When I got married in 2006 Pinterest hadn't yet been launched ( it started in 2010) but if it had been around I probably would be doing exactly what couples are doing today... madly collecting images and becoming totally overwhelmed.
Why Florists love Pinterest
It's an amazing place to get ideas - there are millions upon millions of pictures. Maybe even Billions? Who knows?
As a designer, I'm a very visual person and it's perfect for letting me see ideas quickly.
You can find virtually ANYTHING! Literally anything.
As a wedding florist, it's great to share ideas and perfect for that wish list mood board.
If you are indecisive and don't know where to start you can start clicking and saving straight away and then whittle away ideas till you are happy with your choices.
If you are considering colour choices there are ready-made mood boards on Pinterest to see how will all look without you doing any work!
Why Wedding Suppliers get frustrated with Pinterest
As mentioned earlier it can be totally overwhelming, too many choices = too many ideas, yes it can be a very bad thing.
Pinterest images are often "A LIST" images by which I mean they are at the very top of most budgets which can be disconcerting if you save lots of lovely pictures only to find out they are way out of reach.
Couples often present us with beautiful images from the USA - weddings in the US are often super luxurious, so price comparisons don't work - but more importantly, they don't represent seasonality in the UK. Flower seasons are very different between the USA and the UK.
Not all Pinterest Pictures will be possible. There are often copyright issues with designs. We never copy pictures exactly, to me it's not ethical but much more importantly we want each design to be unique to you.
There are more ideas than those on Pinterest believe it or not. If you contact good suppliers they will be able to send you images that are relevant to your wedding ideas and save you many hours!
How to make Pinterest work for you and to make your Wedding Suppliers love you :)
Start a wedding board with a few sections so you feel under control
Name it with your own names and wedding date.
Use Pinterest for inspiration only, be flexible with ideas as much as possible
Ask suppliers for advice before completely falling in love with a picture
Choose a colour scheme and try to stick with it. It's hard we know! We love everything too :)
Don't save absolutely everything, only save it if you absolutely can't live without it!
Create a Wedding Mood Board and share it with your Wedding suppliers when you initially contact them, it saves a lot of time (for you) and allows everyone to see exactly what you have in mind, it's brilliant!
Don't forget to check out Wedding blogs and local Wedding magazines too - you will find nearby suppliers that will happily work with your plans.
If you would like to help to plan your wedding flowers, just ask, we love to help and talk about weddings. :)
Steph & Tim x
www.chirpee.net