WEDDING BLOG

5 Steps for Making a Wedding Mood Board

February 15, 2023 | kailey

After soaking up the newness of being engaged and celebrating with an epic engagement party, it’s time for the wedding planning to commence. And while every wedding planning timeline will be a little different, we always recommend starting with a mood board. This is the key to creating a day that’s undeniably you.

As you start to form a vision of your wedding day, a wedding mood board can help guide decisions and visually explain your desires to your wedding team. But where exactly should you start? Here’s a simple, five-step process to create a mood board that captures the essence of your personality, style, and wedding dreams.

What is a Wedding Mood Board?

A wedding mood board is a carefully curated collection of photos that convey the look and feel you hope to create through your wedding design. It can be designed on platforms like Pinterest, Photoshop, Canva–or a combination of the three. We’ve already created a template for you on Canva, but we’ll get to that shortly.

What are The Benefits of Having a Mood Board?

A mood board is essential when hiring and meeting with your wedding vendors. It’ll set you and your vendors up for success from the start since verbally expressing your wedding vision can sometimes be difficult. Having a compilation of photos that visually represents your desired look leaves little room for miscommunication.

Image by Grace Torres Photo.

Steps For Making a Wedding Mood Board

Step 1. Discuss Wedding Dreams With Your Partner

Before you grab your laptop and type “Pinterest” in the search bar, do a little offline work with your partner. If there’s one piece of advice we want to ring true, it’s to really explore your relationship and who you are as a couple. Set a date night to discuss your vision and non-negotiables—have a pen and paper handy to jot them down as you dream of your day.

Need help kickstarting the creative wedding planning processes with your partner? Here are some questions to answer together before creating a wedding mood board:

What do we enjoy doing together as a couple? Are we laid-back, or do we enjoy being the life of the party—or both?
Where has been our favorite vacation, date, or place to spend time together? How did that location make us feel?
What season makes sense for our wedding? Does the season impact the mood of the day?
What type of wedding do we not want? What are things that don’t feel like us?
Come up with a list of words to describe your wedding vibe–like intimate, adventurous, carefree, nostalgic, silly, cheerful, cozy, laid-back, romantic, wild, vivacious, and warm

Image by Tiquicia Shot.

Step 2. Start Exploring Your Unique Style on Pinterest

Creating your mood board is not a time to worry about your budget—we’ll worry about that later. This is your chance to put all your ideas on a page, no matter how difficult it may seem to pull off at the beginning. The best place to start? Pinterest. Not only will it give you access to hundreds of wedding inspiration photos, but it’s also an excellent tool for organizing the inspo you find.

Kerry Charlotte of Haute Wedding explained the benefits of having a Pinterest board and a separate, curated wedding mood board. She said, “The contrast between a mood board and a Pinterest board is that a mood board can be more specific to show a real snapshot of your wedding. Pinterest can show a larger array of your tastes and style preference. Wedding vendors love seeing a full array of your tastes to start designing. This way, we can pull in little details that really make the day custom to you!”

Ready to get searching on Pinterest? Narrow your wedding search with these points:

What type of home decor do we gravitate toward? Search for design inspiration from homes and bedrooms–spaces that feel like somewhere you’d enjoy spending time in
Pin clothes, accessories, fashion blogger outfits, etc. These will help explain your style and can be translated into the wedding design
Search different typography on Pinterest. What elements of design are you drawn to? Do you like big, bold fonts or more classic elements?

Step 3. Choose 10 Images to Place on Your Wedding Mood Board

Now that you’ve formed a vision with your partner and started to collect inspiration from Pinterest, it’s time to start refining your collection. Start by selecting the top photos that catch your eye and continuously narrow it down until you have just ten photos. These can be images from Pinterest, Instagram, or even your phone’s photo library.

