How to create a mood board for your wedding

Written by Rea Shaw

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Posted on June 13 2021

how to create a mood board for your wedding

Why do I need to create a mood board for my wedding I hear you ask? Isn't that just more work? I hear you loud and clear, but I can assure you the time spent creating a mood board will save you lots of time in the long run, so it will be totally worth it! Let's dive in to what a mood board actually is, and why you need one, before I share with you how you can create your own.

What is a Mood Board?

A mood board is a selection of images and items that once put together, will represent the overall look and feel of your wedding.

What would go on a Mood Board?

It would include images, colours, textures, and fabrics.

How can a mood board be created?

A mood board can be created either using physical items, by printing out photos, and cutting out images from magazines. Then sticking them to a large mount board. Or you can create a mood board digitally on your computer.

Why is good to create a mood board?

A mood board is a really fun exercise to do, it can really help get the juices flowing when you're at the beginning of wedding planning or if you find looking online (particularly on Pinterest) a bit overwhelming, making it hard for you to stay focussed.

Once you have created your mood board it gives you a fantastic guide to refer back to, so that anytime you have a decision to make, which you're not sure about it, you can look back at your mood board and check to see if it aligns with it.

It's so important to start with some type of plan, and a mood board is a perfect way to do that. How else will you know what to buy? How will you know what it will all look like in the end? And how will you know whether what you desire, matches with your budget?

It is also is an amazing tool to share with your wedding suppliers, which makes explaining your vision to them so much easier. Anyone that is working on the visuals like the florist, cake maker, stationery designer and dress maker will definitely benefit from seeing a copy of it.

When is the best time to create a mood board?

Ideally the best time to create a mood board is at the beginning of your wedding planning. Doing it at the start will help you save time, money and stress, further done the line. It is very common for couples to need a mood board creating the further they get into their planning, this is because it is so easy to get caught up in the excitement and skip this very important step at the start. Couples get to the stage when it all feels a bit confusing, so having a mood board created at this point will help sort all that out for them.

I love creating mood boards for my wedding couples, it really does help them visualise their wedding better. They always comment how much clearer they felt when they receive it, allowing them to move forward with their plans.

I also use them for personal projects too, I am currently renovating our home and I refuse to start the next room without a mood board first!!

Gather Inspiration

So the first step to creating your mood board, is to begin with searching for images of all the things you love. Look online, Pinterest is fantastic for wedding inspiration, search on blogs and shops you love. Remember to then take it offline and look in real life magazines. And don't just stick to weddings, look at fashion, home interiors and travel books too. Anything that you love and inspires you.

I also advise taking a trip to your local shops and heading to your local haberdashery so that you can take a look at all the different fabrics and have a feel of their textures. Ask for some swatches to take home with you of the things you love most. Visiting hardware stores are also a great places to pick up some paint charts to help you find some colour inspiration.

You may even have some of your items for your wedding selected already. For example, if you have your bridesmaid dresses picked out then ask for a fabric swatch. Or you may have your stationery suite chosen, if so you may have a sample of the colour card or foil colour. If this is the case remember to include this in your mood board at the beginning.

Narrow it down

Now this is where the fun begins! Once you have everything collected, it is time to narrow it down to your favourites. Keep moving it all around before you stick or pin anything down, until you feel like everything works together. It's a good idea to ask yourself these questions as you go through the process.

- Do these colours represent the season we are getting married?

- Will these choices fit in with the surroundings on the day, such as the venue?

- Is there a sense of atmosphere in there, that we are aiming for?

Choose your Key Words

One of the other things I like to do for my mood board, is to think of words that best describes what you are looking at. Just say what you see, and how everything makes you feel. Once you have come up with a list, choose three of your favourites that best suit your mood board and add them on the board too. If you not to sure if it is the right word, just type it in to your Pinterest search bar and see what it comes up with. It will help indicate if you are on the right track.

The Final Touch

My final tip is to give your mood board a name. Just something to sum up the whole look and vibe. It doesn't have to be complicated, try combining some of the words from the first list you made when coming up with a name.

I have some examples of a digital mood board below for you to take a look at to help inspire you and to hep get you started with your own.

Need some more help?

If you are finding it tricky to make your own mood board or you are struggling to narrow down all your choices then I offer a service which takes away all the stress. I can put together a mood board for you that incorporates all the things you love to help give you a clear direction to head in.

You can read more about that service here >>>

Oct 15, 19 • By Rea

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