How to Plan a Chinoiserie-Inspired Wedding
If your Pinterest boards are full of delicate blue florals, vintage porcelain, and garden-party elegance—you’re not alone. Brides everywhere are falling in love with weddings that feel timeless, romantic, and just a little bit French!
What you’re probably drawn to is something between Chinoiserie, French Toile, and that Anthropologie aesthetic—where delft blues, botanical sketches, and soft linen textures create a look that feels both elevated and effortless.
And here’s the best part: you don’t need a planner or stylist to pull it off. You just need a vision—and a place to begin.
Step 1: Start With the Moodboard
Before you think centerpieces or cake flavors, think feeling.
This wedding style starts with mood. Not a checklist. Not a color palette pulled from a paint fan deck. Mood.
Include:
Delft blue tones
Botanical linework
Porcelain accents
French garden imagery
A glimpse of your invitation suite
Whether you call it Chinoiserie, French Toile, or just “quiet luxury,” this is the look emotionally intelligent brides are choosing when they want their wedding to feel like them.
Step 2: What Is Chinoiserie vs. French Toile? (And Why It Matters Less Than You Think)
You may have noticed the terms "Chinoiserie," "French Toile," and "delft-inspired" used interchangeably—even on major sites like Anthropologie. Here’s a quick visual breakdown:
Chinoiserie:
Inspired by 17th–18th century Western interpretations of East Asian art
Includes pagodas, cranes, cherry blossoms, bamboo, fans
Often has whimsical, story-driven vignettes
French Toile:
Originated in 18th century France
Typically depicts pastoral scenes or floral motifs
Often monochromatic: blue, red, black on white backgrounds
In practice? Most modern brides are searching for a feeling: soft, elegant, vintage, and beautiful. Whether it leans Chinoiserie or Toile, your job is to guide that vision into something cohesive—and that starts with the invitation.
Step 3: Begin With the Invitation
The invitation isn’t just a formality—it’s your wedding’s first impression. And if you want your event to feel designed, not thrown together, it starts right here.
Our Elegant French Vintage Blue Floral Invitation was created for this exact style. With hand-drawn florals in soft delft blue and a refined serif layout, it sets the tone for a wedding that feels timeless, yet personal.
No guesswork. No trendy distractions. Just one beautifully designed invitation that quietly says, “This wedding has intention.”
Step 4: Choose a Color Palette That Elevates, Not Overwhelms
Blue and white is just the beginning. If you're planning around this theme, consider adding supporting tones that enhance the overall softness:
Ivory or soft blush as a base to warm up your whites
Muted sage or eucalyptus for a hint of greenery
Faded gold in flatware or accessories for that heirloom touch
Powder blue or chambray for napkins or bridesmaid dresses
Avoid using too many dark or high-contrast colors. The elegance of this aesthetic comes from restraint, harmony, and tone-on-tone layering.
Step 5: Choose Florals That Match the Mood
One of the easiest ways to translate a Chinoiserie or Toile vision into your wedding day is through florals. Think light, airy, romantic—with no need for oversized, trendy installations.
Recommended blooms:
White peonies or ranunculus (for softness)
Blue delphinium or thistle (to echo porcelain tones)
Queen Anne’s lace or baby’s breath (for delicacy)
Garden roses in ivory or blush
Pair with antique or chinoiserie-style vases (ginger jars are perfect) and keep arrangements low and loose for a French garden feel.
Step 6: Style the Details Like a Designer
This is where your vision comes to life—and where many brides go off-track by chasing trends instead of following tone.
To bring the blue-and-white motif through your day, try:
Ivory or blush table linens (instead of bright white)
Ginger jars with modern florals: white peonies, thistle, blue delphinium
Coordinated favor tags or escort cards in the same floral motif
Vintage glassware or brass flatware for added warmth
Minimalist signage using botanical borders + script fonts
The goal isn’t to "theme." It’s to flow.
You’re not creating a Pinterest board. You’re curating a mood.
