Pinterest is an excellent way to organize your wedding’s photographic inspiration. We use it ourselves all the time when we plan designs for big events. When a bride or groom shares a Pinterest board with us before a consultation, we get a preview about the direction our conversation could take during their hour and a half meeting.
This is a mock Pinterest board that features three “top” designs for bridal bouquets and centerpieces. Step 1: Create an exclusive board for the consultation.
Pinterest boards are also very helpful in the early stages of your consultation. We’ll ask you what you like and dislike about some of your favorite designs. You’ll have pinned an image because of the color, varieties or shapes in the design; very important intel as we learn about your personal style. As you share your thoughts and ideas, we begin to design your wedding.
The other night, I had a call with a bride who had fifteen or so bridal bouquets scattered around her Pinterest board that included about 100 wedding pins. She was interested in learning a little bit more about budgeting for her personal flowers. We started pouring through the photos, using the headlines and descriptions below each pin to identify the designs we were hoping to discuss. We were having lots of fun, but finding each pin was taking some time that she would rather have spent asking her questions.
She had been pinning bouquets for many months and there was a very clear theme among her pins. I was learning a lot by looking at all of the designs but asked her if she had a couple of favorites.
“Wait” she said, “I have an idea.” She asked if we could resume the call in two minutes. While I waited, she created a new board on her Pinterest page called “J. Morris Consultation” with her top three bridal bouquets, bridesmaids bouquets and boutonnieres. Voila. Suddenly, we were having a much more focused conversation. I asked some very specific questions about her favorite designs and began to calculate the materials and labor that could be involved.
Step 3: Create sections for your different design and decor elements. Choose “Add Section,” type in the section title, then select the pictures that will be included in that section.
She has since set up the new board to include all of her décor elements in sections. We have her appointment scheduled and we are ready for her consultation. Here’s what you can do to streamline your wedding board before you meet with your vendors:
Step 1: Create a new board on your Pinterest Page like “Wedding Flowers.”
Step 2: Decide whether you want the board to be secret. If you make a board secret, only you and people you share the board with can see the contents.
Pinterest Help with Boards
Step 3: Select your favorite pins from you Pinterest Page, and then use the red “Save” button in the upper-right hand corner to save each one to your new board. This will be done one pin at a time.
Step 4: Go to your new board and use the “Add section” feature to name your decor elements. (bouquets, centerpieces, chandeliers, etc). As you create a new section, you will be offered the opportunity to select individual pins for that section.
Collecting photos during the planning stage for your wedding is very helpful. There are other methods that you can use to gather your photos for your consult, especially if you are looking for just a few good images that portray your ideas. You can attach them to an email before your consult, share a small google drive or Drop Box, or create a Power Point. Or, you can simply save the images to an album in your phone. You can also identify designs from our “wedding portfolio” page and we will just browse through them during your meeting.
We always have lots of photos to show you as well. Your J. Morris Flowers proposal will include the photos that we eventually choose as the inspiration for your designs. As no two bouquets are truly alike, you’ll see the recipe for your design in your proposal as well with individual images of each flower.
Do you have tips about using Pinterest? share them in the comments section below.