Mood boards are so much fun to do when you're engaged, but do they actually help you or are they just the best way to procrastinate and get nothing done in terms of real wedding planning? They don't have to be. We've already told you how to use Pinterest in the most effective way, but there's a lot to be said about the physical mood board to help your wedding vision come together.

Visualisation

Verry Robin & Co

For a start, your wedding mood board will help you instantly visualise what your wedding is going to look like. It'll show you at a glance what colours and ideas look well together. It will also help you communicate with various suppliers about what the feel of your wedding is. It can be hard to describe a theme, a tone or even a particular shade of colour in words to a florist or a baker, but a mood board that encapsulates exactly how you want your wedding to look and feel will give them an instant and clear idea.

Don't Worry About the Details

Boho Weddings Blog

You don't have to be specific about anything at this point. The whole point of your mood board is to create a 'big picture' look for your wedding. It might not mean you want those bridesmaid dresses or that cake, but you like the designs or the colour, or you might just have a picture that evokes the right mood you want for your big day. Mood boards are not about the finer details, they're about the whole day, and what you want your consistent tone to be.

Bring It All Together

The Busy Bee Blog

When you're collecting inspiration, it's a good idea to print out or tear out anything that you might like and store it away in a folder. Once you have enough tears, spread them all out and look at them. Is there a common thread or theme that is jumping out at you? More than likely, there will be an overriding tone that you've been subconsciously looking for that will be clear from what you've saved. Get rid of anything out there that doesn't fit with your theme and work with what you've got left.

Don't Limit Yourself

The Busy Bee Blog

 

Bridal magazines and websites are naturally one of the best sources of inspiration when it comes to your own wedding, but don't limit yourself to just looking at weddings. Inspiration can strike from anywhere, particularly when you're looking for colours, designs, themes and tones. Take inspirational tears and photographs from wherever you see it. Even take snaps on your phone if you see some particularly gorgeous flowers or designs on your walk home from work.

Display Your Mood Board

Club Crafted Blog

When you feel yourself start to get muddled with ideas for your dream wedding, your mood board will be your point of reference. Display it somewhere you can easily see it regularly so that your mind can always keep track of the overall vision you want for your wedding. Don't be afraid to add to it or take away from it occasionally if your vision changes slightly, but this shouldn't be done more than a few times or you'll just have a mood board as muddled as your brain.

 

- Jenny Darmody