❌ Step 7: Avoid These 3 Common Styling Mistakes
1. Overloading the Blue
Keep your palette restrained. When everything is blue, nothing stands out. Balance blue with ivory, white, or neutral tones.
2. Mixing too many fonts or patterns
If you’re designing your invitations from scratch or working with a designer, it’s wise to limit your font and pattern combinations. A Toile or Chinoiserie motif looks most refined when used in one or two places—not on every tag, sign, and napkin.
But here’s the reality: if you’re DIYing through a platform like Zazzle, guests often expect a fully matching suite. In that case, repetition is the cohesive element.
The key is balance—if your pieces match, let the rest of your styling stay restrained. If you’re coordinating, let your patterns play quietly with neutrals, not with each
3. Copying without context
Just because a photo looks pretty doesn’t mean it fits your venue, budget, or emotional tone. Start with your story—not someone else’s.
It’s pretty—but… is it really your vision?
Most brides think they’re planning a wedding—but what they’re really doing is shopping.
They scroll Pinterest, collect ideas, and then try to cobble them together into something cohesive. But without a vision—an actual moodboard that’s curated based on your story, your venue, your emotional tone—you’re just pulling from what’s available.
It’s the difference between fast fashion and design.
One says, “This was trendy and convenient.”
The other says, “This was made for me.”
“If you don’t define the story, Pinterest will define it for you.”
Want to learn how to create your own curated wedding vision?
➝ Join the waitlist for The Visionary Wedding™ course
I became a Pro Diamond Designer in just six years—earning it the hard way in Zazzle’s most competitive category: weddings.
I know what sells. I also know what’s missing.
That’s why I’ve chosen to design for the brides who want more than matching.
They want meaning, tone, and trust.
And if they’re going to DIY?
They deserve the kind of guidance that leads to something beautiful—not just something printable.
Step 8: Shop the Look—Without the Stress
Trying to piece together matching stationery from six different shops? That’s how brides burn out.
We’ve already created the full suite for you—from invitation to day-of pieces—ready to customize, print, and go.
Included:
Wedding Invitation
RSVP Card
Details Card
Matching Menus, Tags, Signage
Thank You Cards
Bonus: Coordinating bridal shower pieces also available
Message me through Zazzle chat for additional matching pieces
Bonus: Planning a Bridal Shower in the Same Style?
If you’re starting with the shower, we’ve created a matching Chinoiserie-inspired bridal shower invitation that echoes the same romantic florals and blue-and-white palette.
This is a perfect way to carry your aesthetic from the very first event to the final "I do."
Let your bride feel seen from the very first celebration.
Step 9: Want Your Wedding to Feel Like It Was Styled by a Designer?
You don’t need a $10K planner. You just need to design from the inside out.
Inside The Visionary Wedding™ course we teach you how to plan your wedding with emotional clarity, cohesive design, and beautiful details that reflect your unique story—without overwhelm.
It’s planning, elevated.
Optional Freebie: Moodboard + Planning Worksheet
Looking for a structured way to bring your wedding style to life?
Most moodboards show you what’s trending.
Mine help you express what’s true—for you. What your wedding means to you.
While platforms like The Knot curate moodboards to inspire brides with popular aesthetics, my process guides you to create a Vision Translation Board™—a deeply personal foundation for designing a wedding that reflects your story, not someone else's.
I don’t ask, “What’s your theme?”
I ask, “What is your story—and how can we translate that into a vision that defines your event and makes your guests feel it when they hold the invitation, or the moment they arrive?”
That’s the difference.
That’s the foundation of a Visionary Wedding™.
Download our free Moodboard & Planning Guide.
This isn’t just a moodboard—it’s your creative North Star:
Curate your style in 15 minutes or less
Choose your supporting colors + floral themes
Avoid the most common DIY pitfalls
Includes a printable vision planner to take to vendors
Final Thoughts: Beauty Comes From Vision, Not Budget
The weddings that feel magical aren’t the most expensive—they’re the most aligned.
Start with your story. Define your tone. And let every detail grow from there.
That’s how you create a wedding that looks like it came from a designer—but feels like it came from you.