Using Pinterest to Plan Your Wedding

It is actually happening. The love of your life is down on one knee asking you that pivotal, life-altering, and magnificent question, “Will you marry me?” After the happy tears, toasts of champagne and outpouring of love and congratulations from friends and family, you prepare to embark on your exciting wedding planning journey! And what is your first step? Consult your Pinterest boards of course!

Pinterest has revolutionized the way brides plan their big day and communicate with their vendors! Instead of describing their likes and dislikes, they can map out particulars and keep track of ideas or “pinspiration.” Pinterest has also been a great aid to brides who may not know what they envision for their wedding day. From bridesmaid dresses to guest favors, Pinterest has an abundance of beautiful and unique ideas for brides of all locations and budgets. But at what point does a good thing become too much? The Event Group has collaborated with floral designer Hens and Chicks and photographer Hot Metal Studio to put together a set of guidelines to optimize your Pinterest planning experience. Follow these tips below to use your inspiration boards effectively, efficiently and creatively!

1. Create Categorized Private Boards
Flowers, lighting, rentals, the list goes on! Depending on the size and venue of your wedding, you may have numerous vendors collaborating with one another to create your vision. If there are particular pictures or ideas you want to show them on Pinterest, create separate boards for each one of your vendors to reference when describing your ideas. Make these boards private and invite only the vendors you think are appropriate, making sure to invite your event planner to all of them.

2. Use the Description Boxes
The description boxes are a vendor’s best friend! Use them to designate exactly what you like in a picture and what you do not like. If you leave them blank or, even worse, with the description it was previously pinned with, your vendors may misconstrue what you are really loving in that particular picture! Your event planner may think you pinned a photo for the color scheme and overall look when really you were simply pinning it for the linens featured. Help them help you by being as detailed as possible when pinning a picture to one of your wedding boards.

3. Be Flexible
As beautiful as that pin may be, it may also be seasonal, out of your budget or not available in your area. Because of this, it is important to not get hung up on any pin in particular, just derive inspiration from it! Trust your vendors to create a similar look or vibe but with your own personalized spin on it.

Nathan of Hens and Chicks recommends using Pinterest for color palate, floral composition shapes and styles, and for an overall concept for your event. “Ninety percent of floral photos on Pinterest are staged or styled shoots and not real life events,” says Nathan. “Therefore, they do not take into account the health of the flowers and longevity for the entire evening, almost all flowers and greenery need water!”

On the photography side of the spectrum, Tiffany from Hot Metal Studio advises, “Most wedding photos are a completion of lighting, location and the couple being photographed. Sometimes it’s impossible to recreate them and that’s not why couples hire us. We capture moments, their moments.” She elaborates with, “An idea is great. If a couple is inspired to have a sunset portrait session because they’ve seen some amazing light, we can try it. We do live in Pittsburgh though. It’s a 50/50 chance there will be no golden hour, just a grey one. The soft even light is always a plus for me though!”

4. Take DIY with a Grain of Salt
Pinterest Fail: the last website that any bride would want their wedding published on! DIY tutorials are a fantastic resource for saving costs, but you have to do your research before maxing out your credit card at your local Michaels. For example, Nathan was recently shown a gorgeous Pinterest arrangement from a bride comprised of a simple, low glass cylinder packed with Hyacinth and woven stems. The title read “Inexpensive DIY Spring Centerpiece,” and was anything but. After some research, Nathan said, “I priced the wholesale cost of the arrangement at $85.”

5. Stay True to Your Vision
Because Pinterest has a surplus of ideas and photos, the website can become overwhelming to a bride-to-be. Pinterest is best utilized in the beginning of your planning process, to pinpoint your likes and dislikes and get a feel for what you and your fiancé envision. Surfing Pinterest after you have already signed contracts, approved mock ups and sent out your invitations can send you into a whirlwind, questioning your decisions. Stay true to yourself by staying off Pinterest after all of the large planning decisions have been made!

“In my opinion a unique wedding is the best kind,” says Tiffany. “Since the images on Pinterest are curated, they only show you a select few, the few that have been the most popular. I think it’s a wonderful tool for organizing your ideas, for weddings, recipes and cat memes.”

A helpful tidbit: Delete the app from your phone after you have made your decisions! Doing so allows you to keep your account active but stops you from easily perusing Pinterest as a nightly ritual … (yeah, we’ve been there too).

We hope these tips, tricks and vendor insights send you down the aisle in ease, armed with carefully curated boards and a wedding day that is very, truly you.

Give us a reason, and we’ll plan a dinner party. Birthday? Dinner party. Work promotion? Dinner party. Change-of-the-seasons or just-because? Yes, that sounds like the perfect reason to host a dinner party! There’s something intoxicating about the combination of good food, good friends, and classic hospitality.
Are you dinner-party prepared? Having the right supplies in your entertaining arsenal is crucial to making the experience stress-free and enjoyable. Besides the basics like wine glasses and napkins, there are a few entertaining investment pieces that are worth a splurge. Use this list as a wedding registry checklist, or as a reason to hit Sur La Table this weekend.

