Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Oh! So clever
- 7 December 2016
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My article and Bridal basket design featured in
To some extent, every bride wants to look unique and memorable on her wedding day. Designing unique wedding elements can be really tricky, especially if you are the kind of person who always does the unexpected.
Taking that “uniqueness” even further may seem like the way to go, but that is, well, quite expected because guests are already expecting the unexpected that from you. To make it even more difficult, you still want that bridal feeling, it is your wedding day after all!
My advice might surprise you. I say: if everyone is expecting something rather outrageous from you, not even a clown suit will be as unexpected as walking down the aisle in a white dress. It does not mean you have to play it safe. By no means! It just means you should play it: oh so clever.
Clever in this case means being deliberate in looking at the traditional elements of weddings and wedding designs, and then identifying which of these design elements fits your vision for your day.
Try to determine what “bridal” means to you, and give you that feeling, so that you know which details to focus on. You probably already have quite a few images saved with design elements that you love.
Look carefully at all those bridal details and see if you can verbalize them.
Do you have pictures of a long classic cathedral veil? A white gown? The classic bouquet of flowers and corsages?
Or is your vision a little wider? Flower girls and ring bearers? A shower of petals, pew decoration or elegant table settings at your reception?
Use familiar and specific words to describe what you want, so that your vision is clear. Eliminate any ambiguous or misleading words and avoid being too restrictive. The goal of this is to use words that identify, inspire and spark your creativity.
Try explaining to someone what you mean, to test how well you have defined what you are looking for. These things are the design elements that will give you that “bridal” feeling
The next step is to creatively push each of these design element to it’s limit, adding that something unique to the traditional bridal look, making it your own. For instance; a white cape or a hood instead of a veil, or a unique fabric for a traditional design bridal gown.
Look carefully at the words you used to describe what you are looking for. These words will ignite your imagination. Consider the traditional more practical elements so that you remain within your original goal of feeling like a bride.
A good example is a bridal basket. A smaller design, like this one, is an unexpected twist on a traditional element that you can carry with a special person walking you down the aisle.
For a “not like every other bride”’ kind of bride, it is not only important to know what you want, but also have the language to communicate what you want. It will smooth the way to creating the design elements that suits your vision for your big day.
Thank you DIY Weddings Magazine for inviting me to contribute.
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