Once the colors for your event have been determined, the next step is gathering inspiration. I tend to start with a collage of images that are gathered solely for their colors, just so that I can get a good feel for how my colors are coordinating. I like to use Polyvore for this since it allows me to lift images from retail websites (Anthropologie is a constant favorite) and then layer them to illustrate the combination of colors. Here’s an example of a color inspiration board for Aqua Spray and Weeping Wisteria (colors mentioned in the last post):

Weeping Wisteria and Aqua Spray by Flora Organica Design featuring J Crew

Next, I begin the process of finding images that speak to the theme or style sensibility that I’m working towards. If my clients have expressed that they want their event to be “traditional, romantic and elegant,” I find images that represent those words visually. If they say “funky, exotic and outrageous,” I look for images that represent THOSE words. I’m a very visual person, so creating inspiration boards is quite important for me. I find the boards to be particularly helpful when I’m juggling multiple event designs, because looking over an inspiration board helps me to quickly switch gears and get into the right “headspace” for the individual event that I’m designing.

Thanks to this digital age in which we live, doing research online to collect inspirational images is incredibly simple. My number one favorite place to look for images is Flickr. I can spend hours- literally- surfing through the photos on Flickr. I use the nifty “FAVE” tool to mark photos I’m drawn to so that I can come back to them later. Sometimes I drag everything into my imaging software to create a board, but more often than not I want results quickly, so I turn to the mosaic maker at BigHugeLabs, to compile my images almost immediately!

Here’s an inspiration board for the aqua and lavender color scheme and the trigger words, “Organic, Chic, Romantic.”

Additionally, in the studio, I post magazine tears all over the wall behind my workstation to further inspire me. A stranger walking into my studio probably wouldn’t understand why most of the images are there: but I understand them, and that’s what matters! My actual design inspiration doesn’t usually come from images of other floral designs, it comes from obscure images of obscure items that represent line, color, texture, or pattern: not so much items that need to be replicated, but various versions of design elements that I want to incorporate. If I find myself inspired by the ruffles of a tutu skirt, for example, that might translate itself to the ruffled petals of a peony! Studying the elements of design in college and learning to pinpoint the individual element in an image that is “speaking to me” was an invaluable part of my design education. I have an entire shelf full of binders housing nothing but magazine tears that I’ve collected over the years, so my supply of images to pull from is massive.

Like I said in the color post, it’s also great to pull inspiration from items around you. Sometimes you’ll find a feather or a leaf or a piece of fabric or ribbon pinned to my inspiration wall, too. Tactile inspiration is fun because it helps to round out design ideas, a reminder that an event isn’t just something flat, it will be viewed from every possible perspective- as well as touched, smelt, etc.

After my inspiration images are collected, it’s finally time for me to begin the last, most important part of “the process,” design! Designing the various elements of a wedding or event is unique to each aspect being designed, so my explanation of “the process” will end here. But I hope these overviews of the initial process have been helpful. Color and inspiration are certainly the components that propel the rest of the design process, so it’s important to understand how to successfully accomplish these steps. Obviously, collaborating with a trained designer will help you to achieve the best design you possibly can, but don’t be afraid to search out triggers on your own: personally, I’m one of those designers who love it when a client comes to me already having done some inspiration-gathering of their own!

I regularly search the world wide web for the most beautiful photographic images that I can find. Photography is one of my favorite art forms, and it seems there has been a recent outburst of truly phenomenal photographers on the wedding scene. Here in Southern California alone, I’ve been priviledged to work with dozens of astonishing photographers.

But there is one photographer who I have not had the pleasure of working with, despite having known her since we were teenagers and admiring her photography for the past several years. Laura Dye is one of the most creative photographers I’ve ever come across, and I am just waiting for the day when we’ll have the opportunity to work on a wedding together. Laura is based in Delaware, but she travels (as I do), and I am certain that the next year will find us working on a wedding together somewhere. You can see Laura’s work on her website and on her blog. And just for fun, here are a few of my own favorites of her photographs…

My little sister has begun planning her June 2010 wedding, and I’m scouring my vast collection of wedding magazines and books for inspiration to begin designing the decor. Designing for a sister is particularly fun for me (I’ve done it once before), because of the freedom I get to really push the envelope.

When my sister Alyssa was married over three years ago, she basically gave me free reign to do whatever I wanted with her flowers. I chose the colors, the flowers, and the design style. But I was still developing my own design style and looking back, I cringe a little bit, because the flowers just weren’t up to my current standards. They were pretty and classic and for the time and the location (Tulsa, OK), really quite nice. But I know so much more about design now and have had my horizons expanded to such an extent, that I feel a little badly that Alyssa got the short end of the stick. Truthfully, hers was the first wedding that I designed utterly and completely on my own, unattached to a shop or another designer. And she loved her flowers, still does to this day- which is what really matters.

{Alyssa’s bridal bouquet}

However, with a few more years under my belt, countless experiences working for crazy-amazing designers, and a lot of confidence in what I do, I think I can say that Olivia is going to get some phenomenal florals for her wedding. Because now, I don’t just think about the flowers, I design the wedding decor. I go for the bigger picture. When I’m working with a wedding planner, it’s such a fun collaborative effort to create a theme and then begin to collect all the little elements and bring them together to create a wedding masterpiece. When I’m working directly with a bride (which is the case with my sister Olivia), I can let my imagination run wild and sometimes that’s when the greatest, most creative work really happens.

In the next weeks and months I’ll probably share a lot of the inspiration I’m drawing for this wedding, which Olivia terms “Anthropolgie-esque,” a mix of glamour and rustic elegance. For now, here’s a spread that I scanned ages ago from a Martha Stewart Wedding magazine. I love everything about this wedding: the faux bois theme (like I said, I scanned this ages ago, long before the recent popularity of faux bois), the wild-flower arrangements, the moss-covered table, the textures and colors, that magnificent tent. Talk about inspiration!

To see the images more clearly, click directly on the photo- you’ll be taken to flickr where you can choose “All Sizes” and then view them “Large.”