How to go from Pinterest Board to Reality

How to go from Pinterest Board to Reality

My First Pinterest Board... What a Mistake 

When I created my first wedding Pinterest board before getting engaged, I thought I wanted an Italian summer, Tuscan-inspired theme with blue and white details, lemons, and chinoiserie everywhere. This ended up being far from what actually happened. I'm glad I got that trendy planning out of my system early.

My original ideas weren't bad - the concept is beautiful. But I ended up having a Northern California wedding, where an Italian summer theme wouldn't have been authentic to the space. NorCal evokes images of Napa, orchards, or mountains. While you can do anything with any venue, if I truly wanted an Italian wedding, I would have gone to Italy. 

Original Wedding Day Pinterest Board https://pin.it/2u0NyW5Gy

collage of original wedding day Pinterest board

Why You Should Avoid Trendy Wedding Designs 

If you want to incorporate trends, there's a right and wrong way to do it. You need to envision the future and honestly ask yourself if you'll be happy with your choices years later. As you'll see in this post and on my Pinterest page, you can be trendy while maintaining timeless elements. Avoid creating a wedding that will feel dated in a decade, like those 2013 wedding board TikToks that are now circulating.

The main takeaway is how to create a wedding design and bring it from ideation to reality. It's easy for brides to get caught up in small details without considering overall cohesiveness. While people hire interior designers for their expertise, you can design your own wedding with some tips I learned while planning mine in under 6 months.

What NOT To Do When Designing Your Wedding 

Avoid these common pitfalls:

  1. Sticking to a color scheme without a theme
  2. Having an overly cheesy theme
  3. Blindly following trends without personal style

The most common question in wedding planning is "What are your wedding colors?" While I understand why people ask this, it lacks depth. When I told people my colors were green and white, the conversation usually ended there because it doesn't reveal much about the wedding's theme or feel.

My Wedding Design Inspiration Board https://pin.it/6M4O5V2wh

How To ACTUALLY Design Your Wedding 

Here's a seven-step process to go from idea to Pinterest board to a beautifully designed wedding:

Step One: Design Anchors 
Choose 3-5 words describing how you want your wedding to feel. My anchors were romantic, timeless, classic, and elegant, with a sub-anchor of nostalgia. These words should guide all your decisions, including venue selection.

Step Two: Gather Inspiration 
Create a Pinterest board based on your design anchors. Don't worry about sticking strictly to your venue at this stage - focus on capturing the overall feel.

collage of wedding design inspiration Pinterest board (before step three)

Step Three: Align with Your Venue 
Combine venue photos with your inspiration images. This helps you visualize how your design concepts will work in the actual space.

Step Four: Create Wedding Day Aesthetic Boards 
Develop comprehensive visual guides to share with all your vendors. This streamlines communication and reduces decision fatigue.

design board with venue, invitation details, and decor already purchased/have access to

Step Five: Add Modern Touches 
Incorporate contemporary elements to make your wedding feel current while maintaining your overall theme.

Step Six: Choose Multi-Purpose Decor 
Select items that can double as home decor after the wedding. This approach is cost-effective and reduces waste.

Step Seven: Day-of Assembly 
Entrust the final setup to your support team, armed with your detailed aesthetic boards.

How My Actual Wedding Design Turned Out 
My Wedding Day Photos! https://pin.it/1NOD97NLt

By following these steps, I created a harmonious design that brought together all elements, from the venue to the florals, the wedding party outfits to the decor. Every detail was carefully considered and brought to life by my wedding planner and her team.

Navigating from Pinterest to reality can be challenging, but staying true to your vision and your venue's authenticity is key. Start with design anchors to create a timeless and cohesive wedding that reflects your unique style. Incorporate modern elements to keep it current, and choose multi-purpose decor to extend its lifetime and your budget.

I hope you found this helpful for your own wedding inspiration. Remember these key elements when planning your beautiful, timeless, and cohesive wedding. Create a dream wedding you'll never forget!

modern guest book signature sign

Wedding Photos by: Kristine and Charles https://kristineandcharles.com/