At this point, we’ve all heard of Pinterest.  When the website and social media platform came out, I don’t believe that those who created it had any idea how big it would really get, as quickly as it did.  Next thing we knew it had exploded, and everyone was spending their free time pinning away!  As quickly as it had come, it had taken over our lives.  Research is showing that Pinterest is  actually changing the face of the internet.  Instead of heading to Google, people search for recipes, wedding ideas, and how-tos on this platform.

Part of me loves Pinterest.  Personally, I’ve been able to find and organize tons of new wonderful recipes, fun craft projects, and things I want to do in the future.  The great thing, is the organizational aspect.  Just tonight I made a recipe that I’ve made a few times, and I just hopped on my boards to find it.  At this time I don’t own a home, but I hope to in the future.  Home improvement pins are not helping me now, but when I find the perfect color combination or the easy way to update an outdated kitchen I want to hold onto that for the future.  Anywhere else, I’d probably forget about it until I needed it and then it would be lost.

Another thing I love is the wealth of fun craft projects.  One of my hobbies is quilting, and I’ve found some awesome patterns that I can use for my next few projects.  From easy projects that only take an afternoon, to bigger projects that will have to wait until I have more space to complete them in, I’ve been able to find new ways to make my space mine without spending an arm and a leg.

The best of the internet finds it’s way to Pinterest.  Funny memes, cute animals, and a wealth of knowledge all shows up on my feed for me to love and pin.  Just the other day I watched a video I’d found on Pinterest of a sloth crossing a road; adorable.  All of the best in one place!

Part of me hates Pinterest.  My husband has this theory that Pinterest is creating a generation of people who aren’t as creative.  Instead of coming up with a fun way to decorate your chairs or honor your grandmother on your wedding day people are just a click away.  People don’t have as many of their own ideas, they are using other people’s ideas.  I don’t think that my husband’s theory is completely true, but I do think that this generation would rather find someone else’s answer instead of coming up with their own, which is a function of the internet in general, but Pinterest is a part of that.

Pinterest is creating an unrealistic expectation for weddings.  Brides see all of these adorable ideas and somehow want to find a way to do them all.  What most brides don’t realize is that the weddings they are seeing, with the lounge seating and gorgeous uplighting, have much higher budgets than the average bride.  These are high end weddings, they are an unrealistic goal for the average bride.  Along with this, shot lists on Pinterest are not as helpful to your photographers as you might think.  I cannot recreate those images for you because there are so many factors that created those images that I cannot control.  Some poses don’t work for some couples, pretty sunset images can’t be made at noon, that perfect gust of wind may have blown that brides hair just right but I cannot control the weather.

Pinterest is a tool.  It’s not an answer, or a rulebook, but a way to help organize ideas.  What I tell my brides, is that I’m going use their pin board as a mood board.  Instead of trying to recreate all of the images, I can get an idea of what type of images, lighting, etc you like and try to employment that for your special day.  When that day comes nothing that you pinned matters; all that matters is being in that moment with those that you love while you say “I do” to the love of your live.

Follow me on Pinterest here!

-Meghan