Sunday, January 17, 2010

Finding inspiration.


(Gorgeous "Lemon and paper whites" inspiration board, featuring invitations by store favorite Alee & Press, found on Snippet & Ink)

Planning a wedding takes a great deal of organization, budgeting, adjusting, compromising and time. Truly, though, a fabulous wedding takes - more than anything - INSPIRATION.

Those weddings you see featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, those are the result of some serious inspiration. These aren't your run-of-the-mill weddings. Inspiration can come in many forms - from choosing a specific color palate, to having an overall event theme or a specific floral scheme. Weddings that WOW are all alike in that they have been thought through, precisely planned and lovingly crafted by the couple, their friends, family and vendors.

Finding inspiration for your wedding can be a seemingly daunting task - but it doesn't have to be! Whitney and I have compiled a list of some of the wedding and design blogs that we read to spark our creative fuses. These online idea-warehouses can be great places to see what others are doing, identify trends or themes that you are drawn to and educate yourselves on the details that turn a wedding into THE wedding.

Grab a cup of tea, cozy up on the couch and check out a few of our fave online sources of inspiration (in no particular order):


Oh So Beautiful Paper (a MUST when you start thinking about invitations. Then, come see us
so that you can see all these gorgeous pieces yourself. Nothing compares to seeing and touching gorgeous paper in person and talking through your needs with an expert! We carry albums from lots of the most blogged-about designers on this site!)












Make time to find inspiration in the everyday, too. Take inventory of you and your fiance's life together to get started. Do you share common interests or a special bond? Could that play into your wedding vision? Do you both love skydiving? Use that as a platform to create an adrenaline-filled wedding theme (complete with a high powered fan and photo booth for "falling in love" photos!).

Is your cozy 400 sqf apartment lovingly filled with vintage farmhouse furniture? Pull items you already own to create a romantic, vintage wedding with antique lace, long farmer's tables and mismatched porcelain place settings.

("East of Eden" inspiration board from Snippet & Ink)

Can't get enough cheery orange in your life? Set a bold and varied orange color palate with tangelo, vermilion, and burnt sienna colors against a smokey grey.

(Inspiration board from Snippet & Ink)

The key to feeling inspired is to be OPEN. Be open to new ideas, to suggestions and to patterns, colors, objects, flowers, foods and activities that mean something to you. Weddings come in all shapes and sizes - nothing is off limits for your big day! Find what makes your heart sing and design your event around that.

(Photo by Greg Slick, found on Snippet & Ink)

It's the little details (the stripey straws in your signature cocktail, the ice-cream sandwich bar, the ouiji board table...) that will leave you and your guests smiling from ear to ear. Don't be afraid to be different! Don't be afraid to have fun! Don't be afraid to go against the grain a little! Take the time to craft a wedding that reflects you and your fiance, your life together and all that is important to you; you'll be glad you did!


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