I could really subtitle this post How to find a wedding style (when your tastes are all over the place) or (when you just know it when you see it) or even (–is “wedding” a theme?) but that’s a little on the long side, I think. Side note — I love subtitles. Anytime I have to write something, it has a subtitle, even if it’s too absurd to actually publish. I think I make subtitles for email subjects in my head.

Anyway, the thing about super long engagements is that you get excited and you make a lot of inspiration boards. And then, after a couple of months of that you get tired, and it’s a relief to realize you don’t have to think about the wedding at all, except for the fact that you’ll be married when it’s over and that’s awesome. Which is grounding and wonderful, but it’s also wonderful when you realize that you get to throw a party for your friends and family, who will probably never be in one room together again, and you get to share a bit of yourselves as a partnership – your lives – with them. And that’s when it got exciting for me again, now that we’ve locked away the DJ and – barring some twist of bad luck – we have a caterer. Because now the little things don’t feel stressful, they just feel complementary. As in, if they all get forgotten that day, I’ll still come out of it with my best friend and a plane ticket to Paris waiting for us. But details can be awesome, too.

Which brings me to the aforementioned inspiration boards. Pinterest has really been my saving grace with wedding planning. It’s so much easier than a folder on the computer, and that handy little button on my Safari bookmark bar means that if I’m on a photography blog or other random site and something inspires me, I can do a quick little click and file it away.

What became apparent after saving a lot of photos is that my taste doesn’t fit into any one category. It’s a little rustic, but not full-on pastels and pies. It’s a little modern, but more chic than sleek. It’s somewhat French, and stripe-y, but I could turn around and admit that I kind of want to throw a Mexican fiesta. That all sounds pretty terrible if you blend it into a super monster of a wedding, but I think it will work out.

Take this table setup:

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I love the minimalism that comes with smaller flower arrangements, although the burlap’s not really my thing. But the burst of dramatic red is much more my style than muted tones. And I love that the vases are all different heights and styles. I think this is modern, rustic, dramatic and un-fussy all at the same time.

And lights! These are a must for me. I don’t know what it is, but nothing is more romantic to me than twinkling lights. Especially outside on a patio. So simple, yet so transformative.

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I’m excited to see how everything comes together. And I’m truly excited to see how everyone comes together – how all these people who are a part of our lives mesh together for one night. It’s funny, but now that we’re a little less than a year out, this switch has just flipped for me. There’s absolutely no worry – I’m sure there will be time for that later – just thankfulness.