Creating Your Personal Signature – Inspiration Boards

As you start on your journey of planning your first event together as husband and wife a million details race through your mind…your interests, your family, your personal style, your vision, your love of an object or colour.  How do you create a wedding that is uniquely your own and encompasses your own personal signature?

Follow Your Senses

Listening to your heart and reaching out to your senses… taste… sound… touch… smell… will help give this important day, focus and direction.  Don’t underestimate your own creative potential.  I often hear clients say “they have no idea how to implement their own creative vision”.  Almost all of you have planned a party, picked out invitations, set a beautiful table or painted a room in your house!  You can apply these same principles to your wedding to create a signature style of your own.

Write Down Inspiration

By writing down the design elements that inspire you, you can act upon your inspiration.  What is the setting for your wedding?  What colours have you chosen?  What Season is your event being held in?  What are your common interests?  Why did you choose your location?  Indoors or outdoors?  Formal or casual?  What type of atmosphere do you want to create?  Write down whatever comes to your mind.  As you put your thoughts on paper you will see your style start to emerge.

Maybe you are having a fall wedding on your parent’s farm.  Elements that could inspire you are rust, orange, aubergine, nature, burlap, trees, berries, wildflowers, casual, outdoors, barn dance, family tree, horses, summer, galvanized pails, pine cones, wagon ride…and the list goes on.  Creating this road map on paper will lead you on your journey to your personal signature.

Inspiration board from Style Me Pretty Shoot 2010 – Photography by Jennifer Klementti

Inspiration Board

To further develop your signature style you need to create a collage of things you love!  In our studio we call them inspiration boards.  Cut out photos from magazines; attach paint chips, fabric swatches, ribbon samples, floral designs, jewellery ideas or beautiful stationery.  Choose things that speak to your emotions.  Inspiration can be found in fashion, interior design, wedding and gardening magazines with the internet as an endless resource of ideas!  Putting these together in a binder or on a storey board will pull all your design elements together.  Keep an open mind and explore your options.  The style you seen start to emerge as you put your design elements on paper, now has life and meaning.  Your personal signature is reflective of you and your husband so take this opportunity to make decisions together.

Your Signature Style

As you work through this creative process you will build a foundation for a “Signature” wedding.  Your inspiration will become a concept and your concept will turn into your design.  Further develop your style with your event designer, planner and florist.  Even if you start this process they can take your working portfolio and turn your vision into a reality.

The goal of this process is to find your personal signature and be confident in it!  Enjoy the process and its incredible outcome.  The end result… a perfect wedding day that reflects your style, taste and personality.  Be sure to sit back, relax, and enjoy one another and this labour of love on your wedding day.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams”, Henry David Toreau

Elizabeth Johnston, Creative Director