The Design Directive
A bespoke design document that becomes
the creative direction for your entire wedding.
THE REAL PROBLEM
You don’t know what you don’t know.
There has never been more wedding content and never been harder to trust any of it. TikTok tutorials. Pinterest boards that stretch into the thousands. Blog posts written to rank, not to guide. And a growing industry of vendors presenting themselves as seasoned experts when their experience is limited at best.
The result isn't clarity. It's noise. And trying to DIY your way through it — without the foundation to know what's worth your time, your trust, and your money — is one of the most costly mistakes a couple can make.
What you need isn't more content. It's one trusted voice with the experience, the integrity, and the budget fluency to cut through all of it.
What’s Out There
TikTok trends with. no budget context
Pinterest boards without execution direction
Instagram aesthetics divorced from reality
Blog advice written for traffic, not truth
Inexperienced vendors pitching as authorities
What the Design Directive Gives You
Creative direction built around your budget
A document your vendors can actually execute from
Guidance from 100+ weddings of real experience
Clarity on where your money works hardest
One trusted voice — not a thousand conflicting ones
The Design Directive exists because that guidance should be accessible — not just to couples with full-service planning budgets, but to anyone who wants to start planning the right way, with the right foundation, from someone who has earned the authority to provide it.
From Design to the Moment, Alexander Thomas Photography
WHAT IT IS
A creative brief for your wedding or event built by an expert, made for every vendor you'll hire.
The Design Directive is a fully customized, 15–20 page document that establishes the creative foundation for your entire wedding. It translates your ideas, your personality, and your aesthetic into a cohesive design language — one that every planner, florist, bridal boutique (yes! includes fashion recommendations), rentals company, stationer and more can work from, from day one.
Think of it as what a $15,000+ creative director would deliver — at a fraction of the investment, in a format built to be used.
It is not a mood board.
It is not a Pinterest export.
It is a strategic document with depth, specificity, and intentionality; one that makes every decision easier, every vendor conversation clearer, and every dollar more confident.
The Design Directive Guides Your Wedding Day Decor:
A few pages from B&R’s Citrus Hued Summer Wedding with a Nod to the Groom’s Mission in Mexico
Design Directive includes layout guidance for your tables - no guessing or hoping it works out! We’ve mapped it for you.
The Design Directive considers guest experiences with interactive stations such as beverage burros, soft seating lounges, refreshment bars and more!
Welcome signage and seating chart, including WHERE the best location for placement is.
Be it the hot sun or snowy conditions, the Design Directive considers decor selections that are mindful of guest comfort. In this case we focused on creating multiple shaded options for the design plan.
Kortney J Photography, White Barn Weddings Emmett, Idaho
EXPERTISE BEHING THE BRIEF
This isn't a template.
It's nearly 15 years of knowing exactly what works.
The Design Directive is built by our Principal Designer and Planner — not a junior associate, not a software tool, and not a recycled framework. Every document reflects the kind of nuanced, budget-aware creative thinking that only comes from having worked on over 100 weddings, across the full spectrum of scale and style.
15
Years of Experience100+
Weddings & Events Planned, Designed & Produced$30K-$350K
Budget Range Managed“I know what good design actually costs and where it pays you back tenfold. That's not something you learn from a course or gained from TikTok, Instagram or a Day-of-Coordinator. It comes from standing inside 100+ weddings and watching the decisions that mattered most."
— Heidi, Principal Designer
PROCESS
How it works.
From inquiry to delivery, the Design Directive is a streamlined, thoughtful process. We do the creative heavy lifting. You walk away with direction.
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You submit your inquiry and complete a detailed design questionnaire — not a generic form, but a carefully constructed set of prompts built from 14 years of working with couples. This is where we learn who you are, what you're drawn to, and what your wedding should feel like to walk into.
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A 60-minute working session where we go deeper — discussing your venue, your references, and the priorities that will shape the creative direction. We ask the questions your vendors will eventually ask, so your document is built on a solid, informed foundation.
