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!

A dear friend of mine has just begun the process of planning her wedding (sans coordinator), and asked me if I had any initial planning tips. Tips, you say?

To me, color is the primary facet in designing an event. It doesn’t matter if I’m designing a wedding, a party, an awards show, or anything else: color comes first. Everything else that I do stylistically revolves around my color choices. From my experiences with my clients, I’ve found that non-creative types (i.e. those who don’t have a natural penchant for art and design) tend to really struggle with choosing colors. They are often very unsure of what colors “go” together and how color affects the various aspects of their wedding/event. This is where a great designer becomes worth their weight in gold.

There are many, many ways to choose colors. Brides often go with their “favorite” color. I have a feeling that is why we see so much pink in weddings! Executive event planners tend to go with colors that match a logo or a design already in place for a company. I find myself taking inspiration from all manner of things: a pretty piece of stationary, a dress or accessory or piece of jewelry, the cover on a book or album art, photos of nature… there is no “right” or “wrong” way to choose colors, you simply have to choose what speaks to you on a personal level. Be bold with your color inspiration, and try to look beyond the obvious. Flipping through a wedding magazine is great- but do you really want to copy someone else’s wedding? Try to be more creative than that! Take inspiration from the wash of your favorite pair of jeans, or your partner’s favorite printed t-shirt, or the color of the coffee that you drink every morning!

The sky is the limit, so you have the freedom to choose the one color that really speaks to you (and/or your partner)- and if you get stuck there, or don’t have an innate understanding of how different colors interact with each other, don’t be afraid of the color wheel. It’s a valuable tool and so simple to use! My color wheel and an intense book of color were my constant companions throughout my college design classes: they still hold important spots on my design desk today. However, a brief warning: NOT all colors combine well. I’ve had to work on events in the past where a bride chose two (or three or more) colors that looked awful together, but they were her “favorite” colors and she would HAD to have them. Terrible decision. Sometimes you can mix colors that you wouldn’t expect to see together, sometimes you simply can’t. Please, please listen to your coordinator/event designer/floral designer if you sense any trepidation from them regarding your colors. Choosing colors that do not coordinate can seriously ruin the entire aesthetic of your event.

It helps to have someone to toss your color ideas around with. If I’m not working directly with a bride or event planner, I like to discuss color ideas with fellow designers. I often discuss colors with (my mum) Victoria Hoke Lane of Calligraphos, Ink. At the moment, we’re working on designing a wedding show booth together. Victoria knew that she wanted to use a pale shade of aqua for one of the primary colors for this event, so we were able to start there. I took her online to Behr’s paint website, where I am fond of stealing color swatches to use in my designs. Victoria chose a color called “Aqua Spray,” and then we moved onto the next color. First we looked for a red, but after much browsing of shades and discussion on how popular “turquoise and red” have been lately for weddings, we decided to go for pale lavender, instead. Once our two primary colors were chosen, I put them together to create a little “swatch” that we could refer to when making the rest of the design decisions.

In this case, I’m obviously not going to be able to get aqua flowers, and the pale, pale lavender might prove difficult to match, as well. So we know from the outset of this process that the flowers will be in varying shades and tones of light purple, and the aqua will be used for non-floral accents. Knowing this delineation outright helps us as we begin to make further design decisions. But the next part of the process is gathering overall design inspiration for the bigger picture, and we’ll save that discussion for another day!