Design tip #1 "I just want something different....."

I am willing to bet that I have heard this from every single one of my clients.
Now when I hear that, I immediately think "let's rock it out" BUT I have to quickly pull back on my reins and take a hard look at the couple and really figure out what their idea of different means.
These days EVERYONE wants their wedding to be personalized and when they think personalized the brain immediately goes to a monogram. Which is great, don't get me wrong I love them, in moderation though. It is easy for me to say that a monogram is not different. I see them at every single wedding. Often though I think many couples may feel that this is what will set their wedding apart from others. Unfortunately that is not the case. The things that will set your wedding apart from others are the other little or big details. The things that even I have yet to see.
I think the foundation of these details begins with the bride and groom.
What do you love? Individually and as a couple? What is your everyday personal style? Do not even think wedding when answering these because then you will just be mentally tricked and go into things that you see on wedding websites and everything else wedding that your eyes gaze upon. Your answers will become flowers and feathers and beads. When really those are not the things you love daily.
I will use myself for an example...
Things I love are.. vintage costume jewelry, music, art deco, and early 1900's architecture.
My personal style... "feminine tough".. Basically I love black anything and add some great accessories.
So with that in mind it would be super easy to design a wedding based on that information. The catch, it would be different, and personalized. Because I am an individual. My likes are not everyone else's likes. So when designing a wedding if you pull your details from the things you like/love then you will be amazed at what starts flowing from the right side of your brain.
Often times people become so obsessed at making their wedding different by spending hours online looking at photos and ideas from other people's weddings. It becomes a frustrating struggle for the researcher, because they just can not find the things that appeal to them.
Instead of searching wedding related photos try searching one of your likes. For example, I would google "art Deco" images. Some of the results would include some really cool signs with amazing font types. I would see some breath taking architectural structures among other things like art deco prints and so on. First thing that comes to mind for me is the stationary. See that was not so hard. From there you just start building and incorporating.
I hope that helps some of you out there who may be struggeling with the actual design and creating the over all look for your "different, personalized" wedding.