How I Use Pinterest to Plan My Wedding

I jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon fairly early, at the suggestion of the wedding planning website I'm using to organize my upcoming nuptials. So even though I now "pin" everything from purses to recipes on my boards, I'm still using it mainly as a wedding-planning tool. Pinterest is perfect for this because it's based on images, and weddings are inherently visual experiences. There are some ways that Pinterest can help you maximize and streamline your wedding planning, if you use it correctly.

Organizing Your Boards

I follow several people on Pinterest who have one board for all their wedding pins. While this may work for them, I personally find it hard to follow. I found it more helpful to create separate boards for all my wedding categories. For instance, I've got a "Wedding Shoe" board, a "Decor" board, and boards for centerpieces, cake designs, and lawn games. I can't focus on wedding rings if I have to sift through the other 100 pins I've made just to remember what my initial ideas were.

Getting Inspired with Minimal Effort

By following the boards of other brides or wedding blogs, you get a daily dose of wedding inspiration right on the front page. Several of my ideas have come from other brides who pinned a great cocktail recipe or hairpiece, and I snagged it for myself. It's a collective effort. You don't have to visit Martha Stewart Weddings to find a gorgeous cake idea; some other bride found it, and all you have to do is "repin"!

Tracking Themes and Making Decisions.

Pinterest has been really helpful for tracking themes that I may not have noticed while pinning an idea here or there. For instance, all the centerpiece ideas I've pinned include glass jars of some kind. Intellectually I've always been neutral about glass jars, but apparently my visual aesthetic loves them. Centerpiece decision made! Maybe you have no idea what your color scheme should be, but discover that your "Flower" board is full of oranges and every invitation idea you've pinned has some variation of blue.

Communicating with your Minions

OK, so your mom and MOH aren't really your wedding slaves. But they can certainly use Pinterest to help you plan your big day. I've given my MOH the ability to share pins on some of my boards, and she's found some fabulous cake-toppers and bridesmaids shoes that I never would have unearthed myself. By pinning it onto my board, I can keep organized but still include input from the important (and infinitely more web-savvy) people in my life.

Communicating with Vendors

I've got several Pinterest boards specifically made for my vendors. I started a "Photography" board that I can share with my photographer. I have an Etsy seller making my bouquets, but the woman has over 200 pictures on her page. I pinned the ones I wanted and directed her to my board, so she knows exactly which of her products I want and can now focus on customization. If a picture is worth a thousand words, that board is probably saving us at least half a dozen emails. I've also started a board for my sister in law, who will be custom-making my dress. I can pin a picture, and then in the comments describe what exactly what element of this particular dress I'd like her to add into the final design.

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