Tips for starting an Italian wedding moodboard

Jul 9

We are going bold here - put Pinterest away! Yes, it‘s an incredible tool for further down your styling journey, but for now start without it.

Styling is not just about how a location looks, it is about how it feels as well. Good styling will take guests on an experience and there is no better than a true Italian one. To do styling right, a budget must be allocated to this aspect from the start; this should not be an after thought. Considering styling can include furniture, linen, lighting, flowers, guest book and guest accessories (fans, favours), a suitable ‘value’ budget is around 10,000 euro.

The biggest tip when it comes to styling your wedding is to keep it authentic to you; this is your opportunity to inject your personality into the aesthetics and decor. And you want your guests (and yourselves) to walk in and think, ‘yes this feels like us’. So, why not Pinterest? Those weddings have happened for other people and whilst it is wonderful to get pointers, often many find themselves down a Pinterest rabbit-hole trying to recreate piece by piece, flower by flower the exact image they’ve found. Plus, they tend to be from weddings with a very different budget to you.

**Time of year**

The season hugely affects the flowers available, the colours of the landscape, the tone of the sky. You need to consider the time of the year and choose colour tones which will compliment it. If you’re having a spring wedding, the darker moody tones might not work with the brighter day. Equally deep tones work well in winter to give warmth.
Choosing the colours from the season will steer you to use the flowers in season - both better for the environment and your budget.
Photo: Colin Ross | Florist: Amsicora | Planner & Styling: Wiskow & White

**Colours on a moodboard**

Get a selection of your chosen colours down on a moodboard. So whether that is a professional moodboard your stylist has knocked up, or literally get a piece of card and some colour swatches to see what works well together. For now, pull out the colours of the landscape, the sky, the trees, all the natural colours surrounding your venue.
Photo: Red on Blonde

Villa Le Fontanelle Italian wedding venue in Tuscany — **The surroundings**

Consider the other surrounding colours. Often the dinner is hosted near to the venue building, so having this part of your colour palette is a nice inclusion. Don’t have your entire colour palette following this tone, as it will all end up fading into one and frankly being a little boring! Reference the colour but use other colours to have more stand out.
Venue: Villa Le Fontanelle

Paola Negroni wedding table styling by the sea. Blue, orange, pink flower design for wedding table — **Your favourites**

What are your favourite colours? Add these to your natural colour palette and start seeing it all come to life. The big question….do the colours work together?
Florist: Paola Negroni

**External Inspo**

Look to interiors, fashion and art to pull your favourite patterns / colours / looks together. Instagram is brilliant for facilitating this.
Photo: Marta Ilardo Photography | Planner: Rebecca Marie

Rewritten bridesmaids dresses for bridal party at wedding — **Consider your bridal Party**

The colours you choose for your bridal party need to work with the palette you have chosen for your table decor. Colour and style is key here - remember, you can always mix and match the colours or styles of the dresses. Your bridal party fashion says a lot about the style of your wedding - consider whether formal slick dresses go with whimsical decor or vice a versa.
Bridesmaid Fashion: Rewritten

Bright pastel flowers for wedding table styling. Florist Giorgia Carolini Floral Design — **Flowers**

What are your favourite flowers? When you brief your florist specify these with a few photos to demonstrate the style / palette / vibe you’re going for. Do not inundate them with images - this is not helpful and you risk not giving them a clear vision of what you want. Equally, send them over your favourite flower and trust their skills to create magic! Always highlight a priority.
Florist: Giorgia Carolini Floral Design | Photographer: The Lopes Photography

Not everyone has the ability to style and if you are managing this yourself, working out what comes first is quite daunting. Also knowing when enough is enough is one of the biggest skills to hone. Our membership, The Club has your back with a specific Styling Guide. It helps you pull each piece of the puzzle together until you have your wedding vision complete. Oh, and it is designed by expert planner and talented wedding stylist, Lucy White so you know you’ll end up with greatness! The Club is so much more than styling and really will be your ‘back-pocket’ wedding planner throughout this journey.