5 Reasons to Create A Mood Board for Your Wedding + What Should Be on It

Defining the overall style of your wedding is one of the first steps you’ll want to take when planning your big day. There’s no shortage of inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and bridal blogs and websites…but how do you narrow down all of those amazing ideas into one unified theme?

Wedding pros, like San-Diego based planner Evelyn Francesca, use Wedding Mood Boards to define the feel and look they want to achieve at each event, from flowers and food to décor and fonts. 

If you’re just starting out in the wedding planning process, you can use this creative process to plan and create a cohesive theme for your own big event. Here’s why you should create a mood board for your wedding and what should be on it.

1. WEDDING INSPIRATION IS EVERYWHERE

Thanks to modern technology, wedding inspiration is everywhere. That can be a wonderful thing but figuring out which ideas truly fit your vision can be overwhelming. Sure, you could create a wedding board on Pinterest, but simply collecting tons of images could leave you feeling lost and hopeless as to how to get started. Instead, try getting away from the websites and start a Wedding Mood Board that tells your story as a couple. The process will help narrow down all those ideas and decide what really speaks to you, rather than what’s trendy.

2. A WEDDING MOOD BOARD GIVES DIRECTION AND ENSURES THAT EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE

Your Wedding Mood Board gives direction for the overall theme and style of your wedding. Choose three or four colors and use them as your starting point. Then, begin narrowing down the details you love and gather them together. This will allow you to communicate your vision with everyone involved in the planning process, from your partner, family, and friends to your vendors. When you’re meeting with someone about your wedding, you can bring your board with you or print or e-mail it to ensure a unified theme.

3. WEDDING MOOD BOARDS ALLOW YOU TO TELL YOUR STORY

This is the first time YOUR wedding has happened. So, when it comes to the style and theme, the wedding you plan is going to be completely unique. And, that’s how you want it to be. No one wants a cookie-cutter wedding! Your Wedding Mood Board allows you to tell your personal story, evoking unique memories and emotions that are specific to the two of you. Think about your hobbies, your favorite books and songs, your travels, even your careers. That’s where you want to get your inspiration.

4. YOUR MOOD BOARD HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND HOW THE DETAILS OF YOUR WEDDING WILL MAKE YOUR GUESTS FEEL

One of the most amazing things about a Wedding Mood Board is that it evokes emotion. It will help you begin to understand how your wedding details will make your guests feel. Will the overall theme be soft and romantic, elegant and traditional, or is eccentric and bold more your style? Do you want your guests to feel right at home or like they’re on a mini getaway? Setting the overall tone for the day is part of the fun of planning your wedding, and there are no right or wrong answers. Your mood board should reflect the things the two of you love and then help you translate them into the style and design of your big day.

5. YOUR MOOD BOARD PROVIDES A CREATIVE OUTLET DURING A STRESSFUL TIME 

Your Wedding Mood Board gives you a healthy, creative outlet during a time that can be stressful. This time goes by fast, and you want to enjoy it! The wedding planning process can take over your life, so having a creative outlet can bring some of the joy back into it. Getting some input from your partner, friends, and family can be a lot of fun, too. 

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WHAT TO INCLUDE ON YOUR WEDDING MOOD BOARD

So, you’ve got a pile of inspirational photos, where do you go from there? First, go through those images and get rid of anything that doesn’t really fit in with your vision for the big day. Then, group the remaining images in a way that makes sense to you, such as by theme, color, or the emotions they evoke.

As you sort through them, you’ll notice that similar strands begin to emerge. Pick out the ones that really tell your story. Eventually, as you choose and eliminate photos, you’ll begin to see a visual representation of what you’re hoping to achieve.

Remember, the images don’t need to be of actual weddings. They could be fashion photos, décor, paintings, photos related to hobbies, books, or music you love, or perhaps even ideas for the honeymoon of your dreams…whatever captures the essence of your vision.

It can be difficult to imagine all of the little details that go into a big wedding. With individual elements side by side on your mood board, you’ll have a visual representation of the whole picture. Be sure to include representations of your flowers, linens, papers and fonts for print materials, and of course, your dress. This will help you visualize how the event will flow and ensure that it all looks cohesive.

Your Wedding Mood Board will probably evolve and change over time, and that’s ok. Mood boarding is like brainstorming. We recommend creating a physical board or digital mood board that you can refer to during the planning process, adding and taking away images as you progress through the planning process.

WRAPPING IT UP

Creating a Wedding Mood Board is a great way to bring your vision to life. It will help you visualize your overall theme while ensuring that your styling ideas, colors, and aesthetics flow together smoothly. It also allows your partner, family, friends, and vendors to offer input, while ensuring that everyone is on the same page.

Written by: Donna Maurer
www.donnamaurer.com