This article originally appeared on Huffington Post Weddings.
Your beloved boyfriend pops the question, you say “yes,” and somewhere in the moment you become so elated that you miss the first and most important step in the wedding planning process. It happens to the best of us! And no, I’m not talking about taking a selfie and spamming your friends’ social media feeds with pictures of your engagement ring.
What comes first when wedding planning? Announcing your engagement? Nailing down your wedding budget? Hiring a planner? While all of these to-dos certainly need to be checked off your list early on, the first stage in wedding planning is creating your wedding brand.
Branding, an overused yet misunderstood concept in the wedding industry, inspires individuality by helping you to creating a cohesive wedding look that reflects your style as a couple. A business brand can be identified by a symbol, design, color palette or a combination of these and other aspects. A brand immediately takes your mind to a picture of that product — or even better, an experience with that product. The idea behind branding your wedding is the same. As you plan the most memorable event of your life, design a brand that will both resonate with your guests and echo who you are as newlyweds.
Image: Kelly Anne Photography
If giving up the idea of a tried and true cookie cutter wedding worries you — good! Gone are the days of weddings steeped in deep-rooted tradition. Do you really want to have the same wedding countless couples before you have had? Make your wedding your own by putting your distinctive stamp on it. And if you consider yourself a traditional bride, you can still tweak tradition here and there to make it better fit your personality and style. Here are our three favorite tips to help you create a wedding brand:
Think we, not me. You love chevron, pink peonies and sparkles, and that’s great. But, a wedding is a celebration of the couple and should be an extension of both of your tastes and personalities. Think of yourselves as a start-up company and have fun developing your brand. What would your colors be? Would your “logo” be modern or whimsical? Your brand will be reminiscent of who you will be as newlyweds moving forward, so use your wedding to showcase your uniqueness in becoming one.
Bring your brand full-circle. Once you set your style, think of how you can carry it through the entire process. You want the last moments of your wedding to be just as exciting and relevant to the brand as that first announcement or save the date. In the past, your color palette was the way you conveyed your wedding theme. But you can now apply your brand via décor, furniture rentals, attire and the design of everything from save the dates to thank you cards. Apply these personalized touches to each element to create consistency.
Solicit a team of pros. It’s important to find a group of vendors that will work together in a cohesive manner to make your vision come together the way you have envisioned it. Some brides prefer not to book venues with predetermined vendor lists. The upside, however, is that these vendors likely work well together and will communicate throughout the process to ensure everyone is on the same page. If you want to choose your own vendors, start with the most important aspect of your wedding — like photography — and then ask if they can recommend other vendors that they like working with.
Brides, how are you planning to marry each of your styles into your wedding? What questions do you have in regard to developing your wedding brand? We’re happy to help address your needs!
