The Story of a Cape Cod Wedding: Inspiration

I have promised not to dominate this with posts about my own wedding planning, but I can't promise that I won't share a few details here and there. The story of my (gasp! really, mine!) Cape Cod wedding starts with this inspiration board:

 { Bouquet, pumpkins, mason jars with candles, cake, basket of blankets from Style Me Pretty;

Bridesmaid bouquets from James Bass via The Sweetest Occasion;

Groom's tie from Bows 'n Ties; 

Centerpiece from Real Simple; Dress from J.Crew; 

Tent from William Tangorra; Ribbon wands from Flights of Fancy  }

(Maybe someone wants to know how you put together an inspiration board. These are photos mostly collected over months of looking at blogs and saving copies of things I like. Some images I searched more specifically for based on an idea I had in mind. Keeping track of where the images can from is the hardest part. Then I play around with text blocks in MS Word and arrange the pictures until I like the way it looks. Snippet & Ink elevates this whole process an art form. Perhaps she'll one day let us all know how she does what she does.)   

What I (ahem, we) are looking for is neutrals, natural textures and seasonal without being overwhelmingly "fallish" for our October wedding. 

 

Why make an inspiration board? I think it helps your vendors understand your vision; it can act as a visual interpretation of the mood you are trying to set and the degree of  formality you are trying to achieve.    

But let's back up a second... what happens if you don't even know where to start an inspiration board? What happens when you have *no idea* what you want your wedding to look like, how you want it to feel?
Each wedding has to start somewhere. Maybe it's your favorite color. Maybe it's the venue you've selected or the dress you've fallen in love with. Like lemonade? You can plan a whole wedding around that. 

I really believe you need to pick just one thing that you LOVE, and base the rest of your decisions around that. Stick to things you love, omit the things you don't, and the end product will be an honest and unique reflection of who you are as a couple.