If you followed the steps from our previous blog post on Tuesday about what to do after you’re newly engaged, you may be concerned with the step entitled “brainstorm.” You may be thinking, “okay, so what do I do now that I have a binder and boxes full of ideas?” Well, today we will answer that question as we walk through how to organize your ideas and turn your dream wedding into a reality. Follow along and take notes!

Season. It’s very helpful to begin once you have narrowed down the season you want to get married in. We want you to gather up four photos (magazine snippets, paintings, anything) of inspiring scenes from each season and lay them out in front of you. Immediately eliminate the photos that don’t strike your fancy if you know there’s a season you absolutely don’t want to get married in. If there is more than one, don’t worry because by the time we’re done guiding you here, there will be only be one left. Don’t ruminate or overthink different photos; simply choose what you like first.

Colors. Go to your local pain store and pick out four paint swatches with the same color but different shades. Then pick out four complementing colors of the same style and match them with each of the four you already have. There should be four pairs of colors at this point, eight total swatches. Take these home and match your favorite color combination to with the season you have left. If you have more than one season left, match which color combos you like most to each of them.

Ideas you’ve collected. Now that you have a general idea of how the creative juices in your head are flowing, pull out anything you’ve saved for wedding planning purposes. You’ll begin to see a theme with your taste and it should be fairly easy to categorize which items fit into which season/color combo now.  Decipher which season/color combo your favorite flower related ideas belong in, venue, décor, etc.

Attire. Look for the fashion photos, fabric swatches, etc. that you’ve saved and pair them with your favorite season/color combination. Formulate what you see your guests wearing, the dress you are aiming to wear, and what the bridal party will be wearing.  This will help narrow down exactly what you’re looking for aesthetically.

Food/Dessert.  At this point it should be fairly clear which season/color combination is your favorite. After you choose which you like best, think about what kind of food will be in season. As for deciding on dessert—it’s going to be delicious no matter what so just choose what tastes best to you and your other half. J

You should now have a general overview of the atmosphere and style you’re aiming for on your special day. We hope this process helps narrow down all of your ideas and reveal the most important to you, eventually showing what you really want. Your day will be unique because you are inimitable, so take this chance to let it all shine through!