Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Pinterest to Plan Your Wedding

I have to be honest; I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest. Don’t get me wrong, I love browsing through the endless inspiration and finding my next dinner recipe. But there is something about it that makes brides (and us event professionals) go a little crazy, through no fault of their own. 

Think about it; planning a wedding is stressful, no doubt about it. Especially when you’re in those beginning stages of trying to determine the style of your event or maybe find your perfect wedding dress, Pinterest is a great way to browse a seemingly endless amount of photos that, somehow, ALL look like your perfect wedding, yet look completely different.

But then, it’s time to make decisions, finalize your event design & bridal party attire, and focus on the event logistics. Unfortunately, getting caught in that Pinterest scroll hole happens more often than any of us would like, and then anxiety ensues. “Did I choose the right color palette / theme?”, “Maybe we can add this to the plan”, or “I know we already chose these items, but I REALLY love the idea of doing Disney themed guest tables while instrumental classics play in the background…”. 

And that’s where it starts; panic. Second-guessing every decision. Borderline hysteria that you didn’t actually make the right decisions. But here’s the thing; no decision is a “wrong” decision. 

Sure, there are certainly planning decisions that I might recommend go a specific way, but when you’re styling your wedding or thinking about how you want the events of the day to go, it’s really all about you & your partner. Whatever feels right to you is what you should do. Want to do a first look instead of waiting to see your partner at the altar? Awesome, you might actually be able to enjoy your own cocktail hour by doing photos before the ceremony. Want to host a brunch wedding instead of the traditional dinner-time event? That is SO fun, imagine the incredible food & beverage spread you can create! (and please, make sure Fete & Festoon is a part of that ;) ). There are ENDLESS customizations to make your wedding your own, but Pinterest isn’t necessarily going to help you find what that perfect formula is. 

So, here are my tips on how to comprehensively prepare for your wedding so you don’t fall down the Pinterest rabbit-hole.

With your partner, start your planning by answering these two questions.

I recommend doing this before even booking your venue. It will guide you in making some of the biggest decisions & help coordinate all your pieces appropriately.

• How do you want guests to feel at your wedding? How do you want the space to feel?

I know, this sounds pretty basic and you might be wondering how it relates to picking your DJ, caterer, or even your bridal party attire. “I want my guests to have fun” is a statement we get pretty often when we ask clients this question. Of course you want them to have fun! That’s why we’re putting so much work & time into curating such a wonderful day. But how do you want guests to feel? Do you want them to feel cozy as they reconnect with family members? Do you want them to feel like they’re at the greatest party of all time? Do you want your guests to feel personally connected to you throughout the entire experience, even if they’re not able to stand by your side at the altar?

There are so many potential answers to this question. Much of it will relate to the space itself. A wedding in a barn will feel very different than a wedding in a chic, industrial space. What you do with the space is just as important; there is certainly some truth in the psychology behind colors and how they make you feel. But this can come down to things as specific as the texture(s) you choose, lighting, and even table arrangements. There are endless options, which is exciting and overwhelming all at the same time, but talking this through before you even begin your planning will not only serve as a guide, but will also rule out many options & narrow down your wish list quite a bit.

• What is most important to you? What are your non-negotiables

Write out what is absolutely necessary to be at your wedding, and what you absolutely do not want. Is design really important to you? Food & Beverage? Finding a cinematic videographer? Whatever it is, it will be impactful to molding the overall mood of your event. Be thoughtful in determining this, and really dive into why something might be really important (or not important at all).

Create a comprehensive design plan that you can refer back to when you’re feeling unsure or overwhelmed.

Once you get your major vendors booked, it’s time to focus on what your day will look like. This is where your discussion & answers to those questions come in especially handy. I could write another whole post about how to create an effective design plan, but we’ll keep this short. Write out all the elements you want to include; textures, colors, types of decorative items, table setting arrangements, and florals, just to name a few. Be very specific, there’s no such thing as too much detail here. Keep this handy, and refer back to it regularly, especially when you’re feeling torn about a certain item. Refer back to it when you’ve just about made a decision about something. You can certainly update or change pieces in your plan, but try to stay consistent and on track.

Don’t rely on Pinterest to make decisions.

Pinterest is great to get inspired, but picking and choosing which pieces you want to copy at your own wedding creates a set of undesirable issues. First off, the spread of copycat elements screams unoriginality. I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that, if you’re going to spend all this time, resources, and effort into building your perfect wedding day, you’re going to want to set it apart from anything else your guests have seen. You certainly will not get that by recreating what hundreds of other couples decided to do for their wedding, too.

Additionally, building your wedding off of very specific Pinterest ideas will create big inconsistencies between each element. This is why it’s important to create your design plan & talk through those questions above; your goal is to create a day that’s all about you and your partner, and you want each element to connect with the other. You will be astonished at the impact it has in the overall experience. An event professional can help keep every piece in line.

But do you know what will keep you on track more than anything? Hiring a wedding planner. (I know, cheap shot for marketing Fete & Festoon, but it’s true!). Part of our job is to really get to know our clients, which allows us to not only create a truly custom experience, but also make sure that experience reflects the personalities of our clients, what’s important to them, and that all expectations are surpassed. Event pros use their expertise of the industry & vendor connections and combine it with YOUR biggest wishes. It’s like live-action storytelling (how fun!) which is one big reason I love this job. Reach out to F&F and let’s chat about how we can make your dream wedding come true!