Loryn on Mass Appeal: How to Brand your Wedding! 5 Steps to Awesome!

Wedding branding (or branding for any event!) is the overall look, feel, and color palette that you have chosen for your special day. While representing who you are as a couple, it tells your story visually and emotionally!

You can hire a professional graphic designer to help you achieve the best "brand for your buck" (get it?!) but there are plenty of ways to DIY when it comes to branding your day.

Having a focused direction for the look of your wedding not only is more visually appealing & exciting for your guest, but it helps every industry professional you will work with along the way! This way... everyone is on the same page!

When planning a wedding that best and most accurately describes your relationship with your future spouse, there are so many small touches you can infuse into the event to give your guests a more memorable experience! From the color palette, logo design, paper products, all the way to our wedding website. By focusing on branding and the design details your guests will be able to see it all unfold from beginning to end, making it that much more exciting! To keep the planning phase FUN and steps away from overwhelming, these are the top 5 areas to focus on to make your wedding or big event a more authentic representation you and your betrothed!

1) Create a Vision Board!

As with anything else, planning ahead and having a secure FOCUS on your color palette and event theme will make this process much easier! What words would you use to describe your overall dream aesthetic? For example: modern, rustic, glamorous, vintage, natural, bright, clean, etc. The most successful branded weddings choose one strong overarching concept or narrative—and stick with it. Make design choices that feel organic to your style, venue, and vibe. If you're still tempted by an idea that doesn't naturally fit the concept of your day, you can always incorporate it into the welcome dinner or day-after brunch. Then, consider what colors may best represent those adjectives, combined with what colors you LOVE! As I’d suggest with any genuine branding, if you don’t LOVE the colors of your brand (business or wedding aside!), they won’t feel authentic to your audience (or guest list!). Don’t just choose colors that you think are “right”! Choose about 4-5 colors that are speaking out to you, and think about the bridesmaid dresses, flowers, etc. that you might want to use. The colors you decide should lean towards your look. For example, if you are going for a romantic theme, you may want to choose soft pastels vs. harsh colors such as black and red. For a rustic theme, brown, ivory and green generally work well together. Once you have an idea of where to start… head to Pinterest! Use your keywords AND colors to find images that give the vibe you may want to emulate in your event. Types of images can include textures, fonts, photographs, graphics, and patterns! They all should elicit the same feeling you want your wedding to have. Once you Pin 20-30 images, look for similar features & patterns and combine them into a “vision board”! This will be used as inspiration for you throughout your entire planning process!

2) Create a Text Logo!

You betcha, logos aren’t just for businesses! Your planning an event, and it deserves to have a defined logo! Ever think of your favorite music festival or charity event, and notice how all their posters, websites, postcards, etc. all have the same look and feel to them? That’s what you should aim for at your wedding! The simple route is to find a font or two that you LOVE that can be used on invitations, place cards, etc. My favorite way is to head to a font website (I love Creative Market.com!) and search through fonts using you & your future spouses’ first names (or last names as well, depending on how you want to list yourselves!). Remember… make sure they are fonts that work well with the described adjectives you chose in step 1! You can get as fancy as you want / time allows with this step. (Can include coordinating Sub marks, textures, patterns, etc.)

3) Design your Wedding Stationary!

Now things are getting FUN! Whether you choose to DIY all of these items or hire a designer, make sure that you specify the colors, fonts, & any supplementary

you chose in steps 1 & 2! Wedding stationary includes Save the Dates, formal Invitations, envelopes, RSVP cards, thank you cards, and more! With any amazing event, the immersion should begin months before the actual event begins! Give your guests a taste of what the event will be like: a trip to a tropical coastal wedding, a glamorous fete, a rustic gathering, etc.! This will not only showcase what you and your spouse-to-be are all about, but give them clues into how to dress and the kind of gift to purchase for you! Be sure to include both fonts you chose and keep the color scheme the EXACT same! Create graphics and/or patterns that can be used on these items interchangeably to coordinate the theme even further!

4) Design your Reception Items!

As with the wedding items, using the same colors, graphics, and fonts are SO important! However, for the reception, because so many of these items will be stationary & seen frequently, you can get creative! To pull it all together, choose to design various pieces for the entire wedding weekend, in which guests would be able to see everything come together! Don’t forget obvious printed items such as menus for the bridal party, ceremony and the food reception and branded thank you cards, but you can get even more creative at this step! Do you have special cocktails or cocktails you’ll be offering? Use a rustic window pane, funky chalkboard, or glamorous lighted sign to post the options! You could customize your dance floor with your wedding logo or submark! Give each of your bridal party a customize tote bag and drink container (using your colors and fonts!) as a thank you! For your guests, seal wrap on your favors with a custom sticker using your wedding logo, or create a fun, branded “Do Not Disturb” sign for their hotel rooms after your event! Are you hosting a destination wedding sans-kids? Print and frame photos of your friends kiddos for them using frames that mirror your style of wedding! Little, thoughtful items like these make your wedding so much more memorable AND show your appreciation and love for those that are celebrating with you!

5) Create a Wedding Website!

Wedding websites are one of my FAVORITE ways to keep your guests in the loop AND to gush about your beloved! This is all about introducing your guests to your wedding, before most of the fun stationary items are sent out to them! While your sharing with all your guests how you fell in love with your guy or met your maid-of-honor, you can use this piece of “marketing” to further explain your wedding theme & what you two are all about! The colors, patterns, and fonts you chose in your inspiration board are KEY to making a design of a website successful. You want to include all the necessary information your guests or those that love you would want to know about the event, but also a key to who you two are as a couple. Choose photos from your engagement photoshoot, use imagery that coordinates with your theme, and let who you both are SHINE!

Are you looking to brand your big day? Let me know in the comments what your first brand item will be!

Watch my segment on Mass Appeal HERE!

http://wwlp.com/2018/03/06/how-to-brand-your-wedding-to-your-style/