Sometimes I feel like a detective in the very early stages of designing an event. Defining a couple's vision for their wedding day, or a a host's style for their celebration, requires that I ask a lot of questions to discover exactly what feels good to them for their event's look and flow. In the end, I summarize all my research in a design board.

The design board includes the colour palette, textures, patterns, florals and any other features I want to emphasize. These feature details can be anything from stationery, linen, tableware, fashion, location, or time of day. I never take the power of the design board lightly, and often spend more time putting it together than I care to admit.

A carefully laid out design board becomes the guide for a cohesive look and a document I refer back to with every design decision going forward. The design board ensures two things. First, it confirms that each detail aligns with the design board as we move through sourcing decisions. Secondly, when used as a sort of checklist, it checks that every element of the design board is reflected in the resulting design. If everything is checked off, the vision has not strayed and nothing important is left out.

The cool thing about a design board though is that it is art, and it can be interpreted in many different ways. One design board can lead to many different floral, tablescape, fashion, stationery, and decor outcomes. A design board is not quite a recipe, but a travel guide.

I'm going to share with you how I interpreted one design board in two different ways for our last Portfolio Builder with Stone House Creative. In fact, the design board was interpreted in four different ways that day back in October 2020, but these two particular examples were photographed by the same photographer, Tiffany Marie Photography, which makes it easier to compare the differences.

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All the designs were feminine and modern, but in this first example I would say the resulting design and styling took on a more sophisticated look. The colour palette was a little more muted, and instead the focus was put on textures and layering.

I love the crinkle runner over the full width of the table from Planned Perfectly. The colour matched perfectly with the linen underneath, so the contrast really stood out with the differing textures.

This is an invitation suite from Minted, adorned with a wide Stella Wolfe silk ribbon. The stationery suite was letterpress printed on cotton paper. The texture is not only really pretty to look at, but nice to touch and hold. The envelope addressing and place cards are calligraphy by Blake Creative Co.

In this second example, the design and styling took on a brighter and more playful approach, utilizing more colours, such as the complimentary yellow gold and mauve.

The design board had some light wood in it that needed to be incorporated. But instead of including wood taper holders like in the first example, in this setup I added some some interest to the simple (yet beautiful) white stacked dinnerware from C&T Event Rentals with an oak charger at the base.

I just love the way the light was streaming in at the Cloakroom, highlighting the bright coral and buttercream yellow in the Stone House Creative florals and glistening off the sleek silver flatware.

A big thank you to all the vendors involved in bringing this editorial vision to life.

ready to design a meaningful wedding?

Maybe you have a Pinterest board full of beautiful ideas but they don’t all fit together, you're not quite sure which direction to take, and you want to turn them into a vision that's yours. Or, maybe you know how you want your day to feel, but could use some guidance on how to bring it to life.

With design boards to see your vision, colour palettes, custom decor sourcing and vendor connections, we provide creative direction and support for all design-related decisions.

Contact us today and tell us all about your wedding day vision!