We absolutely adore Pinterest as a tool. As planners and stylists and flower designers it is the perfect source of inspiration for us. But, and that is a big but, you need to know how to use it properly.
For every event that we design we spend an incredible amount of time scouring through Pinterest for perfect perfect details. We extensively search for the right flowers – you know the ones that lean in the direction we want them to. Or the holy grail of inspiration, you know the perfect combination of that exact colour you wanted, with that exact underplate that your client wants, with the exact napkin shade, and the exact greenery you are thinking of, with the exact flowers that are in season and that exact table that the venue has on offer and always of course adorned with the candles that look exactly like yours.
Do you see the problem? If you are designing something utterly unique and creative and inspired it is highly – HIGHLY unlikely that you will find this on Pinterest. You will never find that exact photo that you are looking for. As designers and stylists we are okay with that. We know what we want from Pinterest, we want inspiration only. And it is an amazing source for it.
It is a tool, and only a tool, which helps us build inspiration boards to pass our message along to our clients. It helps us put into pictures all the amazing ideas floating through our heads.
Keep reading for an inspiration board based off Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2019 – Living Coral. And yes, we know 2019 was a while back, but it is such a beautiful and refreshing shade which we think pairs perfectly every shade of green. And green is in style, green is current, green is timeless.
Pinterest can also be super valuable for a bride sometimes. There’s the DIY bride, who likes doing things herself and likes creating things. For her, Pinterest again can be a great tool. Not only can she find inspiration and ideas but she can also find tutorials and how-to’s for just about anything. Amazing tool.
But what about all the other brides? The ones that don’t want to DIY, the ones that want to hire professionals to perfectly plan and execute their dream wedding?
These brides are constantly bombarded with picture-perfect weddings on Pinterest, which are highly unrealistic when it comes to execution and unfortunately cost. The absolute majority of gorgeously displayed images on Pinterest are really just styled shoots.
We are by no means attempting to decrease the value of a photoshoot. It takes a tremendous amount of work to put together, highly skilled professionals to execute to perfection and to bring you the awe-inspiring result that you see before you every single time you open the app.
But is it possible to apply this design to a real wedding? Let’s break it down.
A styled shoot, of a single table. The equipment, provided at no additional cost by a vendor who also wants to showcase it. The overall design? Put together after months of planning, set up by an entire team of professionals in 3-4 hours (for that glorious result you see before you). The flowers you see may not be in season, in fact they may not even be available 360 days of the year, but the shoot was scheduled specifically on those 5 days of the year that the flowers can be acquired. And let’s not forget the photographer, who skilled as he/she may be has an advantage here, as there is not such a high pressure of time to capture this shot before the next big thing happens. And let’s not forget there are no guests wandering around.
We love Pinterest. And sometimes we kind of hate it too. It gives us the perfect amount of inspiration and the tools to properly show a couple the look and feel of the wedding, to put unto paper the aesthetic and the design. But if left to run freely, it also builds unrealistic expectations for what can be provided and at what cost.
Using Pinterest to plan your wedding is a must. We need it, to show you our ideas. But you need it too, to show us yours. But moderately so.
If you love our inspiration board don’t forget to keep checking back for more blog posts! And of course, follow our Pinterest and Instagram accounts for so much more!