Crafting A Wedding Board: A Guide To Creative Bliss

A wedding board, also known as a vision board, mood board, or dream board, is a fun and creative project that helps you to define your wedding style and serves as a springboard for your wedding plans. It is a curated collection of images, colours, and textures that represent your wedding vision and help you to communicate this vision to your vendors. You can create a physical board using a cork board, poster board, or bulletin board, or a digital board using platforms like Pinterest, Photoshop, or Canva. The process typically involves determining your goals, collecting inspiration, curating your images, and putting everything together. By creating a wedding board, you can ensure that your special day aligns with your vision and that your plans remain focused and cohesive.

Choose your canvas

The next step in creating a wedding mood board is to decide on a physical or digital canvas. If you enjoy crafts and working with your hands, a cork board with push pins and thumbtacks is a great option. This format allows you to move things around as needed and is handy for physical items such as fabric scraps, magazine cutouts, and paper samples. You can also use a poster board or another type of canvas and attach your inspiration with glue or pins.

If you prefer a digital format, you can use applications like Canva, Photoshop, or Pinterest, or a combination of these. Digital vision boards offer flexibility, as you can keep them on your phone, computer, or print them out. To create a digital vision board, choose an application or program that suits your goals, and upload images, quotes, products, colours, and other inspiration to build your vision.

Determine your goals

Before you start putting your wedding vision board together, it's important to determine your goals. This will help you to create a cohesive board that truly reflects your vision for your big day. Here are some tips to help you define your goals and get started on your board:

Discuss your dreams with your partner

Take some time to sit down with your partner and discuss your wedding dreams and non-negotiables. It's important to explore your relationship and who you are as a couple. Talk about the season you want to get married in, venue ideas, colour palettes, and any personal details you'd like to include. Consider what type of wedding you don't want, as well as what makes you happy and what things are most important to you. Come up with a list of words that describe your desired wedding vibe, such as intimate, adventurous, romantic, wild, or laid-back. This will help guide your vision and ensure that your board reflects your shared goals.

Define your style

Think about your unique style and the overall aesthetic you want for your wedding. Consider the type of home decor you gravitate towards, your fashion sense, and your favourite colours. Search for design inspiration from homes, bedrooms, clothes, accessories, and fashion bloggers. Explore different typography and identify the design elements that appeal to you, such as bold fonts or classic elements. Defining your style will help you choose images and elements that truly represent your vision for the wedding.

Identify your goals

Make a list of the specific goals you want to achieve with your wedding vision board. These could include colour direction, decorative style, or theme inspiration. If your list is long, consider creating multiple boards focused on different aspects of your wedding, such as one for the ceremony and reception, and another for your wedding day look. By identifying your goals, you can ensure that your board stays focused and helps you achieve your desired outcome.

Find inspiration

Look for inspiration in a variety of places, such as Google, magazines, newspapers, and catalogs. You can also explore wedding websites, such as Zola, The Knot, and Pinterest, for ideas and trends. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and look for inspiration in your surroundings. The key is to find images, quotes, products, or textures that align with your goals and vision for the wedding. Save or collect these inspirations to use on your board.

Keep an open mind

When determining your goals and creating your vision board, it's important to keep an open mind and not get too caught up in the details. This is a creative process, and it's okay to explore different ideas and directions. Don't worry too much about your budget or the feasibility of your ideas at this stage. The goal is to gather inspiration and define your overall vision, and you can refine and make decisions later in the planning process.

Curate your images

Curating images for your wedding board is an important step in the process. It's time to stop scrolling and start refining your vision! You'll want to narrow down your collection of images and select only those that truly represent your style. Try to keep it to around 10 images and make sure there's variety –- you don't want 10 pics of the same thing!

Your wedding board can be a store-bought cork board, poster, or digital version, or whatever format fits your style best. You can use a mix of wedding and non-wedding ideas for your vision board. If you're unsure where to start, try these image ideas:

• Color palettes and patterns: Using paint chips or fabric swatches can be a helpful way to figure out your wedding color scheme. Head to a local home improvement or craft store to browse and purchase samples. Look around your home to see what color pairings you're drawn to and add them to your board.
• Decor and interior design details: Wedding decor trends often stem from interior design. Spend some time flipping through interior design magazines or rewatching movies with amazing sets to pick up some ideas.
• Fashion runways and red carpets: Turn to celebrity fashion and couture runways to inspire your wedding wardrobe. Include outfit ideas to help determine if you're going for a classic or fashion-forward approach.
• Typefaces, fonts, and logos: Interesting examples of paper products and graphic design are worthy of a spot on your board. These can inspire your wedding invitations and stationery items like bar signage, place cards, and menu cards.
• Locations or settings: Do you envision your wedding in a garden or a ballroom? Add photos of places you love to travel and locations that inspire you to set the scene for your big day.
• Flowers: Flowers evoke emotion, so they're key to include. Add examples of arrangements to help translate your vision to your florist. Photos of English gardens convey a laid-back vibe, while ikebana-style arrangements convey a sense of whimsy.

Remember, the key to making a wedding vision board is to feel inspired when you look at it. You want it to perfectly showcase your core desires for the look and feel of your wedding day.

Establish a game plan

Now that you've gathered your inspiration, it's time to start thinking about putting your vision board together. The first step is to determine the format that works best for you. This will largely depend on the type of inspiration you've collected. If you've collected a lot of physical items, such as magazine cutouts, fabric swatches, and colour samples, a traditional format like a poster board or cork board might be the best option. On the other hand, if most of your inspiration is digital, such as images saved on your desktop or phone, a digital vision board might be more convenient.

If you opt for a traditional vision board, gather your supplies. You'll need a large piece of bristol board or poster board, glue or a glue stick, and stickers (optional). If you want to frame your vision board, make sure you get a frame that fits your board. Start arranging your inspiration on the board and play around with different layouts until you find one that you like. Once you're happy with the arrangement, start gluing or pinning your items to the board.

For a digital vision board, there are several online tools and applications you can use, such as Canva, Google Docs, or Polypore.com. These platforms allow you to easily upload and arrange your images, quotes, and other inspiration. You can also use design programs like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign if you have access to them and feel comfortable using them.

Remember, the most important thing is to choose a format that you will actually use and that fits your style. You want your vision board to be easily accessible and referenceable as you plan your wedding.

Start creating your board

Now that you've gathered your supplies and decided on your goals, it's time to start creating your wedding board. This is the fun part!

Digital or Physical?

First, decide whether you want to create a digital or physical wedding board. If you have a lot of images saved on your desktop, a digital board might be the best option. You can use an application like Canva or Polypore.com, or a program like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign. Alternatively, if you have a lot of cutouts from magazines or printed images, a physical board might be a better choice. For this, you can use a poster board or cork board, and attach your images with glue or pins.

Gather Your Images

Collect and curate your images. If you're using Pinterest, create a new, secret board and create sections for each aspect of your wedding (e.g. food, dress, tablescapes). Try to keep your collection under 10 images and ensure there's variety. You can also include quotes, textures, fabrics, and floral arrangements.

Put It All Together

Once you've gathered your images and decided on your format, it's time to put everything together. If you're using a digital format, upload your images to the application or program of your choice. If you're using a physical board, cut out your images and arrange them on the board, then attach them with glue or pins.

Add the Finishing Touches

Finally, add any extra details like stickers, glitter, or notes. If you're using a digital format, you can also add colours from your favourite photos to create a cohesive design.

Your wedding board is now ready to be shared with your wedding vendors and used as a source of inspiration throughout the planning process.

Frequently asked questions