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We build your Design Directive from scratch. Every section is written and curated specifically for your wedding — your palette, your floral language, your tablescape. No templates. No recycled content. Delivered approximately 2–3 weeks from your discovery call.
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You receive your completed document as a polished PDF, along with a 30-minute delivery call. We walk through it together, answer your questions, and give you the language to communicate your wedding's creative direction confidently to every vendor you hire.
During your delivery call, you may request a single round of revisions — refinements to direction, emphasis, or specific elements, provided they fall within the established aesthetic direction. This is your moment to refine, not reimagine.
Revision Work
2 hours of dedicated revision time
Follow-Up Call
30 min to review changes together
Please note: revision time is capped at 2 hours and is intended for refinement within the established direction. Requests that require a full aesthetic pivot or significant expansion of scope are outside what this service includes — and we'll always let you know honestly if that's the case.
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Your finalized Design Directive is delivered as a print-ready PDF — formatted to be shared with every vendor on your team. From this point forward, it speaks for you in every room you're not in.
What’s Included: 15–20 pages of bespoke creative direction
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Color Palette & Aesthetic Direction
A refined, purposeful palette — not just colors, but a full tonal story that guides every visual element of your day.
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Tablescape Design
Linen, china, glassware, flatware, and centerpiece direction. Your guests' first impression of the design, handled with intention.
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Spatial Design
How the space is arranged, what it feels like to move through it, and how structure and softness work together. Think ceremony chair configuration, cocktail hour, tenting/tablescape layout, bar placement, soft seating and more.
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Linen, Chair & Rental Direction
Specific guidance on rentals that align with your direction — no wasted consultations, no costly ordering mistakes.
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Floral Direction
Bloom families, scale, texture, and placement — a clear brief you or your florist can actually execute from, confidently.
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Paper Goods
Stationery style, paper texture, print finish, and calligraphy direction — so your invitations, menus, and signage all speak the same design language.
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Styling Tips & Detail Direction
The finishing touches that elevate a wedding from well-planned to unforgettable — flat lay direction, vignette styling, and the small moments photographers will seek out.
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Fashion Direction
Silhouette, pattern play, accessories and palette guidance for the wedding party — ensuring what you and your people wear feels cohesive with the overall aesthetic, not like an afterthought.
WHY IT MATTERS
Expensive mistakes are prevented before they happen
Without a design direction, couples regularly invest in florals, rentals, or stationery that doesn't work together — and often don't realize it until it's too late. Your Vision Directive defines the parameters before any purchase is made.
Every vendor conversation becomes easier
Vendor consultations go faster, proposals come back more accurate, and the gap between "what I want" and "what they quoted" narrows significantly when you can hand someone a document that says it all.
Decision fatigue disappears
Thousands of micro-decisions go into a wedding. When you have a clear aesthetic direction, each decision has a filter to run through: does this fit? The answer becomes faster, easier, and more confident.
Your vision is protected even without a full-service planner
Whether you're planning independently or with a coordinator, your Vision Directive ensures your design intent doesn't get lost in translation. It speaks for you in every room you're not in.
You start planning the right way
The couples who feel most overwhelmed didn't start with a vision. The couples who feel most confident did. This is the starting point we wish every couple had.
The benefits of starting with clarity
Heather Nan Photography
INVESTMENT
Priced to be accessible.
Delivered to be exceptional.
The level of creative direction inside a Design Directive would typically represent a $10,000–$20,000+ engagement. We've structured this service as an accessible entry point — because the right foundation at the start of planning protects far more than it costs.
