My 5 Top Tips for designing your wedding

Designing your wedding is not a small job. It takes time, creativity and an eye for detail.

Every little detail will contribute to the overall look and feel. The colour of your tableware, texture of your flowers and style of your signage are all important pieces which together will create the way you want the day to feel.

So how do you make sure all these elements work together? It takes some planning! So here are a few of our top tips and tricks to get you started on styling your special day.

1. Choose your colour palette

Choosing your colour palette is probably the most defining decision you’ll make throughout the whole design process.

Your colours will run as a central thread through every visual element of your day - your florals, key decor pieces, the bridesmaids’ dresses, table decorations and even signage - weaving these things together with style.

Your colour palette plays a key role in shaping the overall look, style and mood of your wedding. Darker and richer colours can create a dramatic impact or bring a feeling of sumptuous luxury, while lighter or more neutral shades work beautifully if you want your day to have more of a romantic or earthy feel.

As one of the first foundations of wedding styling, it’s important to hone down your colours at the start of your planning. Think about the sort of atmosphere you want to have. Is it relaxed and down-to-earth, romantic and fairytale-like or maybe something with a vintage feel? What colors put you in that mindset?

To build your palette, start with one central colour and add two or three complementary colours that will balance it. If you have one bold colour, pair it with more neutral tones or if your palette is looking a bit lacklustre add in a bolder accent colour to bring the neutral tones out.

Think about the colours already at the venue - the chairs, curtains and carpets or the colours you’ll be surrounded by if your wedding has an outdoor setting.

Will your colour palette work against these existing colours? Think about any potential colour clash and how you can use the setting to make your colour palette shine out.

2. Create a moodboard

Who doesn’t love a moodboard? Gathering inspiration in this visioning and research stage is really fun. It’s also useful in helping you to build visual coherence and consistency.

There are lots of tools you can use. Pinterest is scrapbook heaven for the 21st century and was surely built with wedding moodboards in mind. Canva is another good tool and creating folders for saved content in Instagram can help you gather visual inspo too.

Create a primary moodboard to draw out your overall look-and-feel. Pull all your ideas into one board and see if they work together. Use this to make sure all the elements create a coherent look.

If it looks a bit mish-mash and doesn’t all sit well together try taking out the items that are pulling you away from your theme and look for an alternative that sits better with the look you’re building.

You can also create secondary moodboards for specific parts of the day, such as your ceremony, florals, bar area, table decor and stationery.

But always revert back to your overall look-and-feel moodboard to make sure your ideas will sit harmoniously together on the day.

3. Identify your design focal points

Spend some time working out which of the day’s focal areas are most important to you.

A useful way to do this is to visualise the special moments that will make up your day. When you think about everything that will happen, on the day which moments feel most important to be beautifully highlighted through styling?

This will help you know where to concentrate your efforts.

For lots of people I work with, creating a really special ceremony backdrop and aisle is really important and for some clients having breathtaking table design is a priority.

Concentrate your decor in your priority areas to create focal points that have a real wow factor rather than spreading your decor too thin, which loses impact.

Also take into consideration where your photographer will be capturing key shots - for example the ceremony, cake cutting, first dance and top table - and focus on making these areas look beautiful.

4. Work with what you have at the venue

Work with, rather than against, the features and settings you know you can’t change.

Are there any fireplaces, archways or existing features at the venue that you can incorporate into your wedding design? Accentuating these focal points can create a real impact.

Choosing the right decor to complement and contrast against the venue’s features, quirks and colours is a key styling skill.

Look for styling opportunities. For example, a marquee may give you a great opportunity for hanging decor and ceiling centrepieces.

If the venue has a beautiful view for guests to look out over you may choose not to have a ceremony arch, for example. Instead you may want to use low level floral arrangements that complement rather than block the surrounding beauty.

5. Reuse your decor across the day

Reusing decor pieces across the ceremony and reception is a great way to enjoy these beautiful displays for longer and brings continuity of style throughout your wedding.

Can any of the floral arrangements and decor items from your ceremony also be used at your reception? I’m always thinking of creative ways to use key decor across both, so my clients get the most out of their styling.

This is a nifty way to make your wedding budget go further without having to skimp on the visual centrepieces and special details that will make your wedding a truly beautiful one.

Here are a few ideas:

• Use your ceremony arch as a backdrop for your top table or card table

• Move the florals lining your aisle to the reception venue entrance

• Re-use the props and table decor from your signing table to also style the gift table

Transferring these items may sound like a faff (and the last thing you need on your wedding day is a faff). But you can delegate this to some willing helpers (a great task for helpful groomsmen and bridesmaids) so you don’t have to worry about it.

If you’re planning your wedding and would like help styling your beautiful day, get in touch with me.

I can help you turn your vision and ideas into a coherent design plan that captures your style and makes your special day one that really reflects the vibe you’re imagining.

Images from Jade & Phil’s Wedding Day

Decor, styling & signage : Wonderlands

Florals : RV Floristry

Photography : Daisy Barnard Photography

Will’s Marquee : Vibert Marquees

Location : Prince of Fields