When you think of your favorite brands, details such as logos, colors, wording, and even how each brand makes you feel likely come to mind. All of the same things that draw you toward the brands you know and love are the same things to consider for your wedding. Yes, we’re suggesting you brand your wedding. But, let us explain first!
While planning your wedding, you’re likely hoping to create a complete experience for your guests. This experience extends far and wide beyond flowers and favors (though important), and instead creates a larger focus on gaining insight on the entirety of your wedding. Essentially, how do you want your wedding to look, but more importantly how do you want it to feel?
In order to create a sense of cohesion (and a clear direction for you and guests to feel and see!), let’s take a step back all the way to the beginning. In order to start branding your wedding, you will want to do the following:
Think About Your Ideal Wedding Venue: A wedding at the beach will cause you and your guests to celebrate in a much different space (with a much different feel!) than a wedding on a farm or even one in a ballroom. By deciding on your wedding venue early in your planning process, you will be able to book your ideal space while also taking the initial steps to determine your wedding style.
Find Your Inspiration: It’s far too easy to feel as though you’re taking a deep dive into the world of Pinterest (there’s just so much present!), but we do suggest pinning images over a period of time. Don’t limit yourself to wedding photos either! Seeing images on your board of your favorite outfits, pieces of décor, or even hairstyles can all lend themselves well to assisting you in determining what will inspire your wedding. Additionally, by pinning images over a period of time rather than one rushed evening, you may also see your style change and evolve! Once you feel you can see a defined pattern (you may find this with 5 photos or 50 – it’s up to you), save the photos to your desktop, create a collage, or create a new Pinterest board with only your top picks (think 10 – max!). Then, hop off of Pinterest. You’ve found your inspiration, and your job is done.
Determine Your Wedding Palette: As you cull through your inspiration, you will likely see patterns in terms of color. Rather than demanding that your color palette be set in stone before you start searching for inspiration, we like to encourage couples to choose their wedding palette after searching for inspiration. This way, you’re not limiting yourself early on by only looking at photos with your colors in them. Think about the colors you love and ones present in your wedding’s season or venue, then consider different shades and hues of those colors, and don’t forget to choose a few neutrals. We’ll work together on this part, but knowing what you like and don’t like will help!
Design a Wedding Logo: When working with couples, one of the most unique pieces we can design together is your wedding logo. Your venue, wedding inspiration, wedding style, and wedding color palette will all drive this piece, but a logo will also assist you as you make other decisions. With the right details and font, the same monogram can feel modern with block text for a beach wedding and romantic with script text for a garden wedding. The options are truly endless!
Design Your Wedding Details: When thinking about wedding details, I always like to talk through all of the potential pieces that may land in the hands of wedding guests. Or course, we always start with save the dates! Your save the date is a guest’s first glimpse into your wedding brand, and it’s what will start to set the tone. Next are your invitations. Think of these as a guest’s formal welcome into your wedding day – what will they see, touch, and experience when they open their mail? Your ceremony programs and reception details, like signature cocktail signs, escort cards, favors, and more complete the experience. The best part: all of these pieces can incorporate the same style, palette, and details. This is known as your wedding brand!
With all of these pieces in mind, how are you branding your wedding? Let’s talk more about the process you will experience while working with April Lynn Designs!