Pinterest Bride (noun): one who only pins pictures on Pinterest and dubs it “real planning”. The Pinterest Bride has no wedding date set, hasn’t gone dress shopping, or approached vendors for quotes. In other words, the PB has done very little in terms of planning.

The Pinterest Bride exists between two states: euphoria and overwhelming procrastination.

You see, before she was engaged, the Pinterest Bride had a secret Pinterest board of wedding dresses tucked away in a special corner of the internet.

In her heart, she confidently knows he’ll go down on one knee. She knows it like how she knows the sun always rises east and sets west.

The Pinterest Bride is also a world class procrastinator. After the ring is on her finger, her idea of planning boils down to creating Pinterest Boards with quirky names and filling them with pins that blows the brain out of average budgets.

She’ll do this for months until her bridesmaids hold her accountable. From one Pinterest Bride to another, here’s how you can use Pinterest to plan your wedding, instead of drowning in it.

Credits: rawpixel.com - www.freepik.com

Do: Start a Fresh Pinterest Board.

Drop the Secret Pinterest Board, filled with random wedding pins circa the days of Beyonce’s Single Ladies.

He did put a ring on it, didn’t he?

You’re starting a new chapter of life together. Don’t let your Pinterest Boards be stuck in 2009. Now is the perfect time to click “Create Board”, and give yourself a fresh start!

Fill your Wedding Board with the wedding dresses and trends you love right now. Ditch irrelevant wedding trends. Let go of wedding pins that don’t represent your relationship anymore. Acknowledge how the pandemic is affecting the feasibility of those wedding pins.

A fresh board gives you permission to define and grow your wedding vision.

Credits: wayhomestudio - www.freepik.com

Don’t Delete Old Wedding Boards.

Old Wedding Boards are embarrassing. Your current Wedding Boards look like haute couture compared to them, and the cursor is hovering over “Delete Board”.

Instead, switch the setting to “Keep this board secret”.

You might find hidden gems to transfer over to your shiny new Pinterest Boards, making the process of finding new pins less daunting.

There are scarier things on the web and more questionable things in life than your old Pinterest Wedding Boards.

Do: Prioritize Your Wedding Boards.

Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing...

The quickest way to lose your wedding focus is to start with more than two boards. The more boards you create, the more random pins you invite to your Pinterest feed! This leads to wasted time and your wedding vision’s demise.

Create one Wedding Board first. (I started with a wedding dress board, because the dress would dictate a fair amount of my future wedding decisions.)

As you pin specific images for that Board, Pinterest will start gracing your feed with similar wedding pins it thinks you’ll like. You’re helping Pinterest help you. Congrats, you're closer to unearthing your wedding vision with Pinterest algorithm magic!

Don’t Skip Over A Pin you Like!

Keep an open mind when it comes to your Pinterest feed.

Even if you can't find a Pinterest Board for a pin to call home, it's easier to pin now and delete later.

Do: Edit Your Wedding Boards

Open one of your Pinterest Wedding Boards.

Delete pins that are:
-Duplicates
-No longer matching your vision
-Unrealistic and not within budget
-Not enhancing your guests' experience (e.g., table centerpieces that are too tall and guests can't converse over them)

Be ruthless. Your board is not a comprehensive wedding guide. It's a starting point!

Don't Just Pin. Execute!

Once you see a general trend emerge from your pins, STOP PINNING.

It's time to start contacting vendors!

This next phase of your planning will include researching (reading reviews & looking at vendor portfolios), requesting rates, and making appointments.

Do: Check Back & Update Boards

Think of Pinterest as your visual to-do list.

Once you get an item or complete a task from your wedding board, “cross it off”.

Reorder your pins and keep pins of items you've already purchased closer to the top. That way, it’s easier to keep track of what you already have and what you still need.

It’s also nice to see how wedding items you see online fit with other pins in your board. You can pinning images directly from the seller’s website with a Pinterest browser extension. When you do decide to buy the item, your pin will link back to the original website!

WTF Bride Share Pinterest with Bridesmaids

Do: Share Your Boards With Bridesmaids & Vendors

Your pictures are worth more than words. Why try to describe what you like when you can show your vendors!

Pinterest can save time. When my makeup artist asked me what bridal look I wanted, I just shared my hair and makeup boards with her. Simple.

Not only can you share your wedding boards digitally, you can also invite your bridesmaids to collaborate on one! I have a board where my bridesmaids can pin the dresses they like. Then we met and talked about them over Zoom.

Don’t Overshare

Maintain mystery and build anticipation by clicking “Keep this board secret”.

Some wedding details are better left unknown.

Hello Pinterest Mavens! Subscribe to WTF Bride if you found these tips helpful, and check back for more wedding content.