The Use of Inspiration Boards for Wedding

I’m guessing that for those of you who are in a design or creative field, you may never have heard the term ‘inspiration board’ or even ‘mood board’ before. Suddenly, inspiration boards are a little less all over the wedding blog landscape than they were a few years ago, but using Pinterest is very much part of planning any events experience. In today’s blog, we’ll cover everything you need to know; step-by-step on how to create the inspiring Pinterest Wedding Board you’ve dreamed about.

Photo: http://www.southboundbride.com//?s=mood+board

So, what is an inspiration board anyway?

First things first, an inspiration or mood board is a kind of college that has been used for many years by creative professionals such as graphic and fashion designers to communicate a complex creative vision for a project. The boards first began as a 3D concept—literally a pin board with fabrics, drawings, patterns, colour swatches and textures added and taken away until the balance felt right. Nowadays, Brides are using Pinterest as their digital boards, which is now the normal within the wedding industry. A great advantage to digital inspiration boards is its portability through Pinterest—can be easily accessed via an iPad or phone for reference, or e-mail it to your suppliers.

What an inspiration board isn’t

The most important thing you need to know: an inspiration board is NOT a shopping list. It’s about an idea—it’s not there to make you feel like your wedding should look perfect, or even exactly the same as your board. It doesn’t have to reflect the exact choices you make, it’s an effective tool, but it is just a starting point.

Why you should have one

•   FOCUS: A Pinterest board full of images is awesome, but it can be overwhelming. An inspiration board is suppose to narrow your focus and help you turn it into a cohesive vision, and acting as an anchor for your vision going forward.  
•    COMMUNICATION: A ‘mood board’ is a simple but very effective way to communicate your concept to your suppliers, saving lots of time and frustration, and hopefully inspiring them to add their own ideas in line with your own.
•       INSPIRATION: When your enthusiasm dips and you get bridal fatigue, having your board up somewhere is a great way to get excited again. 

Photo: http://www.southboundbride.com//?s=mood+board

1.Gather your images

Don’t rush this part! Of course, if you’ve been curating one or more wedding Pinterest boards, you’re already well on your way. Save your favourite images into a single folder. An inspiration board is about a feeling and an atmosphere as much as it’s about colours and themes. You can find pictures via Pinterest, or by browsing your favourite wedding blogs.

2.Select your favourites

Now it’s time to narrow down your collection. Choose the ones that ‘speak’ to you the most that give you that little feeling of excitement or satisfaction. There’s no rush. I recommend using between 12-15 images per board, but you can use fewer – 9 is a good number if you’re working in a grid. Remember, you don’t have to get everything in! Just the general feeling and idea.

3.Put it together 

Of course, you could also use one of the online inspiration board tools that was created with you in mind! Pinterest is my favourite, and you can use images from both within the site (there are thousands!) or upload your own favourites.

 How do you feel about Pinterest boards? Are they too much? Does it help or distract those who are using them? 

Lindsay Plank SN#000256712