I have a love/dislike relationship with Pinterest. I love it for inspiration, as everyone seems to. I love pinning yummy recipes, outfits I love, places I want to visit, photography that inspires me, and wedding inspiration for my clients.

What I don’t love are the unrealistic expectations it seems to set, especially for brides preparing for their own weddings. I also don’t love a trend I’ve noticed – instead of bringing their own creativity to the day, brides are essentially copying and pasting weddings they see on Pinterest. That may be a bit extreme, but I hope you get my point and that I’m saying this not out of malice, but because I really care about you.

I just want to remind you that it’s not about cramming as many details into your day as possible. Successful weddings are not about how many Pins you have. Weddings are not about recreating that photo where the bride and groom are spelling L-O-V-E with their fingers (do you really want your photos to look like every other photo on Pinterest?). Weddings are about love itself. They’re about coming together with your family and friends to celebrate that love.

As an upcoming bride myself, I totally get how helpful Pinterest is. But I’ve also been sucked in at times to feeling like my wedding won’t even come close to all the amazingness I see on those boards.

Do you know what I see as the remedy to this Pinterest craze? Trust.

Brides, trust yourselves. Please. You are amazing. You are creative. Trust that you have a unique vision.

As I read somewhere the other day, there are no new ideas, only re-imagined ones. But I think constantly looking at other’s ideas tends to drown out your own unique perspective and ability to put your OWN spin on something. I think it comes down to trusting yourself and your team!

Beautiful, intimate, real weddings have been happening for thousands of years. Pinterest has only been around for the last few. Weddings have been and can be a success without having to PIN ALL THE THINGS!!!! 🙂

And lastly, please trust your photographers (whoever they are) to get amazing shots and be creative on their own. We love looking at fun/beautiful photos as much as the next person, but it’s our job to think on our feet that day and also be inspired by what’s around us. And most of all, be inspired by YOU! That is why you’re hiring a professional! Trust me…we got this 😉

And here is a photo I took yesterday during Sammi and Mica’s engagement session. Can’t wait to share their amazing story (I photographed Mica’s proposal to Sammi on Friday night!).