Now for the fun part, creating your mood board. To make things easy for you, we’ve created these Canva Templates for you to drop your photos into. After reading these tips, you’ll have a professional-looking mood board in no time:

Sign up for Canva (it’s free!)
Click the link above and choose “Use Template”
Upload your images into Canva
Drag images from the Upload folder to the photo frame squares (it should auto-fill the frame with your image)

Step 4. Pull Colors From Your Favorite Photos

Once you have your favorite images beautifully organized in your Canva wedding mood board, take note of the colors that are used repeatedly. Then, fill the remaining boxes on the Canva template with those colors to bring the design full circle.

These colors will become your wedding color palette, influencing your floral arrangements, fabric textures, invitation design, and more. They might even make the perfect mismatched bridesmaid dress color palette!

Step 5. Take Your Wedding Mood Board Off the Screen

After you’ve finished your mood board masterpiece, print out the design and add it to your wedding planning binder. We also recommend keeping the link handy, so you can make any changes throughout the planning process and can easily send it to your wedding vendors.

With a mood board in hand, it’s time to hunt down those wedding pros that can bring your vision to life. Start by reading through our guide, packed with everything you need to know about hiring your wedding vendors. Then, check out some of our favorites in our directory of top wedding vendors around the world.

Image by Lauren Finch Photography. See more of this inspiration here.

15 Beach Wedding Dresses You Can Buy Today

February 15, 2023 | riley

Image by Emma Quinn

Although summer may still be a few months away, we can’t help but dream about warmer weather. And if there’s one thing that’s important when planning a wedding, it’s buying your wedding dress early so that you have plenty of time to get it in and do any alterations needed. We know that not everyone enjoys the idea of shopping in person, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get to wear your dream dress for your seaside affair! That’s why we’re rounding up some of our current favorite beach wedding dresses you can buy right now–think elegant, airy, and light.

Beach Wedding Dresses You Can Buy Now

Savannah Miller Angeline Gown

This Moment in Time White Lace Ruffled Maxi Dress

Jenny Yoo Marnie Gown

I’m All Yours Cream Ruffled Maxi Dress

Willowby by Watters Bonnie Gown

BHLDN Valerie Gown

Show Me Your Mumu Jasmine Halter Midi Dress

Watters Orlie Gown

Wtoo by Watters Miles Gown

Norma Kamali Walter Fishtail Gown

V. Chapman Camia Dress

Azazie Saffron Dress

Reformation Butterfly Dress

Reformation Annabelle Silk Dress

Wonderstruck White Glitter Lace-Up Embroidered Lace Dress

Now that you’ve picked out your dream beach wedding dress, it’s time to make sure that you have everything else you need for your big day. Rather than stress out, we’ve put together an ultimate guide for planning a beach wedding that breaks down everything from etiquette to decor to dining options.

Image by MemoryBox Photography

Elegant And Romantic Fasque Castle Wedding

February 14, 2023 | justine

champagne orange sage green

Jordanna and David’s Fasque Castle wedding perfectly reflected their love for country life. The couple tied the knot in a historic 18th-century estate with a grand mansion surrounded by the stunning countryside, creating a breathtaking backdrop for their special day. And with the help of Junebug member Wild Hearts Elopement, they pulled off a celebration that surpassed their expectations.

The couple’s love of the countryside was showcased during their ceremony at the property’s ornate chapel. The quaint church featured beautiful stonework, stained glass windows, and rustic charm. The bride was radiant in a sleek, structured wedding dress as she walked down the aisle, while the groom looked sharp in his traditional kilt.

The reception that followed was equally special. The iconic cantilever staircase greeted guests as they entered the grand hall. Meanwhile, a mix of lamps, candles in hanging glass orbs, and floral centerpieces created a romantic and elegant atmosphere.

The couple’s attention to detail and personal touches, combined with the timeless elements of a classic wedding, made for a truly unforgettable day filled with love, laughter, and joy. Keep scrolling to see all the gorgeous details captured by We Are The James’s. These photos will surely take your breath away!

