Transforming Your Wedding Vision into Reality
- Victoria Reed
- Oct 29
- 4 min read
Planning a wedding is exciting and overwhelming in equal measure. You might have a clear vision on how you want your wedding to look and feel however, transforming a venue from a blank canvas isn't as easy as you might think. You may not know where to start, how much things cost or what details to include or exclude. This post was written to help give some practical advice, which will help you to turn your dream into a reality.
Understanding Wedding Design
Wedding design is more than just decorating an event space. It is about creating a cohesive vision, a pleasing colour palette that complements your venue's existing decor, and adding atmosphere and personality to a space making yours a unique and memorable celebration. This process starts with understanding your vision.
The Importance of Wedding Design
A well thought out wedding design make a wedding look and feel even more special. Imagine a cosheive and uniquely styled wedding which starts from the moment the guests arrive at your wedding right through to the details on the guest's place setting.
When designing, consider the flow of the event and where you guests will move around the venue. Think about how you can coordinate the design of the ceremony space to coordinate with the reception decorations.
Clever wedding design can help you to maximise your wedding budget. By investing in impactful design elements or decorations that have a dual purpose or those can be repurposed throughtout the day can reduce unnecessary expense.
How much does a UK wedding designer cost?
When considering wedding design, many couples opt for professional stylists or wedding designers who create a visual concept for your wedding and help to source decorative elements and other suppliers. The cost of hiring a wedding designer or stylist can vary widely and the service provided varies hugely according to the stylist or designers areas of expertise. In the UK, you might expect to pay anything from prices ranging from £1200 for the design to over £6,500 for design and styling service with decor elements included. The price charged is determined by experience and expertise, the size of your wedding, the level of support you need, and your decoration choices will influence the final price too.
Basic styling services which help manage the on the day setup and styling of decorations typically fall on the lower end of the scale. However, if you want full planning services from start to finish, expect to invest more. Some couples find that hiring a stylist ultimately saves them money and nearly all will find the stylist saves them time by providing options for them to choose between. Stylists are experts at finding the best and most appropriate wedding suppliers and can help you avoid costly mistakes through their expertise and experience.
Setting a Budget for Your Wedding Vision
Budgeting is a worrying step. Your vision and your budget may not align especially if you've been hanging out on Pinterest a lot after your engagement. Start by writing down a realistic overall budget and contact stylists early to ask for pricing guides. You can share your ideas and a wishlist of the must haves and your stylist will advise you on the budget breakdowns. This is really helpful to do at the start of your planning journey so you can reallocate according to both your preferences.
It is really important to prioritise your must have decorative elements. If you can't imagine your wedding ceremony without a show-stopping floral installation or you want to upgrade venue cutlery, crockery and glassware or have to have luxury linens, price these into your budget early on. Share your ideas with your stylist and let them advise you and get a feel on who you feel you trust to help you create your vision. When comparing suppliers pricing do make sure you are comparing like for like. It is not always about price alone, you may find a cheaper supplier but their customer service or the quality of their flowers or hire items may be poor.
Lastly, always build in a small contingency in your budget for unexpected expenses or last minute additions you can't do without, or for last minute changes like an additional floral centrepiece if your guest list increases.
Bringing Your Vision to Life
Once you have a budget and a cohesive design plan, the next step is planning. Here are some practical recommendations to keep you organised and focused:
Create a Timeline: Set deadlines for each decision and element. Make a note when supplier payments are due and when to they require you to finalise details.
Involve Your Partner: This journey is about both of you. Make design decisions together.
Use Visual Tools: Pinterest boards, mood boards, and digital planning tools can keep your ideas organised visually.
Keep an Open Mind: Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. Be flexible and willing to adapt your ideas.
Communicate with Suppliers: Regularly check in with your wedding suppliers, particularly the visual suppliers to ensure everyone is on the same page and fully understands your vision and design decisions.
If you're time poor or can't gain access to your wedding venue the day before, consider appointing a stylist to manage the setup and styling of your wedding decor. Having a trusted person to be responsible for ensuring your plans are executed perfectly is so important to those for whom the details matter.
Important Notes
Your wedding is a celebration of your journey together and your wedding design should reflect this too. Design together, share ideas and attend consultations together, listen to each others opinions and must haves and build compromise into your designs.
In summary:
Set a clear realistic budget and stick to it
Get help from a professional stylist who offers wedding design services
Maintain open communication with suppliers and your partner
Your wedding design should be memorable and creative. Find someone who gets as excited as you do at bringing your vision to life.
Party Squared offers wedding design, styling and hire services in Essex, Suffolk and the East of England.
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