So he finally popped the question, and now it’s time to plan what is sure to be one of the most special days of your life. Weddings can be stressful planning ventures — from finding the perfect dress to getting the seating chart just right to making sure your centerpieces and placecards have that quintessential personal touch. But never fear– the social media tool Pinterest can help you plan your way to the wedding of your dreams!
Nowadays, 64 percent of brides are using Pinterest to organize their ideas for their big day. Here are some helpful tips on how to maximize Pinterest’s potential and plan your perfect wedding day.
Use the Boards for Inspiration
If you already have ideas about what you want for your wedding, whether it be a specific theme or just a sensibility (elegant romance, boho-chic, backyard casual), try searching Pinterest with those keywords in mind. This can help you find inspiration while culling out distractions that have nothing to do with the vision you have for your special day.
Be mindful of knowing when enough is enough as well — a board with 15 carefully curated images that reflects the exact vision of your day will be more helpful than a jumble of images from a marathon pinning session, so an editing eye, à la Tim Gunn, is essential. And remember, when you’re looking for inspiration, don’t search only for wedding-related ideas — use your keywords and hunt for non-wedding specific images. This will help keep your special day unique.
Get Organized
With millions of photos and websites being pinned per minute, Pinterest can be an overwhelming place. Make sure that your wedding boards are organized to prevent headaches further down the planning line. For starters, don’t jumble everything on one generalized wedding board, but rather create individual boards for things like place settings, cake decor, dress inspiration, and hair/beauty ideas. It will not only help keep you organized, but it will make sharing ideas with bakers, hair-stylists, tailors, bridesmaids, mom, etc. far more simple.
Make sure you also change the captions. If you leave it as is, you may forget why you pinned the image or link in the first place. Changing captions will help you remember exactly what it was about this pin that inspired you in the first place.
Secret Boards
Your wedding is your special day, and there’s nothing worse than outsiders trying to pressure you into doing things a certain way or criticizing your choices. When you curate your Pinterest boards, be sure to make them secret — that way no can have give input on your choices without your invitation.
You can still invite others to your boards. So, feel free to extend invitations to your wedding planner, maid of honor, or mother — whoever you want to add their two cents.
Stick to Your Guns
With so many ideas out there, it can be easy to get lured away from your initial vision. Or you may feel discouraged if you can’t find any existing pins for your ideal wedding. But remember — this is your special day, and it should be a reflection of you and your future spouse. So don’t let Pinterest suck you down a hole of trendy pastels and wedding favors. Your wedding isn’t about being the most current or trendy bride out there, but rather about expressing yourself, your future partner, and the patterns, colors, and themes that make you and your relationship unique. Let Pinterest be a helpful tool to express the ideas you already have in mind, rather than letting it dictate your decisions.
Brilliance.com’s Halo Diamond Engagement Ring and matching band. Photo courtesy of Amalie Orrange Photography.
Avoid Lofty Expectations
Remember that many of the images you see on Pinterest are taken by professional photographers and crafted by design teams with unlimited budgets. We’ve all seen “Pinterest Fails,” when someone tries and fails at re-creating a project they saw on Pinterest. Some of the things you see on there may not be realistic –whether it be for practical or budgetary reasons. That designer gown or that amazing prop used in a photo shoot may be well outside of your price range. What’s more — the images you’re seeing have been highly curated and selected by an editorial board. Remember that reproducing what you see on Pinterest shouldn’t be the goal. The boards should provide a launching point.
Great Boards to Follow
There’s a Pinterest board for nearly every wedding trend and detail you could think of, whether you’re planning an extravagant Indian wedding or one with more Boho chic flair, but here are some of the boards we love!
Maybe you’re dying for some guidance on what your best options for floral arrangements are? Once Wed offers a variety of incredible arrangements for those who have trouble telling a daisy from a daffodil. This board can come in handy when you are trying to describe your dream bouquet to your florist.
Maybe you’re a bride with a flair for vintage elegance? Check out Chic Vintage Brides for ideas that will lend a classic flavor to your wedding proceedings. While those with more eclectic taste won’t want to miss Green Wedding Shoes, a series of boards with whimsical twists for the less traditional bride.
If you’re looking for ideas that are more feasible, less aspirational, consider a board like Bridal Musings, which showcases photos and ideas from real weddings, as opposed to curated editorial visions. Broke Ass Bride provides delightful suggestions for brides on a budget, and as the name suggests, it also doesn’t skimp on that cheeky sense of humor.
Whether you’re looking for DIY ideas or the height of bridal fashion, Pinterest is the perfect place to curate and craft the first day of your happily-ever-after.
