If you're planning a wedding, you either have a bulging scrapbook with thousands of photos torn from hundreds of bridal magazines, or you've got those same magazines stacked up in a corner of your room with sticky notes sticking out all over, holding the page where you saw your dream wedding gown or the perfect wedding favors. C'mon, girl! Make your life less cluttered with an Inspiration Board. Put your top picks all over it, stand back, you'll get a pretty good preview of your wedding.

The boards are easy to make. You can pick up a big cork board or even a large piece of sturdy cardboard. Go through all your photos and, as you make your choices, put them on the board. Here are most of the items you'll want to post:

--Your ideal color scheme
--Your dream setting or theme
--Wedding gown
--Bouquet
--Flowers for the ceremony and reception
--Bridesmaids' Dresses
--Groom's and groomsmen's attire
--The Cake
--Centerpieces for your reception tables
--Wedding favors
--Honeymoon spot

It's your Inspiration Board, so you can put anything you want on it. You might want to start your board early in the planning process. Live with it awhile--the colors, the flowers, the dress, the centerpieces. If you change your mind about anything, you simply change the photos.

The beauty of the Inspiration Board is that it's uniquely yours. If you decide to use a wedding planner, imagine how much easier her (or his!) job will be with your Inspiration Board to steer her in the right directions for everything--from the fabulous white limo to the practical, pink wedding favors. Your Inspiration Board may turn out to be a work of art you'll want to frame and keep forever!

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