Earlier this week, I had a conversation with my sister regarding how Pinterest has changed weddings so drastically in just a couple of years. Kim was married in 2006 when most weddings followed a standard outline and you made it unique through small tweaks to that standard. She was lamenting about how much she would do differently now that there's so many more options and ideas. I, on the other hand, would have been pleased if this site did not exist during my planning phase.
The only positive aspect Pinterest has provided my wedding planning was it allowed me to go "shopping" with my bridesmaid Amanda who lived across the country. Instead of sending emails with large files, or sitting on the phone for hours trying to look at the same website at the same time, we were able to pin shoes and view them at anytime. Other than that, Pinterest has been more of a burden.
The standard wedding now is to see how unique you can be. Between Pinterest and Etsy, you too can show your guests how amazing you are! The funny thing though is those ideas have now become the ordinary. If you understand or know how Pinterest works, you will never be able to attend another shower/wedding/party with fun accents without giving credit to Pinterest instead of the person hosting the event.
I have actually avoided Pinterest for the bulk of my planning. We wanted a laid-back affair in a venue that had a little more of a garden feel than a golf club. This led to our desire to add some handmade pieces to our event. We have done what makes us happy without feeling like we are being forced to be unique. On the few times I did visit these sites, I was instantly transformed into a competitive "my wedding needs to be memorable" bride - should I make my own honey as favors? should Ped and I paint original artwork for the reception hall? should we have a life-size guestbook where everyone inkpads their hands, then makes it into a leaf, and signs their name next to the picture of them???
It's incredible how a simple website about ideas can put the pressure on a modern day bride. Our favors are a little different than normal, we aren't having floral centerpieces, and we aren't riding around in a limo. I'm proud to say that our ideas did not come from Pinterest or Etsy or any other website. They were just things we thought of on our own that will make Friday be a day about things that are important to us. We will make the day memorable, and we hope our friends and family will remember it for the amount of love that filled the day.
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