Eight Signs It's Time to Stop Looking for More Wedding Inspiration

Wedding inspiration comes from all kinds of imagery we see online and from previous events (both weddings and other parties) we've attended in person. Over the course of ten, twelve, or eighteen months of wedding planning, you're likely to spot many images and ideas that resonate with your personal sense of style and wedding vision. Of course, not all of these concepts will make it into your wedding day, but sometimes it's hard to know when to stop looking for new ideas. Here are some signs that your inspiration scouting is no longer necessary.

It's hard to determine a cohesive theme by looking at the photos.

If your wedding ideas are starting to look scattered, it's time to work on your editing skills. A good inspiration edit should feel like cleaning out your closet: It takes work to determine which are your top image contenders, but you'll feel a sense of relief when you cull the imagery down to your top ten.

There are multiple examples of one concept.

There's no reason to show ten samples of the same lighting style to your vendors. While it may be helpful to grab a bunch of images of the same thing while you're doing your research, you'll want to select only the best image for your final vision board that you'll share with your vendors.

You have no sense of direction anymore.

It's easy to get a real sense of visual overload if you spend a lot of time gathering wedding inspiration, especially if you don't work in a creative field and aren't used to this kind of burnout. If you feel like you lack creative direction as the result of too many competing ideas, it's probably time to quit collecting ideas and start editing them instead.

You've found the perfect mix of vendors.

When you're working with a team whose work you love, you really don't even need to create an inspiration board. In fact, doing so can often drive you to doubt your initial ideas and the creative processes of your vendors. Instead, you might chat with your vendors about a few images of their work that you'd like to emulate with a fresh approach.

You've started to see the same image everywhere.

When you're deep in the inspiration rabbit hole, not only does every wedding image start to look the same, but you'll actually start to see the same image on multiple websites, blogs, and Pinterest boards. This is a good sign that you've reached your max and that you should have a clear idea of what you gravitate towards.

You've sent more inspiration emails to your vendors than you can count.

This is a email etiquette no-no. If an image is the absolute best portrayal of exactly what you want your wedding to look like, go ahead and send it with a note that reflects your enthusiasm. However, if you do this with multiple images, your vendors may start to get confused with your vision. It's best to hold back on sharing imagery until you've culled it down to the ideas you're most excited about.

You've changed your mind three or more times.

It's perfectly normal to shift your ideas and creative vision once or twice while in the early stages of planning your wedding, but if this becomes a pattern and continues months into the planning, it may be time to reel yourself in. This can be an opportunity to lean on your vendors and allow them to guide the creative vision accordingly.

The setting of your venue no longer factors into your creative ideas.

When you start pulling ideas from social media, friends' weddings, or magazines months after you've sent your vision board to your vendors, it's likely you're no longer focused on your specific wedding and instead you've shifted to just gathering pretty pictures. Before you pass these images onto your vendors, instead ask yourself if the photo captures anything you haven't already communicated. Is this something that will work in your wedding venue? If you've lost sight of your wedding vision, it may be time to pump the brakes and give yourself a social media break.