Building Your Moodboard

A short guide to making a moodboard that actually helps me photograph your wedding the way you're imagining it.

Getting Started.

Most couples send me a Pinterest board full of wedding photos. I get it… it's the obvious move. But here's the thing: if your moodboard looks like every other couple's moodboard, your wedding photos will look like every other couple's wedding photos.

So I'm going to ask you to build something a little different, in two parts:

The first— and the one that matters most— is a taste board: a collection of images, references, and feelings that show me how you two see the world. That's what we shoot from.

The second is shorter and more practical— some wedding photos that you love or gives you feelings like above. Together they tell me both how your day should feel and what we can't skip.

This is how every shoot we do begins, and the couples who do it well end up with photos that actually feel like them. It's most useful if you already think visually— if that's you two, lean in. If it's not, that's completely fine too. A handful of images that you love will help. The point is to give me a window into how you see, not to pass a test.

Part one: How it should feel

This is the heart of it. Pull from anywhere except wedding photography — film stills, fashion editorials, fine art, paintings, interior design, architecture, personal photos from your own life. A texture, a colour, a pattern, a brand. Anything honest.

Let the bulk of your board live here. 15-20 images is plenty. Each one should make you feel something specific, not just look pretty. The question for everything you add: "Does this make me feel something specific?"

Keep this in mind as you curate.

  • What's the dominant mood? (warm, cool, soft, sharp, dreamy, grounded, quiet, full of energy)

  • What's the color story? (saturated and rich, muted and earthy, warm neutrals, cool whites)

  • What's the energy level? (still and contemplative, joyful and chaotic, somewhere specific in between)

  • What time of day does it feel like? (golden hour, blue hour, midday, indoor lamplight)

  • What does the air feel like? (heavy and warm, crisp and cold, charged, calm)

You don't need to write the answers down. Just hold the questions while you curate. The board itself will answer them.


Part two: What you don't want to miss

Now the practical half. Here's where the wedding photos come in— a handful of them (five or so), for any moment or look you'd hate to skip. A first dance lit a certain way, a details shotwhat you care about, a portrait style you love. This is the one place wedding images belong.

One small ask, and it's the important one: for each wedding photo, tell me the single thing that draws you to it. The light? The candidness? The way it's edited? That's the difference between a reference and a copy — it tells me what you actually want, so I can find your version of it on your day instead of recreating someone else's.

Keep this list short on purpose. Five photos with a reason each are worth more than fifty without.

How to send it.

We included a Google Slides doc for you to fill everything out. Go back to the original email and take a look!