So you've said “Yes!” and are ready to get started with wedding planning! You may have a whole host of ideas already floating around your head that you'd love to put in one place. Well, that's where a wedding mood board (or inspiration board) comes in. Whether digital or physical, a mood board is important for two reasons:
- It's ideal for keeping track of your wedding ideas. We've lost count of the number of times a bride-to-be has gotten in touch for help, having seen an image of her dream wedding dress but neglected to save it anywhere!
- It helps to communicate your vision to your suppliers to keep everyone working towards a cohesive look and feel. Whether it's for your planner, bridal boutique, cake designer, florist or stationer, having a visual reference for your colours, venue and overall aesthetic is incredibly helpful for them, so they’re not constantly reaching out to you with questions.
Creating a mood board might seem intimidating as there are so many options, but we’ve broken it down into simple steps. We're also giving you ideas for how to create a wedding mood board that should make wedding planning a breeze!
1. Getting Started: Brainstorm & Establish Your Theme
The first step in creating a mood board is figuring out what mood you’d like to achieve! When you close your eyes and think of your wedding day, what do you see? Do you dream of a modern, contemporary celebration, or a romantic, timeless event? Before you immerse yourself in millions of wedding images, start by considering these points first: the season, your venue, your budget and your personal taste as a couple.
Then, sit down with your partner and write down keywords or phrases that describe both the look and vibe you both envision for your day. For the look, think of words like rustic, vintage, colourful, modern, elegant, bohemian, classic, minimalistic, ethereal, eclectic, and glamorous. For the vibe, think of words like fun, intimate, laid-back, nostalgic, timeless, cozy, romantic, wild, and warm. Not only should your wedding mood board communicate specific details and ideas but it should also encapsulate the mood and the atmosphere that you want to create.
What about colours? Are there any textures you would like, such as lace, velvet or silk? This will help you to start thinking and planning, so you know which direction to go in. This discovery process usually takes a while to narrow down, so don't stress if you don't have a set idea right away!
2. Decide Your Wedding Mood Board Format
While there are no rules around how you should design a mood board, the most popular options for creating wedding mood boards are:
If used as a tool to gather ideas and streamline your vision, Pinterest can be your best friend in wedding planning. So many couples use it to find ideas for their looks or their decor, to create mood boards to bring their vision to life, or as a tool to show suppliers what they have in mind. We've got a handy step-by-step guide on how to set up your own wedding Pinterest board right here.
- Instagram Saved Folders
Instagram saved folders are a handy way to save all those gorgeous ideas you spot while on your lunch break! To save a post, tap the little tag/ribbon icon below it. When you save a post, it's visible to you from a private section of your profile. You can also create saved folders. To save an image into a private folder, tap and hold the tag/ribbon icon. Then, select a collection you've already created or tap the plus sign to create a new one. You can find your collections on the saved posts tab on your profile. Just like all saved posts, your collections are also private - only you can see them - so while they're great for saving ideas, they're not ideal for sharing them all with your suppliers. You could screengrab them to share them with suppliers, or use the paper plane icon to share a couple of images via DM, but the feature isn't designed for creating a mood board or sharing lots of images in one go.
- Digital Mood Boards
Sites like Canva, Abobe Spark, PicMonkey by Shutterstock, Milanote and Fotor are all handy collage tools which offer templates, or if you are handy in Photoshop, that's a great option too.
- Traditional Mood Board
While we're big fans of Pinterest and Instagram, we’re also big advocates of going offline in search of real world wedding inspiration to take your ideas and turn them into a tangible reality. Print off any images you've saved from the internet and have a play around with your ideas. You can also browse through wedding and home decor magazines or, design and style books (they don't necessarily have to be wedding-related ones). Collect elements that can’t be appreciated onscreen— such as silk ribbon from gift wrapping or a gorgeous textured paper.
Play around with all your pieces as much as you need, until you're happy with the look. You can then grab yourself a large bulletin board and pin them, or glue or tape them onto a large foam board.
3. Gather Your Visuals: Review & Edit
Once you've established the look and feel (it's okay if you aren't set on one theme!) the next step is to review and edit your chosen images. If you have a real mash-up of ideas, you may need to start a fresh board or start deleting images. Have a look at all the images you've saved so far, are they similar to each other in style? Is there a common theme throughout, or do all the ideas appear disjointed? Take note of the colours that are used repeatedly. Being able to edit the images down is important so you don't feel overwhelmed with all your ideas, and will help you craft a more cohesive look and feel for your big day.
We'd recommend picking 15-20 images that truly speak to you, and that portray that look and feel you want. In selecting these images, we'd suggest picking a variety of photos to showcase the different elements that will go into your wedding design. For example, you don’t want lots of images of flowers or wedding attire but none of place settings, cake or decor. Include a few important details that you hope to include in your day. For example, are you set on having a floral arch for your ceremony, metallic stationery details or blush bridesmaid dresses? Make sure to include your must-have items but try to keep an open mind.
4. Share Your Mood Board
Now you've got your mood board ready to go, it’s time to share it! You can print off copies to bring to your supplier appointments, or have a PDF version saved that you can share over email with your vendors. You can also use your main wedding inspiration board to create smaller mood boards for things such as cake florals, or your stationery. This definitely isn’t a necessity, but many couples like to be even more specific when working with certain vendors. Happy planning!
Need inspiration to fill your boards? We have endless wedding inspiration on our own Pinterest boards and follow us on Instagram!
