I’ve absolutely been copied. Here’s why I think that’s both bad…..and good.

We all know the feeling. You’re browsing through Instagram, or checking out your favorite wedding blog – and you see it. Someone has copied one of your ideas.  

I’ve been copied a bunch of times. A few times by people I actually know. At first, I felt terrible. I felt betrayed. 

But then I remembered: not everything is about me.  

But wait, you’re thinking: how is someone copying you not about you. 

It happens all the time here in Hollywood: they release two movies with similar plots very close together. Armageddon and Deep Impact. The Prestige and The Illusionist. White House Down and Olympus has Fallen. You get it. Sometimes it’s foul play, sometimes it’s people who were working on the same idea then go their separate ways and come up with different notes on a theme. And then sometimes, people do actually come up with the same or very similar ideas on their own.

Also, let’s face some hard facts: there are precious few truly new ideas.

Whether it’s about weddings or not. So to combat this, you have to always be thinking about how to put your own spin on things. And then people will put their spin on what you did. It’s the circle of design. 

Here’s why I don’t take offense when I find I’ve been copied: It means I’m doing something right. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? I know it doesn’t feel like that at first, it feels pretty crappy. But that saying exists for a reason. If no one liked your ideas, no one would copy them. Feel good in that and move on. 

Similarly, when you have some truly good work out there for clients to see, you’ll have a whole different copying problem. Clients will want you to replicate your own work for their event. 

Here’s why I don’t take offense when I find I’ve been copied: It means I’m doing something right. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? I know it doesn’t feel like that at first, it feels pretty crappy. But that saying exists for a reason. If no one liked your ideas, no one would copy them. Feel good in that and move on. 

Similarly, when you have some truly good work out there for clients to see, you’ll have a whole different copying problem. Clients will want you to replicate your own work for their event. 

So that brings me to my point: we all have to keep putting out new things, because design has a shelf life – in all forms. Weddings, fashion, interiors, you name it. If you’re not putting new stuff out there into the world, it will pass you by. And when you’re not getting clients that allow you total design freedom, or maybe their budget restraints are impacting your work – it’s time to free yourself and that’s one of the huge reasons I think people should actually be doing styled shoots in the first place.  

All photos by Mr. & Mrs. Wedding Duo