Let me guess.
1 – Your future mother-in-law wants to choose the band for your Reception.
2 – You can’t see how the designer colors you’ve chosen will go with the hideous carpet at the church your dearest friend wants you to choose.
3 – Your hates-marriage sister wants to sing “My Humps” at the Reception.
4 – And the Best Man rolls his eyes anytime you interrupt Xbox time to ask the Groom if he prefers the Etsy cake topper to the Vintage one his grandmother wants to provide.
This is some of the best stuff a wedding can provide because believe it or not, there’s a plethora of design inspirations in each encounter with our ‘dearly beloved’. It’s really all in the right question. And the best news of all is that you get to both ask AND answer this one:
What will this encounter inspire me to add to my wedding?
This isn’t optimism run amok, it’s inspiration infused in every moment of planning.
In the cadence of the great Yoda: Simple it is.
Right? OK, OK, I know. You’re creatively challenged already, and you’re wondering how it is the clever people work magic turning straw to gold. Let’s just practice by changing some of the challenges I listed above into a design opportunity that us simple folk can invent.
So, challenge #1: Mother-in-Law’s passion for reuniting the Monkees to play for your reception.
Hmmm… The Monkees were most popular in the 1960′s and perhaps there is a design inspiration from that era that could add an element of fun or personality to your wedding. A search on Google yields these results:
I love the colors here – Red, Black, White – so dramatic. Is this a color combination that could either be yours or inspire yours?
A choker!
Will the Bride wear a pearl choker? Or perhaps look to elements of the photo for inspiration; I see a cameo on a choker. Would a vintage cameo make a good thank you gift for your Mother-in-Law?
Alright, next challenge. Hideous carpet, designer colors, and a dear friend who is attached to the location containing the awful carpet.
A tactful conversation with your friend has you asking what she loves about the church. She raves about the lovely stone walkway behind the attached clergy’s quarters. A quick phone call to the church and you’re having a lovely outdoor ceremony on that very walkway (which matches your designer colors brilliantly!)
Next? A musical sister intent on killing the romance.
Perhaps an evaluation of your reception music is in order. Genuine design includes all senses. A good way to cover all bases is to ask yourself what you want guests to see, hear, smell, and then what you want them to feel. So, you take a look at the sounds that will represent your once-in-a-lifetime and uh-oh! There is, indeed, a LOT of romance.
Though it is a celebration of youandhim, it’s also a chance for everyone to celebrate you and him. As in, you. and him.
What do your friends not know about him?
What do his friends not know about you?
How can you show these elements in the music?
Who’s personality is reflected more in the music?
What non-romantic songs would actually be appropriate and how can you use those songs to enhance the mood and inspire further design elements?
(And, being the problem-solver I am, I ask: would your sister be willing to sing “My Humps” at the Bachelorette party, instead?)
Rather than go on, I throw down the gauntlet for you: answer the remaining challenge in the comments. Or better, post your own challenges and how you’ve seen them through to the opportunity on the other side.
Happy Hunting, go forth and inspire!
