Designing Your Dream Wedding: Tips for Stress-Free Decor Planning
Designing your wedding- an exciting but downright terrifying task. It’s wild to think about how much fun it is in the beginning and how much you agonize over it by the end of it- questioning every choice, decision made, piece of decor purchased.. All of it.
I remember when I got married in 2019, the only tool I had when it came to designing and planning my wedding decor was Pinterest. Thinking about that now is absolutely wild because of how much I have completely changed the game when it comes to planning your wedding decor. By the time my wedding arrived, I had at least 4 different vibes all set in a venue space that didn’t match a single one of them. Two days before my wedding, I still had no idea what I was going to do for plate settings, I changed the color of the napkins 24 hours before I got married and overnighted the most expensive napkins and wasted so much time and money on so many little details similar to this one. Not only did I have assigned tables, but I had assigned SEATS because the meal was plated and had NO seating chart. Like- how did I even show up to the right venue on the day of- it was THAT disorganized and chaotic.
We brought furniture we wanted to use for photos that we never ended up using, I had no decor planned or even purchased for “cards & gifts” table and although I had endless inspiration photos saved about what I wanted my wedding arch to look like- I had no idea how to actually achieve it so it ended up looking like something completely unplanned.
After our wedding was over, on our honeymoon, I just remember sobbing to my new husband about how disappointed I was. How did something I worked SO HARD on during our two year engagement end up being the wedding of my nightmares? The only photos I look back on are the ones of just my husband and I and our family. No ceremony photos, no reception photos- they just make me cringe and it stings a little to look back on and remind myself of so much disappointment. The worst thing was that at the end of the day- it was my fault. It was my vision, it was my planning, it was all me- every decision that was made was mine.
I grieved my wedding- which sounds so ridiculous but it’s true. We all dream of our someday wedding- wanting it to be perfect and unique and beautiful. You’re celebrating the biggest chapter of your life beginning and joining your soulmate in marriage. It’s such an important experience and to walk away feeling let down or like you failed isn’t something I wanted anyone else on the planet to feel ever again. And I think the only way I could cope with that was to immediately dive as deep as I could into learning where I went wrong and how to fix it.
But in that process- I discovered that there was a large piece missing in the industry- specifically in the designing and decorating space. I realized so quickly that at the end of the day- all brides and grooms have is Pinterest as their visual aid when they plan their wedding. And when I realized that was the only tool at their disposal- I immediately understood that they were all set up for as much failure as they were success… just like I was.
And that’s honestly where the madness started. I had to create something that could change this.
That’s when I dove into “designing weddings” - which simply put is a service where I plan the wedding decor and all visual aspects of a couples wedding.
With that said- Pinterest is obviously an amazing visual search engine that can help with establishing what styles you are most drawn to and spark inspiration for new ideas that you have! BUT it can easily go from being a helpful tool to an uncontrollable enemy during the planning process. And hear me when I say this: Visualizing your wedding is the MOST important part of planning the wedding decor. (which can be tricky if you’re not the most visual person) So here’s how I simplify it:
I first list all of the spaces needing decoration. Usually- this includes spaces like: Ceremony, Aisle, Welcome Sign, Cocktail Hour, Seating Chart, Bar Area, Guest Tables, Head Table, Photo Spot, Entry Tables, Memorial Tables, etc.
I then create a specific mood board (usually using Pinterest) for each space- breaking down each section into about 5-7 pins per section. (never more than 10) I also like to get SUPER detailed about what it is about each pin that I like the most- for example: Don’t just make a section for guest tables and be done- break that down further to be “Plate Settings”, “Centerpieces”, and “Guest Table Stationary/Table Numbers” so that there isn’t any confusion about what EXACTLY you’re wanting each item to look like. (For more information on how I create the Perfect Pinterest Board- check out this link)
I open up good old Canva! It is a super user friendly designing software that you can use to break down each space and start putting visuals together! I love using the “Presentation” design format!
