The Pinterest Pandemic : How to Pin Like a Wedding Planner

As a 24-year old female, I can admit to loving Pinterest. I have enough meals pinned to category-specific boards to get me through dinner for the next 30 years and I patiently wait for the outfits I find to magically appear in my closet. 

As a wedding planner, I can admit to my love-hate relationship with Pinterest. Do I use it professionally? Absolutely. As a business-owner, it's a visual marketing tool and as a professional in a creative industry it serves as inspiration. But here's the thing about Pinterest ... it can be deceiving and if you are planning your wedding there are some things that you need to know. 

Inspiration

Pinterest is a great tool for finding inspiration. I work with plenty of couples who aren't 100% sure how to label their style or who have different styles and want to make both work together and when they show me their Pinterest boards it provides me with insight into their overall vision so that I can create a custom design plan for them.

If you are using Pinterest to help you with your wedding day vision, make sure that you aren't confusing inspiration with copying. Professionals won't want to copy the work of another, and want to create something that is uniquely yours. Do you want your guests to walk into the room and say "WOW! This is beautiful and is so them" or "Oh, cute! I saw this on Pinterest!". 

Wedding Planner Pinterest Tip: Show professionals your favorite Pinterest photographs and share with them the reasons why you love it. They'll be able to create something that embodies those things while also showcasing your personality. 

Realistic Expectations

Since Pinterest is known for its DIY nature, many people figure that if they see a photograph of a wedding project that they can do it themselves. While there are plenty of DIY projects available on the site and lots of crafty individuals, you need to think about each one before committing to it. 

There are some beautiful DIY decorations and really cute favors that you can put together, but will you have the time to craft 175 of them? I've worked with plenty of brides who admitted to feeling a bit in over their heads with the projects that they committed to creating on their own for their wedding day. 

Wedding Planner Pinterest Tip: Commit to one or two DIY projects, and leave the rest to the professionals. 

Cost

I have my couples show me their Pinterest boards to get a better idea of the vibe and vision that they are going for. When doing this, I'm almost always shown photographs of projects that are out of their budget. Pinterest does not equal a small price tag.

The trouble with Pinterest is that it can be a bit deceiving if you aren't familiar with the industry. More often than not, the price tag of the wedding isn't part of the caption or hyperlink. 

Wedding Planner Pinterest Tip: Set a budget right from the start so that you can communicate with your team how it will get distributed. Just like with the inspiration, your professionals will be able to create something just as beautiful in your price range. 

Pinterest is a fabulous tool; however, it is important to be aware of how to use it so that you don't feel discouraged or overwhelmed as you plan. Keeping these inspiration, realistic expectations and cost in mind you'll be able to use Pinterest like a wedding planner!