Vision Board | How To Start Visually Manifesting Your Wedding
Whether it’s your career, a new year, or a long-term project, you can make vision boards for anything. Putting your vision in front of you can help make you see things a little more clearly. As new ideas pop into your head, having something concrete will help keep you on track. Visualizing is almost as powerful as performing the action itself. Pull out the glue sticks and magazines and start manifesting those goals into a reality.
Why Vision Boards Are Beneficial
Pulling inspiration through images gives you something real to work off of. This makes the planning process so much easier to navigate. Use it as a visual reference whenever you feel lost or sidetracked from your goals, and do it frequently. Also, it’s a good idea to keep your vision board somewhere you can see it every day. Near your bedside table to see it first thing in the morning when you wake up, or a workspace where you find yourself being inspired. This is a gift to yourself so treat it like one.
As you start to grow and these desires you’ve mapped out start to take form, keep your vision board up to date. Even if certain initial ideas may have taken a different path, thats ok. About every 6 months, you can go in, add, and redesign. It will help keep you on track towards that end goal and continue to check off those boxes. Even if everything on that board doesn’t come to life, I bet you will reflect and see the things you were able to accomplish, and that’s the best part!
Materials
Since being engaged, and I’ll admit even before, I started compiling lots of bridal magazines filled with everything from current wedding dress styles, to the best places to honeymoon. When it came time to finding images that really showed off what I was looking for, I already had the pages dog eared and ready to go. If this isn’t the case for you, don’t feel like you need to go out of your way to purchase magazines, there are plenty of sources that you can reference for your visual inspiration.
Old Photos
Newspaper clippings
Brochures, flyers, or pamphlets
Printed images from the internet
Pinterest boards and pins
Pages from Books
Draw or stencil. Create your own!
My Wedding Vision
For me, this year has been a whirlwind of wedding planning since becoming engaged so I decided to create a vision board for what my wedding would look like. There are a lot of questions that come along with planning a wedding so I’m getting them down on paper. I’ve had so many ideas of what I want floating around in my head; often I find it difficult to put into words what my plans are.
Once I was able to have a visual in front of me, I started to see my dreams become a reality.
I’m a visual person with a photographic memory, so I find myself thinking I can keep everything organized just keeping it in my head. The truth is, it just makes me even more of a scatterbrain. Who can relate to this? Venturing into this new chapter of becoming a bride is every bit as exciting as I imagined, but there’s a lot of planning to be do and even more decisions to be make. Here’s a little insight into what I’ve learned while creating my vision board and the aesthetics that went into it.
You can also follow my “Future Mrs. Austin” board on Pinterest here to get a better inside look into all my wedding inspiration.
Planning The Dress
Finding a wedding dress is every girls dream, and from what I’ve been told, the most fun. I haven’t been exactly sure which style dress I want but I have some idea. There’s so many to choose from! In my head it’s like I have a roll-a-dex of dresses I’ve seen and loved. Thats why I put a couple different styles I like. The couple of dresses I chose to put on my vision board helped narrow down what dresses I could see myself wearing versus ones that I just thought were pretty. When the time comes to go dress shopping I now have somewhere to start.
Old Florida meets The Secret Garden.
Narrowing Down A Venue
Romantic elegance with a touch of vintage bohemian vibes. I love the lush landscaping that Florida has to offer. The sweeping cypress trees and large palms provide a tropical romantic backdrop at no extra cost! The investment in picking a venue that puts in the extra effort into their grounds and landscaping will save you so much time and money when it comes to making your wedding as picturesque as possible. Another thing to think about while touring venues is finding what space has a good flow. Throughout your ceremony, cocktail hour, and into the reception, you’re bringing your guests on an experience. This is something not everyone might think about, but when it comes to the big day, it will feel effortless.
If you’re interested in having a Florida wedding, here’s some of the beautiful, budget friendly venues I’ve favorited along the way.
The Powel Crosley Estate - Sarasota, FL
Casa Feliz - Winter Park, FL
Historic Spanish Point - Osprey, FL
Bay Preserve at Osprey - Osprey, FL
Villa Woodbine - Miami, FL
Cypress Grove Estate House - Orlando, FL
The Art & History Museums - Maitland, FL
Epping Forest Yacht & Country Club - Jacksonville, FL
Deciding Your Aesthetic
Between the ceremony and reception, It’s all about bringing elegance to the outdoors. Rectangular farm tables with runners, greenery, mix-matched stemware, and votive candles. I like the rustic-chic look with this style of table setting that you can achieve on a budget. Vintage furnishings are another great touch that is perfect for building a romantic outdoor space. Large overstated wicker sweetheart chairs bring the drama for a chic bohemian moment for the bride and groom while they sit and enjoy the reception. I chose these rattan peacock chairs that I think add the perfect touch. The chairs come at a price so finding a great catering/rental company that can match your aesthetic is crucial. I’ll list some of the ones I’ve been looking at below.
When it comes to color, natural and neutral tones with small hints of dusty mauve pastels are what I’m all about. It keeps things light and airy and helps the details really pop. I love the mix of texture when it comes to florals. Natural dried pampas grass, fuzzy bunny tail and with strands of eucalyptus and palm fronds. A bridal bouquet with dramatic edges and eye-catching angles make it a floral masterpiece. No need to worry about standing out with a bouquet like this, you will be a piece of art walking down the aisle.
Here’s a list of some of the vendors I’ve found and loved around central Florida!
Florals/ Event Staging & Design
Catering & Rentals
The Honeymoon
After all the planning, the party, and the vows, It’s time to vacation. Whether you take your escape right after the wedding, or plan ahead to enjoy the perfect time of year, the honeymoon is the best distraction to avoid those post-wedding withdrawals. Get your travel guide and waterproof go-pro ready, It’s time to start planning your honeymoon destination.
WHAT - Decide what you are looking to enjoy together as a couple- Hobbies, explorations, treatments etc. What do you find yourselves doing together when you thrive?
WHERE - Near or far, where in the world is a good place to do these things?
WHEN - Timing is everything. There’s no rule that says you have to be whisked away the next day after your wedding, but if thats your prerogative, then go for it. Just keep in mind, depending on where you plan to travel, the time of year is essential. Weather, tourism, and travel prices are all things to consider. Certain activities may only be available during limited times of the year so it’s a good idea to plan these elements of your honeymoon in this order.
Bali is located in the Coral Triangle. Also known as the “Amazon of the seas”. The waters surrounding Indonesia are home to more than 600 species of coral and more than 2,000 species of fish
We decided Bali was the place for us. I grew up taking tropical family vacations mainly because my family was huge diving/snorkeling buffs and lets just say I absorbed the love for the hobby. Both my fiance and I can’t get enough of the ocean. On previous vacations together we always gravitated towards water attractions; Fishing, paddle boarding, sailing, but most of all snorkeling. Where Bali has some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world it was a no-brainer that was where we wanted to explore. Nothings booked yet but so far we at least have the what and where figured out. Having the honeymoon vision inspiration has me searching all the “best of’s” and “must see’s” that the internet has to offer. If you’ve been thinking about honeymooning in Bali, here’s a list of some of the articles I’ve found very helpful along my search.