To Pin or Not to Pin

To Pin or Not to Pin

Some people dream about their weddings from the day they are born.  Some people have had bridal magazine subscriptions since they could read.  Some of us have never thought about what we would want in our wedding before we were engaged.  No matter which category you fall into Pinterest can be a great help to us all.

Before Pinterest, you would have to purchase bridal magazines (which are mostly ads) and dog ear pages.  Then if you were really ambitious, create a board with everything you might want, which you could share with your vendors to help see your vision.  Today no scissors, glue, tape or paper cuts are needed.

You can now peruse Pinterest and tag anything that catches your fancy.  Then when you find your vendors share your board with them.  They can see your overall choices and well as the choices that relate to their part of the event.  You will always have the info at your fingertips on your phone, tablet or laptop,  which is so much lighter to carry with you than a bulky board or binder.

When I created my board I started by looking at one item at a time, that way the choices are grouped closely to each other.  You will start to see patterns develop based on what you are pinning.  It will also leave you lasting links to things you may want to refer back to, instead of playing the what was the name of that website game.  

My wedding was 3,000 miles away from where I live so my board was a lifesaver.  Every vendor was able to take my pins and translate them into exactly what we had in mind.  Below you will see some of my pins and the pictures of what my vendors created.  They are spot on and even better than the pins in many instances.

Pinned

Actual

Milan Events

Maggie Stolzberg Photography

Pinned

Actual

Key West Cakes

Old Town Manor Weddings

Pinned

Actual

Created by Merry & Married Meg

Maggie Stolzberg Photography

A couple of hints for pinning:

• If you get a little too pin happy, go back in and take out what you may have changed your mind about.  
• Follow Pinners who have similar ideas as you, they will then show up in your feed so you don’t have to search as long or hard for what you are looking for.
• Remember, that not all things on Pinterest can be duplicated exactly or are feasible.  Pinterest is an idea board and not always a reality board.

I cannot stress enough how helpful it can be in visualizing your dream and making it become a reality.

Merry & Married Meg

It's All a Matter of Money.

One of the hardest things about planning a wedding is the money.  Some of us get help from family and friends and others of us are on our own when it comes to paying for our weddings.  No matter the case, make sure that you are truly sure how much you want to spend.

Yes, it is a once in a lifetime event, but you don’t want to spend the rest of your life trying to pay it back.  When deciding your budget make sure that you will be able to afford the payments over the course of the planning.  Some of your vendors will have a payment plan which allows you to pay most of the total before the actual event.  This helps alleviate the pain on the day of the wedding.  

When working with your budget there are a few things you should keep in mind.  There will be many small incidental costs towards the end that can add up and put you over budget.  A couple hundred here and there may not seem like much at the time, but four or five of those and you can be in trouble.  

Don’t forget you will need to tip your vendors.  Those tips can be a percentage of the total spent with the company or a flat amount based on the service that is provided.  The tips  will depend on your overall budget, but no matter what, they will still have an impact.  

Tipping Chart Provided by Just Save the Date Wedding Planning

Pick the three things that are most important to you and make those your splurges.  For us the music, food and photography were the top three.  If we were going to need to make compromises they would not be in those categories.  Keep in mind the overall experience is going to be the most memorable part of the wedding, most people are not going to remember your linens or choice of chairs.

Great Events Catering - Photo by Maggie Stolzberg Photography

If you are crafty or have plenty of time you can also save money by making some things yourself.  Don’t forget if you have willing and able friends they could help your budget too.  My best friend has the most amazing handwriting, so when it came to the invites he was more than willing to help address the envelopes. He was the Man of Honor after all.  Those handmade details with their love and time will mean so much more.

Escort Card and Menu by Me - Photo by Maggie Stolzberg Photography

I feel the best thing is to set your budget below what you are actually willing to spend.  That way when things pop up you have a buffer.  Most of all remember you want to enjoy your wedding not spend the planning and day of trying to justify the money that you spent.  No one can have fun when they are stressing about funds.

Merry & Married Meg