Shoutout to all my Pinterest lovers!! I am obsessed with this platform. It is full of inspiration and beauty and is a fantastic tool. That being said, it is easy to get carried away with this beast, and I’ll be real with you – brides often do.
This is NOT your fault. There are thousands and thousands of amazing wedding decor and wedding photos on this platform and when you see them, you instantly feel the need to have your wedding be just as full of sparkle and dreams. Buuuutttt, instead of using Pinterest to simply inspire your wedding, you use it to plan and determine every detail.
What you end up with is the wedding of someone else’s dream rather than the wedding of your dreams.
Here’s the good news. I’ve compiled five signs to help you determine if your pinterest plans have gotten in the way of creating YOUR dream wedding. Below that, you’ll find 4 better ways to use Pinterest as a true inspiration tool for your wedding!
5 SIGNS YOU’RE USING PINTEREST TOO MUCH TO PLAN YOUR WEDDING
1. You have 10,492 DIY projects on your to-do-list
DIY wedding decor is Pinterest’s life blood. There are millions of ideas that are crafted up and recreated. Unless you are an avid DIY-er in your normal free time, I don’t suggest you take this route. These projects have a tendency to take a lot longer than you think they might (believe me – that’s why I was still tying name cards for our seating chart after my rehearsal dinner). They will add tons of stress, and supplies can add up faster than you realize – like, to a point where you could have paid the same amount for a professional to do it with about 100% less of a headache.
2. You are set on sending more than 5 specific photo “poses” to your photographer that you’d like to recreate
This is a true sign that rather than using your Pins to inspire your day, you are set on copying the pins exactly. It’s a surefire way to get wedding photos that are pin-able, but ones that probably won’t feel authentic to who you & your fiancé are as a couple. Not to mention, this kills your photographer’s creative energy and communicates to them that you don’t trust them. Even if that’s the furthest thing from what you meant to communicate, it says “I like these photos better than yours”.
3. Your wedding colors are blush pink & gold
Okay, this might just be my biased opinion coming in, but I know that there are a lot of blush & gold weddings on pinterest, because I have photographed more blush & gold weddings in the past 5 years than any other colors. You’re getting married and you can choose from any colors on this amazing planet – how exciting!
4. Signage times a million
“Choose a seat, not a side” — “welcome to our happily ever after” — “This way to the i Do’s” — “share the love #instagramhashtag” — “here comes the bride”
Pinterest has A LOT of these signs. Some signage is necessary because it serves a purpose to direct your guests – I would never want your guests to feel confused! However, make the ones you need beautiful and eliminate those that don’t offer necessary instruction.
5. You’d describe your ideal design as “rustic” or “vintage”
I’m all for a rustic wedding if rustic life is a part of your story – you grew up on a farm in Texas or you two met at horseback riding lessons. Likewise, I’m down for a vintage wedding if in real life, you’re obsessed with 1920’s flapper culture or you guys are into 50’s swing dancing. GO FOR IT!
Outside of those reasons, simply ask yourself why you want your wedding to look rustic or vintage. Does that style truly speak to your story as a couple and how you would describe yourselves? If not, use your personalities to inspire your wedding design instead.
Phew! How’d we do? Here are 4 ways to use Pinterest as a tool, rather than a plan 🙂
BETTER WAYS TO USE PINTEREST AS AN INSPIRATION TOOL FOR YOUR WEDDING
These 4 tips will help you use Pinterest for it’s full inspirational potential! As we work through these tips, I’ll be using my own wedding planning pinterest process as an example.
1. Before you hop on Pinterest, sit down and brainstorm a few things:
-How do you want your wedding to FEEL?
For us, that was — artful, inviting, cool, minimalist and “L.A.”
-What are colors both you & your fiancé like?
Black and White! Textured, patterned neutrals with a pop of soft baby blue is where we landed
-What kind of venue will you get married at? Will their style inform your decor?
We chose a DTLA loft, so the industrial space deeply affected the rest of our wedding’s aesthetic
2. Search specifically for what you’ve brainstormed on Pinterest – Let your story and who you are define what your wedding looks like.
-LA loft wedding
-light blue bridesmaid dress
-all greenery bridal bouquet
-minimalist candlelit centerpieces
-patterned wedding invitations
-etc.
3. Search Pinterest for Non-Wedding Inspiration for your wedding. Search for artists you love, beautiful furniture or even specific textures like marble or faux fur. This will help create a super unique vision for a wedding that is uniquely you!
While planning my wedding, I was inspired by minimalist 20th century paintings, industrial furniture and windows, linen, marble, wall text art and black and white studio photography.
4. Once you have a big pinterest board of ideas. Pull each image onto your desktop into a folder. Sift through the images and eliminate any that don’t seem to mesh with the overall vibe. Do your best to narrow it down to only 20 images. This is called Editing and is soooo beneficial – it’ll help you narrow down and become more focused on the specific look you desire.
Here’s my wedding mood board as an example of how to narrow down on a clear design direction!
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