Beautiful China
Nothing makes entertaining more worth-it than being able to showcase your gorgeous good china. Pulling out your good set is like hanging a Degas for the night – so beautiful, and such a rare treat. For many couples, the china set is the focal point of the wedding registry, and one of the first things their friends and family think to purchase for them. If you have a set, don’t let it languish on a shelf or in a china closet! Take it out and put it to good use. If you already have a set but your design and décor taste has changed, or if you have not yet invested in a set, splurge on a design that makes your heart skip a beat. We have a theory that all food tastes better when served on a beautiful surface – and we haven’t been proven wrong yet!

A Good Cookbook
In this day and age, it’s easy to rely on technology for recipes and cooking tips. We all have a Pinterest board of recipes and foodspiration, after all! But investing in a classic hardbound cookbook serves three purposes. First, you know that all of the recipes will be good if they made it past the chef and the editor. Second, cookbook pages are usually easier to work with (and much more forgiving of tomato sauce splatters or floury fingers) than a device that needs to be charged, has popup ads, etc. And third, cookbooks have a classic aesthetic appeal that your guests will admire. Purchase one classic American cookbook like The Joy of Cooking or Mastering the Art of French Cooking and you’ll feel like a total domestic diva.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking: the 40th Anniversary Edition by Julia Child from Sur La Table

Bar Cart
A well-stocked bar cart is one of the secrets of effortless entertaining. Bar carts come in so many styles and designs, from sleek modern stainless steel to rich classic hardwood. This will almost certainly come to be a focal point in your living room or dining room, and the more you love it the more you’ll use it. Stock it with a citrus juicer, a fine mesh, a julep strainer, a jigger, a muddler and a cocktail shaker. Build up a liquor collection of 50% inexpensive staples and 50% top-shelf treats so you’ll be prepared for any occasion, any guest, and any drink request.
Creative Co-Op 2-Tier Bar Cart from Sur La Table

Copper Mugs
Moscow Mules are a cocktail hour staple that you can easily master to impress your guests. These simple, refreshing cocktails are made with vodka, lime juice and ginger beer and they are always served in a copper mug. Why? The mug keeps the drink colder longer without needing as much ice but also because the acidic lime juice tastes a lot more sharp and crisp against the metal cup… but we just think it looks beautiful!

Moscow Mule Copper Mugs from Sur La Table

Wood, Marble or Slate Cheese Board
Appetizers and hors d’oeuvres are probably the first thing your guests will be served as they enter the party. Make sure your presentation makes a good first impression. An elegantly designed cheese board elevates antipasti, bruschetta, and other small bites.
Wood and Slate Cheese Board from Sur La Table

Entertaining is a snap when you have the right pieces. Don’t skip these essentials when creating your wedding registry! The more you love them, the more motivated you’ll be to put them to good use and show them off.
What entertaining staples are in your arsenal? What pieces do you have that inspire you to break out the Chardonnay and invite guests over?

There you are, sipping a Pumpkin Spice Latte and grabbing your favorite sweater, when it hits you: “Where did the summer go?” Have no fear because there is still time to squeeze every last drop of summery sweetness out of these next upcoming weeks. And what better way to cap off Summer 2015 than with a backyard movie night!

Celebrate this Labor Day weekend in Oscar-worthy style by hosting a “Cinema & Cocktails” soiree for your closest friends and family.

Popcorn Bar: The Pittsburgh Popcorn Company

Gold Striped Popcorn Boxes: Etsy

The most important part of hosting a backyard movie night is, you guessed it, the movie. Keep your audience in mind when selecting a movie so that it is appropriate and enjoyable for everyone attending. You can never go wrong with a romantic comedy like The Proposal, or an oldie-but-goodie classic such as Jaws or The Sandlot. Jurassic Park was the inspiration for this fun and fresh movie night, which was hosted by one of our own event coordinators in her backyard.

Once you’ve selected a movie, now you need a movie screen! Whether you want to hire some Media Room Installers or try out your DIY skills, there are various ways to transform your backyard or house into the most theatrical of venues. You can do a movie night either indoors or outdoors! Start by contacting local sound and rental companies to see if they offer an outdoor theater service. If you see yourself hosting several more movie nights, purchasing a home system might be worth the investment. Although it may not be the most tech savvy, there is always the good old white sheet and projector set-up, creating a whimsical and quaint setting for your guests’ viewing pleasure.

Outdoor Movie Kit: Pittsburgh Sound Rental

Because movie nights tend to be late night affairs, go light on food and offer delectable desserts and flavorful variations of popcorn. Keep everything in theme with a coordinating tablecloth and serveware. Be sure to communicate on the invitation to “BYOBC”, or in other words “Bring your own blanket or chair,” so that your guests are comfortable and warm. You may want to have some lawn chairs and blankets handy for unprepared guests. No al fresco affair is complete without some strategically positioned ambient lighting, so generously place candles, tiki torches and overhead string lights throughout the yard.

Banana Leaf Cake Pops: Bella Christies and Lil Z’s Sweet Boutique

Mini Donuts and Banana Leaf Sugar Cookies: Bella Christies and Lil Z’s Sweet Boutique

Popcorn Bar: Pittsburgh Popcorn Company

Serving as the perfect transition from one gorgeous Pennsylvania season to the next, a backyard movie theatre experience is guaranteed to earn a standing ovation, or at the very least a Pumpkin Spice Latte.