedding' can be overwhelming, but start by identifying colours, styles, textures and materials you know you love. I'm absolutely not saying that you shouldn't use Pinterest or Instagram for wedding inspiration, but I am saying that it might not be the best place to start! It's much more productive to use Pinterest to try and find specific design ideas rather than generic inspiration. For example, if you know that you love the idea of using disco balls in your wedding decor, have a search on Pinterest to see how other people have used them. This will yield much more useful results than just typing "wedding decor inspiration" into Pinterest. The more specific you can be with what you're searching for, the better the outcome will be.
If you know you'd like some help narrowing down your design ideas (or just have no idea where to start) then I offer two design & styling options. For Full Design & Styling click here and for my mini Style & Design Assistance click here (scroll to the bottom of the page).
Happy Wedding Planning Lovers!
Becca x