Compiling A Wedding Mood Board Based On British Period Drama Costumes: 10 Top Tips

A wedding mood board can be the ideal way to start the daunting task of wedding planning. Any prospective wedding couple should work together to create a board that both enjoy and that will reflect their values, tastes and passions.

There are so many things to consider when planning a wedding, and it can get tricky to keep up with all the choices to be made. Mood boards can be an excellent way for couples to develop their ideas, get a better picture of what they want and don’t want, and ensure that they have a budget that is suitable.

What Is A Wedding Mood Board?

A wedding mood board can include a wide range of items and imagery that reflect how a couple wants their wedding to look. It may be images from favourite TV shows or films, pictures of clothing, samples of materials and artwork. It should be a way to capture the essence of what a couple wants their big day to look like without being a list or breakdown of each item they want their wedding to include.

Mood boards are used not only by couples getting married but by companies to develop their brands and artists and other creatives to start an artistic endeavour. They are more of a way of showing the feeling and tone to set for the big day than a step-by-step guide to achieving the look for the big day.

Why Choose British Period Drama As Inspiration?

British period drama has a lot of inspiration to offer to couples. There are many distinctive eras to choose from, from medieval to Victorian to the roaring 20s. The period a couple chooses will depend on the overall aesthetic they want from their wedding.

A couple may choose to make their wedding as close to the era they choose as they like, or simply take elements that they enjoy most from the time and aesthetic. Couples could consider making a list of all their favourite British period dramas to draw inspiration from and get their mood board started.

Start With Colour Schemes

Colour schemes are always an excellent place to start with any wedding and can help inform a couple’s choices as they go on throughout the planning process. For instance, a Regency-era-themed wedding, like one based around Bridgerton or a Jane Austin adaptation, can evoke soft pastels or warm earthy tones depending on the period drama selected.

Consider The Theme

A theme is another excellent way to get started on making decisions for a wedding. Not all weddings have or need themes, but they can be a great way to help along the decision-making process. The theme could be the historical period or British period drama chosen by a couple, or it could be more focused on a specific area, such as a rustic or seaside theme.

Look For Venue Inspiration

There are truly incredible venues available to help couples recreate the setting of their favourite British period drama. The location for a wedding will often depend on the couple’s budget, so it is vital to be aware that many of the grand old houses, mansions and castles throughout the UK come with a high price tag.

Choosing to marry in the off-season or midweek can be a great way to offset some of these costs. When selecting images of venues for a mood board, consider the overall look to be achieved to help narrow down the options. There is also the more cost-effective choice of having a wedding in a historically accurate location without the increased price tag of a country manor. Converted barns or manicured gardens can also be excellent choices.

Keep Everything In One Document

When building a mood board, it can be easy to end up with folders upon folders of pictures and information spread across various social media sites or computers. It is a good idea for couples to keep everything they’ve gathered for their wedding mood board in one document.

This can make it easier to review the options and ensure that both are on the same page. Couples could consider each keeping their own PDF and merging when they’re happy with both. Adobe have many tools to help you do this. If you’re unsure of how to merge PDFs, you can try their tool found here.

Make Notes Of Things Not To Include

Throughout the process of making a mood board, couples are likely to run into options that one likes, but the other doesn’t. This is perfectly normal for any wedding planning process, and it is vital that each partner respects the other’s wishes and preferences. Keeping track of the things each partner feels strongly about early in the process can help avoid conflict or disagreement further down the planning process.

Don’t Get Too Complicated

It can be easy for a couple to start a mood board and get carried away with all the different things they want to include. It is important to remember that a mood board isn’t a plan but more of a concept for the overall event tone and feel. It may help to limit the size or number of pages used for the mood board to keep it more focused and clearer. It can then be a document that the couple refers to when they move on to the wedding planning proper.

Make The Flowers The Star

In many period dramas, the flowers are what make a scene or production truly shine. This is the case, too, with weddings, and adding the right flowers can be an excellent way for couples to make their big days extra special. Flowers can help make a more modest venue look magical, helping them look like even the most decadent of Victoria ballrooms. Looking for imagery where flowers are the centre of the entire look can give couples a great idea of how to use them best in their wedding.

Look For Period-Authentic Foods

Dining, menus and place settings are another quintessential part of British period dramas and are equally important for weddings. Couples could look for inspiration from a range of dramas or even look at historical cookbooks from the period they’re basing their wedding around. If a couple prefers a more modern menu, then they can use place settings and centrepieces for the tables to achieve the correct feel.

Consider Sustainability

Any wedding can come with a lot of sustainability issues, but by choosing a period drama theme, some of these issues can be easily offset. Buying vintage or ethically made clothing is one critical way to do this, as this reduces the need for investing in new materials. Eagle-eyed brides may even be able to find costumes from popular period dramas being sold, which can be ideal for turning into the perfect period wedding dress.

Choose A Date

The time of year of a wedding can make a massive difference to the overall feel of the mood board a couple creates. Knowing the date, they want to get married can help them to select the right flowers, clothes and foods further down the line. It can also be invaluable for the mood board, as one made with a spring wedding in mind will be significantly different to one made for a winter wedding.