THE DESIGN DIRECTIVE
$2500
Starting at
INCLUDED
Design Questionnaire
60-Min Discovery Call
15-20 Page Custom Design Document
60-Min Delivery Walkthrough
One Revision Round (up to 2 hours)
30-Min Revision Follow-Up Call
ADD-ON EVENTS
$1200
Starting at
Extend your creative direction beyond the wedding day. Each additional event receives its own tailored design direction — cohesive with your overall aesthetic but distinct in tone and purpose. Think Bachelorette, Bridal Shower or Luncheon, Welcome Party, Rehearsal Dinner, Farewell Brunch and more!
*Pricing varies based on event complexity and scope. Inquire for a custom quote when booking your Design Directive.
Considering Full-Service Planning?
The Design Directive is a natural entry point into our Partial Planning or Full Planning & Design services. Your Design Directive investment is credited in full toward service packages.
What Couples Ask Us:
Is the Design Directive the same as hiring a planner?
1
No. The Design Directive is a creative direction service — it does not include logistics, venue sourcing, site visits or vendor management, timelines, or day-of coordination. It is focused entirely on your aesthetic foundation. If you need planning support beyond that, our Partial Planning and Full Planning & Design services build directly from your Directive — and your investment applies toward either.
Do I still need a planner if I have a Design Directive?
2
The Design Directive doesn't replace a planner — it makes every planner you work with more effective. It gives your entire vendor team a clear creative language to execute from, which reduces miscommunication, sharpens proposals, and elevates results. Whether you hire a full planner, a coordinator, or plan independently, the Directive is the foundation everything builds on.
How far in advance should I book?
3
As early as possible — ideally 12–18 months before your wedding. The sooner you have creative direction, the more it can shape your vendor selection, venue conversations, and budget priorities. We take on a limited number of Directives at a time to protect the quality of each one, so availability is not guaranteed. Inquire early.
How long does it take to receive my completed document?
4
From your discovery call to first draft delivery is typically 3–4 weeks. Following your delivery walkthrough, any revision requests are returned within 5–7 business days as your finalized document.
Can my vendors reference the document directly?
5
Yes — and this is one of its greatest strengths. The Design Directive is specifically formatted to be shared. Florists, rental companies, stationers, lighting designers, and planners all work from the same document, eliminating the fragmented back-and-forth that costs couples time and money. It speaks for you in every room you're not in.
What if our thinking shifts after the Directive is delivered?
6
Your Directive is a directional document, not a contract. Small natural evolutions in thinking are expected — the document remains a strong foundation regardless. One round of revisions is included at delivery for refinements within the established direction. A full aesthetic pivot or significant scope change falls outside what this service covers, and we'll always tell you that honestly.
Do we need to be based in Idaho to work with you?
7
Not at all. The Design Directive is a fully remote service — the intake questionnaire, discovery call, and delivery walkthrough all happen virtually. We work with couples across the country. Wherever your wedding is taking place, the Directive travels with you.
Is the investment refundable?
8
Because each Design Directive represents a significant investment of time, expertise, and creative labor from the moment work begins, the fee is non-refundable once the engagement has started. We take on a limited number of projects at a time specifically to give each one the attention it deserves — and that commitment begins at booking.
Can we add direction for other events in our wedding weekend?
9
Yes. Additional event direction — for a rehearsal dinner, welcome party, bridal shower, bachelorette, farewell brunch, or send-off — is available as an add-on starting at $500 per event. Each receives its own tailored direction, cohesive with your overall aesthetic but suited to the tone of that specific gathering. Mention it in your inquiry and we'll include it in your custom quote.
Is this right for us if we already know what we want?
10
Especially so. Couples with a strong aesthetic sense benefit most — because the Design Directive takes what lives in your head and gives it precise, communicable language. It transforms your direction from a feeling into a document others can understand and execute. Many of our most decisive couples have called it the single most useful investment they made early in the planning process.
Will you fine tune the layout per our final guest count?
11
We will give you estimated table and ceremony layouts based on your initial guest count. Redoing the layout per your final guest count is an additional service add-on. This service does not provide site visits. Should you wish for us to visit your venue or location to advise more specifically, we are happy to provide a custom quote.