If you're planning a wedding (or even thinking of getting married someday) I'm almost certain that you've got at least one - or a collection - of Pinterest boards and pins safely keeping the wedding inspiration you've fallen in love with over the years.
I actually don't even ask if my clients have them anymore. I just assume and ask for access to peruse their pins.
Whether you've got 1 board or 100, there are a few tips and tricks in using Pinterest to help plan your wedding in real life.
Brainstorm using Pinterest. Pin anything and everything that catches your eye. Don't worry about the pins relating to each other or looking cohesive. Explore various color palettes, styles, settings, etc.
Don't limit yourself to wedding photos. When I have initial design meetings with my clients I ask them to send over non-wedding related images that they liked. What kind of photos? It could be rooftops of Paris, a vintage door, book bindings, a collection of shells... We then talk about what it is in the image they were drawn to and how can we translate that into an element of their wedding.
Categorize!
This is for those out there that live on Pinterest nightly and have upwards of 100+ pins for their weddings. It can be hard to re-find a pin you saved or remember why you saved it. If this is you, start to break down your boards into categories for apparel, flowers, hair and make up, venues, stationery, and inspiration.
Narrow down. I know I just said to go crazy with brainstorming. But once you're rounding the 6 month mark until your wedding, you'll be focusing in on its style. Start to pare down and delete the pins that are no longer in line with your vision (declutter!). There's no sense in reminding yourself of a style you might have gone with. It can be confusing and add unnecessary stress.
Retain perspective. This is perhaps the hardest part. I emphasize this with my clients for a couple reasons.
Each image is impossible to recreate. We can use the same elements and set things up in similar ways, but it's impossible to duplicate any one photo or pin that you might have fallen in love with.
Some photos are of weddings with generous budgets. If your nuptials are wallet conscious, it's important to keep perspective of what's attainable within your means.
Last and probably most importantly, have fun with it. Pinterest has opened up a world of wedding ideas that were once limited to hours of searching through printed magazines and blogs. With Pinterest there are millions of images for inspiration immediately at your fingertips and a convenient way to keep and organize the ideas you love. Get creative, think outside the box and happy pinning!
Here are some pins collected with a client for her wedding last year:
And here are photos from her wedding:
(photos by Lora Grady, see more of this wedding here )
More examples of wedding inspiration can be found on my Pinterest page