Event Design 101

It’s important that you keep it in mind from the very beginning in order to make sure your day turns out exactly how you picture it. 

While we talked a bit about wedding style in the last course, your wedding’s design style is slightly more complicated. We like to break it down into a simple equation:

Let’s go over each part in a bit more detail: 

The vibe of your wedding is what we touched on in the last course. Do you want something dreamy and romantic, something edgy, something vintage-inspired? Is there a theme that you want to focus on? What do you want people to remember when they leave your wedding? The vibe may be abstract, but it's one of the things that matters most on the actual day.

The aesthetic of your wedding is about the visuals. Think color schemes, think big picture visual themes, think about the specific style points you want to highlight. If you’re going vintage, what eras do you like? If you’re going romantic, do you want more lace or more florals? Use the aesthetic to hone in on your vibe and figure out a visual concept. Vision boards, collages, and other forms of visual media are a great way to narrow down your preferred aesthetic. 

The decor of your wedding includes all the little pieces that bring your vibe and your aesthetic together. Everything from the light fixtures to the type of florals and linens you use will play a part in your wedding’s design style, so don’t count them out as unimportant details. They’re what make your wedding yours! Anyone can have a chic, backyard, bohemian wedding, but what will you feature that brings the touch of uniqueness that really ties your concept together? Use this download as a starting point!

Remember, design doesn’t mean everything needs to match and it doesn't have to be 'on-trend'. In fact, design often means finding things that don’t match and still work well together. It’s all about telling the story of your partnership and the amazing celebration that your guests are attending. It can be intimidating having to worry about how things look - especially in a world obsessed with social media. But remember, the best designed weddings use appearance to create a certain feeling. And in the end, design is really just a backdrop for all of the festivities the night will bring. 

Another crucial thing to remember about design is that it’s incredibly individual. While you and your partner may be a perfect match in many ways, there's a chance that your artistic visions might clash. So, it’s time to talk about the most important tool in your wedding planning toolkit: compromise.

Before you can compromise, you need to communicate (another one of our favorite things). Regardless of how much time you’ve spent mentally planning out the details of your big day—or how little—remember that your partner’s thoughts are just as important when you’re creating your design concept. Find ways to talk about what elements you think are important. If you’re finding it hard to come up with things you really like, start by ruling out things you really love. Just please remember to be kind, considerate, and respectful before you start bashing something they love. 

If you ever find yourselves at a standstill, try asking your partner questions about their preferences. Why are they drawn to certain colors or patterns? Why do they dislike other combinations? These might be hard questions to answer since it can be hard to justify some of the ways we feel about things, so you can also ask them to find you 5–10 weddings they really love. Sometimes, questions might unlock certain significances that you hadn’t considered (“I really don’t like the way I look in that color because of my skin tone and I don’t want to be surrounded by it on our wedding day” to “Those are my mom’s favorite flowers and I really want to pay homage to her”) or reveal opinions that are just non-negotiable (“I don’t know why, but I just really hate Christmas lights at weddings.”). Either way, the answers will give you a starting place to create a beautiful wedding built on compromise and understanding. 

Speaking of compromise, sometimes combining your individual design styles can be a great way to create something unique that works for both of you. This tactic can have its limitations if your design opinions don’t take kindly to all mixing and matching. But when you find the right combination of your taste and theirs, sometimes you create something magical. Mixing design styles can take all sorts of forms: one of you chooses the style, one chooses the color scheme; one designs the ceremony, one designs the reception; or, our personal favorite, a little bit of compromise in every area. Working together to create something that’s you, your partner, and it’s own unique thing is a great way to start your married life. And we think it’s a pretty nice metaphor for marriage as well!

If you’ve ever been part of planning a big event before, you may have heard the word “flow” get thrown around. An event’s flow is much more than just its timeline, but that’s definitely a part. It also has to do with locations of things around the room, the table arrangements, the spaces to mingle, even the number of bathrooms. Creating an event with good flow means that your guests are able to have all their needs met in as little time and with as little effort as possible. That means no long lines for drinks at the bar, no tables crammed into the corner, and no impossible to find toilets. Thinking about flow is an incredibly important part of making sure all your guests have a great time.