Tuesday 14 August 2012

ALL ABOARD: How to nail moodboards (and a 50 Shades of Grey board to get you started)

After the craziest few weeks here at Quintessentially Weddings towers (and not least for me, with just five weeks and mere days between the big day and me!) we're finally back with a pretty-filled bang. Here, in a sneak peek excerpt from our forthcoming wedding planning book - The Secret Quintessentially Weddings Guide - we share our top tips on creating boards with a 50 Shades of Grey special.

The wedding planners version of daydreaming, we think moodboards are good for the soul, (and curating them panders to my inner art director besides - who would only wear a wardrobe of Isabel Marant, Chloe and H & M's new Lana Del Rey fronted LA Noir range, incidentally). Luckily for us brides, what was hitherto the preserve of designers, creatives and interior decorators has gone mainstream. Whether you are just at the outset of planning your wedding when everything is a blank canvas or busily curating those final few details with just weeks to spare until the big day dawns, there's little a good moodboard can't help hone.

Collecting together all of the prettiest things you stumble across on your wedding planning journey and pinning them to your Pinterest boards or assimilating onto a  is simple when you know how, and offers maximum chances to play around, change your mind and tinker with all sorts of creative curve-balls which may help you to re-imagine your wedding. Plus, you can always scrap them and start again!

TOP TIPS FOR MOODBOARDING

  1. Tote your 'boards around with you on your smartphone, iPad or print outs carefully stuck into a handbag sized notebook for ease of use. They come into their own when out shopping, when you can easily look at your boards for reference to check items fit your overall vision
  2. It's totally normal (and not at all bridezilla-y) to find yourself becoming quite protective of what you will no doubt find yourself calling your 'vision' for the big day. Ignore the naysayers who raspberry your moodboards as some adult version of scrapbooking or think you have an unhealthy fascination with colour palettes and cream frosting. They'll see come the wedding - if they're still invited!
  3. Commit to a theme or feel early on and refine it, but don't dismiss the wildcard or avant garde. Put your stamp on the day.
  4. As a rule of thumb (and to be as kind to yourself as possible) stop looking at wedding blogs, websites and  Pinterest a month before your big day. That way, you won't be too overwhelmed or tempted by wacky ideas you stress to create too late in the day...
  5. Look for images, textures, colours and compositions in unlikely places. We love sites such as ELLE Decoration, Wit and Delight, This is Glamorous, Net-a-Porter's magazine, Saipua, design sponge, eat drink chic, Coco Kelley...
  6. Be true to yourself - it's all too easy to get sucked in by the wedding world and it's whirligig prettiness, but always go with your gut. If you love an image or prefer a crisp, clean aesthetic, it can totally translate to a beautiful and pure beauty of a wedding day. It doesn't have to be all frills and fondant shades. 
I've mocked up a Fifty Shades of Grey board to get you started....because if Anastasia and Christian ever did manage to extricate themselves from the sexy stuff and he got over his abandonment issues, I like to think their wedding might look a little like this, in shades of charcoal, moonbeam, mercury and smoke.



 QBride XOXO

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