So, internet friends, I had this post started and planned to post it on Thursday, you know my normal blogging day of the week. Well, much to my surprise I woke up today and it’s NOT Thursday :) I blame it on the holiday weekend and taking Monday off but somehow Friday is here and I didn’t blog yesterday. Oops! I’m chalking it up to the “we are all human” category and moving on. So…with out further adieu:

I wanted to talk to you today about a social media tool that I love! We all do. Brides spend more hours on it planning their weddings than reading magazines anymore. I used it extensively in my planning process for my own wedding, and why not? It’s amazing. Yes, I’m talking about the beast we call Pinterest. It sucks you in and all of the sudden 3 hours have passed and you don’t know how you ended up with 7 new boards and a slew of DIY project for your wedding. Pinterest can take over quickly, so today I wanted to talk to you about the Pros and Cons of using it to plan your wedding.

Let’s start with the PROS:

• Find your wedding colors: Pinterest is great for this because you get to see color schemes and pallets that you would have never even considered before and what they look like in a wedding setting. Pinterest has helped brides push the boundaries for what a wedding color should be and go outside the box to have fun bright colored weddings or beautiful matted neutral weddings. I love all the different pallets you see and the fact that you can see what others have done and then put your spin on it.
• Find great inspirations: You can find the perfect bridesmaid dress, bouquet ideas to show your florist, the perfect gift for your groom, fun signage to display, and tips, tricks, budgets, and advice – all without ever leaving your computer screen!
• Non-traditional ideas: 10 years ago no one even thought about some of the things that every wedding has these days – and it’s all thanks to Pinterest. Whether it’s a unique guest book, fun guest favors, non-traditional centerpieces, or a s’more bar for you big day these are all creative ideas that have been shared, re-pinned, and become the norm. And I love it. It’s my favorite when couples do things that are different, personal, and make the day amazing. And Pinterest has thousands of ideas!
• You can share and send pins: This was a huge help when planning my own wedding, instead of having to email ideas back and forth I could just send the pin to my mom she’d know exactly what I was referring to. And of course – the whole reason for Pinterest, all your idea’s are pinned in one central location so you never have to search again.

But with every great tool there are some CONS:

• It can get overwhelming very quickly: there are so many great ideas and things you could do, but it is impossible to do all of them, and you shouldn’t try. My advice is to pick a central theme or idea and then only pin things that apply. Get the big picture down and then don’t change it :) Pick a few DIY things you know you can pull off and leave the rest be. Then get off Pinterest (or try), because inevitably you’ll see a great dress you wish was yours or a great idea and want to change everything. There are always new amazing wedding ideas happening but know you picked what you did for a reason and you do love it! And, especially in the last couple months – don’t add any new projects! It will just be more added stress to you and those helping you plan.
• Pinterest is a skewed version of what you’re wedding will look like – a lot of the pictures are from styled shoots: Yes there are real weddings on Pinterest as well, but a lot of the beautiful ideas and images were part of a styled shoot. That’s where vendors get together and set up a perfect reception table, beautiful couple, perfect light, and have hours to shoot it! Normally to try something new not on an acutal day, to push their creativity, and to show off some of their work! On a normal wedding day, things are fast paced and not everything goes perfectly. But it’s beautiful and awesome because it’s yours, and all of us vendors want to work together to make it as amazing as possible. And if it’s not a styled shoot:
• The wedding budget was 250,000 dollars: That’s an exaggeration but the more perfect it looks the more it probably costs! You do get what you pay for :) That doesn’t mean your wedding can’t look amazing on a small budget, just know not every DIY project is going to turn out like the picture (Pinterest fails, anyone?) or the supplies could cost more than you knew. So be aware of costs and don’t let every amazing idea blow your budget. Also, keep in mind you are browsing through hundreds of weddings to plan one. So you don’t need to incorporate everything from every wedding you see that you love into yours. Curate! And stick with your theme it will look more cohesive, reflect you, and in the end be gorgeous.
• Lastly, not every photograph you pin is re-creatable: There are some gorgeous images on Pinterest that inspire me to be a better, more creative photographer, but that is what they should be inspirations. Yes, it’s great to show your photographer images you love and things you would like to capture on your wedding day but it will never be EXACTLY the same. The location, lighting, people, and elements of the day are all totally different. And one photographer’s style is different than the others. So look for inspiration but in the end, trust your photographer! It is our main goal to get amazing, wonderful, pin-worthy memories for you, not copy another couple’s day. And you could spend the whole day setting up fake moments you want to copy instead of enjoying the day and letting it unfold naturally. Yes, some will be set up but that’s to make it as flattering as possible, not to imitate someone else’s work :)

A good thing to consider as you view the image too is: is it a picture you want, or just a good picture? Is that something you and your fiance would naturally do? Or just an amazing moment that you are connecting to emotionally? If not, chances are that isn’t going to be the one you print out and frame, rather the one you love is going to be the one that was caught in the moment, him making you laugh or kissing you deeply. In a society of over-sharers, where we live our lives in comparison to each other, remember that it is your day and should be as unique and beautiful as your relationship is. Use Pinterest to plan and find ideas, to discover something new and turn it into your own, to find a great hair style and the perfect dresses for your girls but then step back and let your wedding plans unfold in a way you want not just copying someone else’s. I found plenty of inspiration on Pinterest but loved it when it became personal, not disappointed because it didn’t match exactly what I pinned. Let your day reflect you and your fiance with a little creative help from Pinterest.