I then upload photos of each venue space that you’re planning on using as the background and then I get to work putting ideas together! Designing with the venue as the background can really help show you what you’re wanting in the space without having to do anything but move your computer mouse around! (it’s especially helpful when you live out of state from your venue)
After you’ve created your visuals, I like to then open up an Excel document, creating a spreadsheet for each section that you’ve designed. (Same as before- ceremony, aisle, etc.) Here is where I like to calculate what exactly I need to achieve each look and how many of each item I need to order. There are a million ways to calculate totals and pricing to help with budget so do whatever is easiest for you and what you’re most comfortable with!
That’s the most basic version and process breakdown of what I have done with so many clients over the years to simplify their planning experience, organize and visualize their wedding decor and prevent them from overspending or aimlessly decorating with no idea how it’s going to turn out. I’ve gotten so much feedback on this process saving them from the endless amounts of stress and anxiety that decorating your wedding can bring and instead gives them excitement and JOY when it comes to designing their wedding spaces.
For an even easier experience- here are some of my TOP TIPS to create a flawless wedding design:
Subscribe to Canva Pro ($15/mo) so that you can cut the backgrounds out of images so you can design with real items like I do vs. just using pictures and creating a moodboard essentially! OR check out my Etsy Design Templates that already have images cut out for you so all you have to do is pick through hundreds of already cut out decorative items and then copy and paste into your design and skip the Canva Pro subscription altogether!
Make sure you make your design elements/items to scale with each other to make it look as real as possible!
Save links to all items needed on your Excel document so you don’t have to shop for them more than once and you can just open up your document and have access to them whenever you’re ready to order them!
When you’re ready to share your design with your florist, venue, planner, etc- share a public view link for ease of sharing! It’s so much faster than downloading, uploading, attaching- just copy and paste the link and anyone can share it with who ever might need it!
Use your design on the big day for your set up team to reference! It makes it so much easier to explain your vision when they can SEE your vision!
Label each space to make it super easy to reference! (For example: just add a text box on each page: “Ceremony 1”, “Ceremony 2”, etc.)
Use the comment boxes in Canva that pop up right next to each page to your advantage and make notes during the planning process so your notes aren’t in multiple places!
While everyone wants to have the most unique wedding decor ever- don’t be afraid to imitate a few elements from the pins you love the most! (For example: don’t copy every single detail of each plate setting but maybe do the same plate color or napkin fold! Then add unique elements to the stationary to change it up and make it more your style) But definitely don’t try and decorate by reinventing the wheel with every space! You already know what you like so stick with that!
Don’t be afraid to reach out to those on your vendor team responsible for creating visual aspects of your wedding (your set up team, florist, etc) and ask them what they think and how possible it is to bring each design to life! It will absolutely help with any lingering stress knowing that your team is there and understands your vision and is ready to show up on the day of and execute the wedding of your dreams! And it gives you an opportunity to hear from the pros who have probably put together a similar look several times before and know what’s possible and achievable!
Keep all of your stationary throughout your design with the same vibe! Cohesive stationary is super important to a cohesive design!
While designing and decorating each space of your wedding can be super scary, stressful and daunting- it really doesn’t have to be! The biggest piece of advice I have is to use Pinterest WISELY! It can be a slippery slope to get on Pinterest and get overwhelmed by all the pretty things on Pinterest and all of the sudden have no idea what the vision for your wedding is and have no idea how you’re going to PLAN your decor. Just take it one space at a time, narrow down what you actually can’t live without on your Pinterest board and what doesn’t match and utilize Canva as much as you can to create actual visuals of your spaces so there aren’t any questions as to what you want!
For more information on how I create wedding designs, find additional resources or other tips and advice I have for couples getting married- check out my Instagram and give me a follow!
Additional places to keep up with me:
Guest blog post: Written by Abigail Sparks, Decor and Design Events