Borrowed & Bleu, July 2018

‘Tis the Season to be Married

Wedding season is upon us this time of year! As you plan your wedding, ‘tis the season to let your creative juices flow! After the Big 3 – Build Your Guest List, List Your Must-Have Amenities, Determine a Budget – have been decided, you have to take a minute to decide what kind of wedding you want to have. Will it be a casual backyard party, a garden party with champagne and exquisite appetizers or perhaps a church ceremony followed by an indoor 3-course meal? There are so many details to consider- so it’s best to begin by doing a little social media research…aka cyberstalking!

We have some incredible resources at our fingertips these days that can really make your life so much easier!
Instagram: Instagram is the perfect resource for local inspiration. By setting up an account and choosing to follow some of your favorite vendors you will see photos and videos of décor and design elements that may catch your eye and inspire you! Local vendors to follow should be coordinators, caterers, photographers, florists and hair/makeup artists.
A few locals I recommend checking out: @TrumpetVineCatering,
@sidecarcocktailco, @allysonmagdaphoto, @fluidbloom, @thequeensbees, @allaboutevents and @scout_rental_co
Take screenshots of ideas you love and then you can upload them to your Pinterest account or send them directly to your vendor team.
Pinterest: I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest. It is truly the “Library of Congress” of ideas and creative concepts. It can be overwhelming if not used properly and brides can truly fall down the rabbit hole when they don’t use this resource properly. I recommend creating a few very specific boards such as florals, hair & make-up, the dress & cake to help organize all of the ideas you love. Once you’ve maxed out your Pinterest screen time then you should make a “must have” design board. Pick and choose 2-3 favorite images from each board and hand this off to your vendors. This will help you have one consistent design message for everyone to work from and discuss. Trust me this will make your life so much easier!
Social media isn’t the only place you can get inspiration from! Celebrity weddings, current styles and trending colors are also major influencers.
In 2018, we are seeing a ton of new and refreshing design trends, much different than the past couple of years. Rustic barn weddings adorned with burlap and mason jars are becoming less popular and are being replaced with bohemian themes and richer color profiles; fewer pastels and more jewel tones, fewer wine barrels and more vintage furniture, fewer buffet dinners and more family style service.
Weddings are a celebration of two families coming together. It’s an opportunity to give your guests a glimpse into your world, so let your personality shine! You should always be a little bit selfish when planning your wedding so that it reflects a few of your favorite things.
We are all influenced by popular culture and things we see on television and online. Designing a wedding is the perfect opportunity to gather a few of your favorite ideas and flavors to share with your nearest and dearest. This part of the planning should be fun and should give you that anxious, excited feeling. If it doesn’t then you should definitely seek the help and guidance of a professional event designer. Local businesses like The Wedding Standard (theweddingstandard.com) and SLO Wedding Planners (sloweddingplanners.com) will offer you several resources if you just can’t take this all on yourself!