Inspiration Board: Forest Dreams

Hello everyone! Hope your friday has started off sunny and lovely! :) We are back today with a tiny serving of a blog post, in the form of another spoon of styling!

My awesome sister, Jillian, has come up with another inspiration board for you to have a look at and hopefully it will help in how you visualize for your wedding :)

Like I mentioned before in the previous Inspiration Board post, Inspiration boards really help to tie in all the pretty little details and visual aspects of their big day together in a beautiful cohesive theme, so that at the end of it all, you get a gorgeous wedding, and everything photographs wonderfully because it has all been planned and laid out neatly according to a colour palette and visual theme. No more random style choices spilling across your wedding day and just getting 'so-so' photos :)

As a photographer, I find that brides who have done their homework and made inspiration boards, and ensured that all their purchases, choices, and designs for their wedding day always fit and tie back into their theme/inspiration board, always get the prettiest (and I mean PRETTIEST!!) photos at the end of the day. And who doesn't want that? :) And don't limit yourself to one or even 2 colours! We find that colour palettes of about 3-4 work wonders in how the details of your wedding theme come up in your photos! :D

Today, we are experimenting with the berry colours of the rainbow! Inspired by forest fruits, woody elements, and the romantic flavours of red in all its gorgeous hues, here is today's board! Look how even things like your linens, and food colour makes a difference! :D

(You can click on the board above to see a larger version :D)

And just like we mentioned last time:

(1) a well executed theme will be carried ALL THROUGHOUT the wedding (that means, your place cards, your invitations, your menu design, your flowers, your cake design, your table linen/cloth colours!!, your napkin and plate colours!!, your seating plan design, your favours and favour tags/boxes, your signage, your dress STYLE, your shoe colour!, and so much more! The more we see your theme in your wedding, the better it will show in your photos :) )

(2) Style boards work JUST AS WELL for your engagement/pre-wedding shoots!! :D

To end this week, I want to share with you a song I really love! I love how anthem-like, passionate, and powerful the words are, as well as the melody! Enjoy! :D

Inspiration Board: A Sip Of Summer

Mood boards, inspiration palettes, and brainstorming canvases... these things are not new to me. As someone who studied and practiced design for years before I was a photographer, we used to churn these things out day in day out as we undertook our projects to help us think more creatively and to keep all our random ideas tied to the original theme. Now, as a wedding photographer, I can't emphasize enough the importance of these things, and I can't encourage my brides enough to really let their imaginations and creative juices run loose while planning their wedding by doing an inspiration board.

Inspiration boards really help to tie in all the pretty little details and visual aspects of their big day together in a beautiful cohesive theme, so that at the end of it all, you get a gorgeous wedding, and everything photographs wonderfully because it has all been planned and laid out neatly according to a colour palette and visual theme. No more random style choices spilling across your wedding day and just getting 'so-so' photos :) As a photographer, I find that brides who have done their homework and made inspiration boards, and ensured that all their purchases, choices, and designs for their wedding day always fit and tie back into their theme/inspiration board, always get the prettiest (and I mean PRETTIEST!!) photos at the end of the day. And who doesn't want that? :)

So, as a little treat for all of you this monday, to brighten up your screens, and to inspire you brides out there a little, I've decided to post up this sweet little inspiration board put together by my FABULOUS sister, Jillian :) She has always has the most amazing eye for detail, colour, and layout (she was already picking out clothes for me when she was just 12) and she loves weddings and photos as much as I do :) I personally think she did a fabulous job on her first ever Inspiration Board - and get this... she is only 14 years old :) Yes, that's right 14 :)

The below mood board, was inspired by the sweet and warm colours of summer. Think pink guava juice, beautiful sunny flowers, orange and pink hues in the sunsets, and golden sand on the beach. Who doesn't love summer and all its honeyed goodness :)

(you can click the above to see a larger version)

Brides, some tips when doing up your own Inspiration boards:

- I dare you to not think of just 1 colour, but 2, or 3, or even 4 like the one above. You'll be suprised how beautiful some shades can look together with a bit of experimentation!

- As mentioned in last week's post, a well executed theme will be carried ALL THROUGHOUT the wedding (that means, your place cards, your invitations, your menu design, your flowers, your cake design, your table linen/cloth colours!!, your napkin and plate colours!!, your seating plan design, your favours and favour tags/boxes, your signage, your dress STYLE, your shoe colour!, and so much more! The more we see your theme in your wedding, the better it will show in your photos :) )

- Style boards work JUST AS WELL for your engagement/pre-wedding shoots!! :D My favourite shoots to date have been styled so beautifully. Remember Joe and Vivian's shoot? Check it out here to see what I mean by a beautifully styled shoot :) Or check out a sneak peek from the latest shoot I did just this morning which I personally styled myself from an inspiration board that was inspired from the colours apple green/brown/peach/pink:

Please let us know if you like what you see above! - if so, you may even see more of these creative little mood boards on the blog in the near future to help inspire you brides out there to plan fabulously, beautifully, and have some gorgeous pictures as a result of it! :D

Have a wonderful week ahead people!!

Remember, we have some special announcements this week so stay tuned to this blog space as well as our facebook page for all the latest goss and sneak peeks from shoots! :D

xox

My Favourite things: Ruby & Willow Stationery

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! I spent mine harbouring a very sore throat, and nursing a cold which I am trying my utmost best to keep at bay. But Since I am working to get on the mend, I thought I'd spent this monday morning brightening up your day with one of my favourite things - and it is something very pretty for all you brides out there! :)

You see, for years I used to be a graphic designer...which meant that things like fonts, colours, and paper ruled in my life. I lived and breathed the stuff. No, really. I kid you not. We used to stare, touch, and sniff the stuff! Sometimes for hours!

In fact, even to this day as a wedding photographer, while I may not practice the graphic design trade anymore I cannot shake off my love for all things beautiful in the font, colour, and paper department. Which means I LOVE stationery. So if I am staring intently and looking at your wedding invitations on your wedding day, you know it is just because I am admiring your wonderful style :)

Ruby & Willow, are one of my favourite stationery companies out there who do some of the most beautiful wedding invitations! They are a boutique stationery company based in New Zealand who have some of the prettiest set-out collections, as well as custom designs! I just adore how feminine, classy, and vintage chic their designs are! Have a look at some of them! :D

And as an extra treat (which I thought was soooo cool!!), the girls from Ruby & Willow put up this beautiful tag design called "Oiseau" (for your wedding favours) on their site, for free! :D

It's perfect for use on those little gifts your give away to your guests :)

You can download it in RED and GREEN for your use :)

If you want to check out more of Ruby & Willow's work, you can check out their:

Website: http://www.rubyandwillow.co.nz

Etsy Store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/rubyandwillow?page=1

Lastly, my beautiful blog readers and brides out there, don't think that design stops at just your wedding invitations! As a tip from an ex-designer now photographer, let me tell you that it benefits your photos greatly to carry the theme through your entire wedding in your:

- favour tags

- menu design

- place cards

- table number card/tag/sign

- seating plan design

- welcome signage

- your cake design (!!)

- and more! :)

The sky is the limit, and I can honestly say the better and more creative your imagination, and boldness to carry it through your wedding day, the better it will look in your wedding photos! :D Don't believe me? Remember Cindy and Rob's wedding? This is what they did and they got the most AMAZING photos! :D I promise you, brides, that the hard work and effort REALLY does pay off in your pictures :)

Much love from me this Monday morning! I'm off to nurse this cold of mine now!

xox