The Couple:

Jordanna and David

The Wedding:

Fasque House, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

The Inspiration Behind Their Fasque Castle Wedding

It was important that the day reflected our personalities and that we didn’t lose our vision, which can be easy to do when accommodating so many people on the day. We wanted the day to feel intimate and inclusive for all our family and friends. When planning the wedding, we knew we wanted the vibe to be somewhat traditional but with personal touches and a simplistic, modern feel. We also incorporated rustic finishes that reflected our day-to-day lives at home. Like the hand-poured, natural honey pots we gave our guests as favors. These fit with the rustic elements placed at the tables, such as name-engraved wood plaques.

Incorporating Personal Readings And Music Throughout Their Ceremony

We personalized the ceremony by having the minister include anecdotes about our relationship. Dave’s sister–my junior bridesmaid–also read a poem that she had written about us. And, of course, the gospel choir sang as guests entered the chapel, as I walked down the aisle, during the register signing, and as we walked out. We love singing along to classic Motown songs, so this was a fun, personal touch.

Keeping Their Guests Entertained Through Music, Food, And Drinks

The gospel choir was the most memorable part of the day, aside from seeing Dave standing at the end of the aisle. They performed during the ceremony and cocktail hour. All our guests enjoyed the music and performances and kept their energies high during register signing and photos. We had an ice cream bike with a selection of dairy and non-dairy ice creams for guests and a champagne tower, gin bar, and beer barrow.

Choosing The Venue Because Of Its Charm And Beautiful Scenery

Fasque Castle, we knew immediately that this was the venue where we wanted to be married. It had the perfect blend of timeless tradition with a modern feel. The venue had a quaint church on the grounds separate from the castle, with gorgeous stained glass windows that we felt would be perfect for the ceremony. We also organized clay pigeon shooting with the groundskeepers for the groomsmen on the morning of the wedding, which was a lovely touch for photos. As a couple, we enjoy country life, and the venue reflected this best.

Creating Their Wedding Budget By Starting With The Venue

Make sure you begin the process of planning your wedding early. A lot of venues, vendors, and planners book up in advance. We planned our wedding two years in advance. We secured our dream team of suppliers, including a photographer, videographer, planner, and of course, our dream venue.

Timeless Beauty Looks And Fashion That Reflected The Bride’s Style Perfectly

Generally, my style is very minimalistic, classic, and tailored. So I needed to feel still and look like myself on the day. My dress was custom-made and reflected my style perfectly. We kept my makeup soft and natural with a skin focus for that bridal glow. Regarding hair, I knew I wanted romantic waves for the ceremony and then a sleek finish for the reception. Both of these complimented the dress beautifully.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – We Are The James’s
Event Planning – Wild Hearts Elopements
Ceremony + Reception Venue – Fasque House
Floral Design – Kim Dalglish
Catering – Sinclairs Catering
Cake – Cakes by Kirsty
Ice Cream – Tricycle Catering
Live Music – Velvet Noir
Choir – Soul Nation
Piano – Agata Clark
Videography – We are The James
Invitation Design – Jenni Liandu
Makeup Artist – Jodi Ogilvie + Jacquelyn Mcphee Makeup
Hair Styling – Kimberly Logie + Jodie Dunsmore
Wedding Dress – Sassi Holford
Bridal Accessories – Red Rocks
Groom’s Apparel – Gibbs
Rentals – 3 Tiers Creative

Congratulations to Jordanna and David on their elegant and romantic Fasque Castle wedding. Many thanks to We Are The James’s for capturing all the special moments their loved ones will forever cherish. And, of course, a special shout out to Junebug member Wild Hearts Elopements for planning their unforgettable celebration. To see more beautiful weddings they’ve planned, check out their profile in our directory of the world’s best wedding planners.

Blending timeless wedding traditions with personal touches can help make your wedding day truly reflective of your love for each other. By carefully selecting elements that hold special significance, you’re sure to create a celebration you and your guests will never forget. Still trying to figure out where to start? We’ve got you covered! Read our guide for top tips and ideas for crafting a celebration that’s meaningful and truly your own.

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