Design Philosophies

Design Philosophies

December 6th, 2010 @ 11:48 am by Mrs. Prairie Dog
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I have two. The first I stole from my MOH, who I think stole it from a TV show:

“IT DOESN’T MATCH, IT GOES!”

Nellie has rallied me with this chant for years. YEARS. Even back in high school, when the shoes I wanted didn’t match my prom dress: so what? They don’t match, they go. One of my 2009 New Year’s resolution was to cool it with the matchy-matchy that I am prone to. I’m still recovering and taking it a day at a time.

The second philosophy is all mine.

“If I love it, I’m buying it.”

First, let me explain the phrase “love it.”

This means that something SPEAKS to me. And then I buy it. If you’re not sure that you love it, walk away. Do you think about it after you’ve gone? Do you feel compelled to go back and visit it at the store / online? Are you obsessing a little? You probably love it.

For the longest time, the more pragmatic side of me would not make such allowances. I should, instead, buy things that make sense with the things I already own, right? So they match. Refer to Design Philosophy 1: it doesn’t match, it goes!

Chances are, if you have very strong, borderline-amorous feelings for a pair of shoes / shower curtain / armchair (all of these have happened to me)—there is a reason. The style resonates in your brain (aka YOU LOVE IT) and if you pile a lot of LOVE IT things together—they will likely have some element that ties them together. I decorated my entire house this way, and it worked out alright.

Trust your instincts! Don’t worry whether or not your cake references your invitations which reference your centerpieces. Your wedding is not a brand; the design elements do not have to be identical. Choose what you LOVE and let it go together!

…Right? Or is our wedding going to be a disarrayed mish-mash of nonsense?

Tags: cincinnati, decor |

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15 Responses to “Design Philosophies”

Member

JillBill (message) 425 posts, Helper bee

I think that mish-mash design schemes are becoming way more fashionable in weddings today, since they’re a richer/fuller reflection of the couple on a whole. If you go with a more strict design, people will know you like pink. Cool. If you go with what you’re describing, people will know that you like… books, and trees, and travel, and blue, and stripes, and so much more (just as an example). I think that’s a much more satisfying wedding to attend than a fancy-dancy, everything-matched to the nth degree type of affair. But that’s just me

12/6/10 @ 11:55 am (reply)

Member

Lo (message) 538 posts, Busy bee

Totally my philosophy towards my wedding, I read something similar on another wedding blog that if you choose things you love it will all go together and reflect you and it really made sense to me. On the other hand if I can’t find something I “love” I have a hard time commiting… kind of my problem with invitations at the moment.

12/6/10 @ 12:09 pm (reply)

Member

nicoliolihpf (message) 230 posts, Helper bee

I really hope you’re right.

12/6/10 @ 12:20 pm (reply)

Member

Violet Violet (message) 985 posts, Busy bee

Here here! I’m not down with the idea of “branding” a wedding. I could never commit to something like that.

12/6/10 @ 1:13 pm (reply)

Member

missbiscuit (message) 1,050 posts, Bumble bee

I’m hoping you’re right. I’ve got a mish mash of stuff that I’ve collected for decor so far that I only hope will come together well in the end.

12/6/10 @ 1:48 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Earrings (message) 2,477 posts, Buzzing bee

“it doesnt match, it goes”- love it!!!!!!

12/6/10 @ 1:50 pm (reply)

Member

glamfish500 (message) 262 posts, Helper bee

I love the mish-mash look. We’re going mish-mash. We’re doing a pink and grey color scheme, no specific pink or grey, if we like it, it goes in the wedding. The weddings I feel most drawn to don’t have a specific color scheme or the scheme is about 18 colors if it does have one. I’m just going to trust that it will pull together in the end.

12/6/10 @ 1:59 pm (reply)

Member

Minutiae (message) 2,296 posts, Buzzing bee

“It doesn’t match, it goes.” Love it! That exactly how I feel! The philosophy that everything needs to be matchy-matchy in a wedding drives me up a wall, haha.

12/6/10 @ 2:04 pm (reply)

Member

marieta (message) 339 posts, Helper bee

A friend of mine refers to your second saying as, “The angels are singing.” If the angels sing to her when she sees something, it is hers, end of story, even if she has to track it down for months before she can actually obtain it. If they don’t, she puts it back and goes away to think about it and usually doesn’t care in the end.

And I think the first saying came from What Not To Wear. That’s where I’ve heard it, anyway.

We’re also going mish-mash, though I think I may have to work a bit to convince my more-traditional groom that it’s okay. :>

12/6/10 @ 2:26 pm (reply)

10.

Bee

Mrs. Glasses (message) 2,741 posts, Sugar bee

Now that I’m post-wedding, I’ve started looking at interior design blogs and find myself attracted to spaces where there’s a lot of different stuff going on. I can’t wait to see your wedding come together!

12/6/10 @ 4:38 pm (reply)

11.

Member

kirabee (message) 1,402 posts, Bumble bee

“It doesn’t match, it goes,” is definitely from good ol’ Clinton and Stacey from What Not To Wear.. They say that all the time!

12/6/10 @ 4:52 pm (reply)

12.

Bee

Mrs. Sand Dollar (message) 1,305 posts, Bumble bee

Great advice. Nobody notices if your shades of blush and peony don’t match, or your shoes are a brighter shade of red than your invitations. It takes a lot of pressure of us during planning, for sure!

12/6/10 @ 8:20 pm (reply)

13.

Guest

Baseball Hats

That is an awfully astounding column you’ve posted.Thanks a lot for that a fantastically amazing post!

12/7/10 @ 2:09 am (reply)

14.

Member

ktisthatbees (message) 2,742 posts, Sugar bee

I’ve been asking myself this same question a lot lately. will our wedding look cohesive? or a jumbled mess. I decided to go with my gut and just pick what I love and hope it all works out. this post gives me encouragement!

12/7/10 @ 1:26 pm (reply)

15.

Guest

I Dream of Peony | Weddingbee

[...] considering them our neutrals. Since the rest of the colors are so vibrant, I think that works. Or, as Miss Prairie Dog would say, “it doesn’t match—it GOES.” (I quote Miss PD a lot, don’t I? She’s such an [...]

12/8/10 @ 4:45 pm (reply)