February 21, 2012

A wedding planner’s dream

What did we do before iPads, Facebook, and Pinterest? Before that, how did we get by without email and the Internet? Seriously!

I didn’t “get” Pinterest until a few weeks ago. I’ve had an account for several months since Hanni’s (Sweet Bean Gardening) great review and invitation to join the fun. But I didn’t “get” it. I thought, “Wow, this is fun but I don’t have time for another social media site.”

Then one day I started thinking about floral arrangements—one of my other hobbies. And I realized Pinterest would be a fun place to look for inspiration. Boy, was it ever! In just one trip to Pinterest I found unique combinations of flowers and foliage in fascinating color schemes and creative arrangements.

That got me thinking about my own wedding bouquet—a lovely arrangement of Cymbidium and Dendrobium Orchids, delicate dusty pink Roses, and a touch of Asparagus Fern foliage.


We all have aspects of our weddings that fall a bit short of expectations (my cake), and others that exceed expectations (my bouquet).

With Pinterest, though—gosh, with the Internet in general—wedding planning would have been so much easier. The old-fashioned method was to call the florist (the church, the baker, the hall, etc.), arrange for a visit, look at pages and pages of pictures in sample albums, make choices, and then have faith that the flowers (and everything else) would match the vision.

Now, using Pinterest, you can line up dozens of bouquets side by side on a screen in the comfort of your own home—no paper images or printed photos required!

Pinterest has its issues, and we’re all trying to figure out how to use it ethically. But I think it’s here to stay. It’s an especially excellent tool for those of us visual people who like to really “see” things before we make decisions..and before we buy things.


OK, I admit I didn’t need Pinterest to have a perfect wedding bouquet…and a pretty decent wedding and marriage. But if anyone (kids? grandkids? friends?) ever asks me for help planning a wedding, I know where I’ll be spending a lot of time…

32 comments:

  1. I love Pinterest. I use for all sorts of things, but I've never thought about the ethics of it. Great point. I end up visiting lots of websites that I wouldn't ordinarily find. You can also see if anybody has posted a link to your blog:
    http://pinterest.com/source/YourBlogAddress.

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    1. I'm sort of approaching it cautiously right now because of the image copyright issues. But I'm hoping it will all get figured out and we'll find a way to share fairly. I love it, too!

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  2. I only recently checked out Pinterest after resisting for a while. What with blogging, email, Twitter, Facebook etc one ends up spending more time than one should on the computer. However...I too love Pinterest now. Great for ideas on all sorts of topics. Hooked again!!!

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    1. I know! Way too much computer time! But Pinterest is so much fun and has so many practical applications. It will be interesting to see how all this Internet activity shakes out!

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  3. superb flower bouquets... here posting a very colorful wedding flowers. that's flowers are look so gorgeous. even the wedding peoples are seen definitely need in our wedding also. very nice postings, i like it.

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    1. Thanks, John. The photo was a little blurry because I think the photographer was using a special effect and focusing more on the dress or something. But the bouquet really was gorgeous. I was so pleased with it!

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  4. Can't do it...I have so little time as it is and barely get onto FB, Google+ or any other that I have to draw the line for now...perhaps once I retire and continue in earnest with my own design business...I'll let you know and then you can invite me...I plan to send you an email with ideas today on the meme...love your bouquet...mine was terrible because I had to make a quick change in florist at the last minute...but my cake was excellent ;)

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    1. I know, I actually feel the same way. But Pinterest is keeping me away from Google+ and limiting my FB time. Thanks re: the great meme ideas! It's so funny that we had opposite flower/cake experiences. Cheers!

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  5. I too have a Pinterest account, but it goes unused and unvisited. I join these sites to 'get' something from them, like Twitter. I never made more than one tweet, the one for a chance to win a camera, and will only do it again for a similar reason. Weird thing too, I got followers on Twitter and never made a tweet about myself. That kinda tells you something very superficial about Twitter. FB is the same, I never friended anyone. FB never really sees me, just my blog. Pinterest also sees my blog with images being linked. I find blogging to be more fun and informative, even though I realize it is generally a dying form of social media. Blogging too seems to only be only saturated with traffic in certain venues, and Pinterest seems to picking up on this too.

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    1. Yeah, it seems like each social media outlet has its own purpose and personality. Blogging, I think, will always be my favorite social media format because it combines words with images. I know people say it's a dying medium, but I will continue doing it because it's great therapy and I've met so many amazing gardeners from around the world. I hope it doesn't die. But I'm sure we'll find ways to connect with each other. Thanks for your thoughtful response, Donna.

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  6. So funny that you should post this as I have JUST made the decision to join too. I'm trying to be focused enough to finish my new website first though or it will never get done! I see it as a valuable publicity tool for my business/writing as well as a source of inspiration.

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    1. Karen, that makes sense. I've been meaning to post some of my photos from my blog, but I'm trying to add my URL first, so it will direct traffic back. Good luck with your website! I can't wait to see it!

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  7. I, too, waited a while after Hanni's invitation...and now I don't know why. I love Pinterest! It is a great place to find all kinds of images and to share.

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    1. Yes, once you really get started the uses become more apparent. I have several Pinterest boards in mind for new projects. I'm taking a cautious approach, though, while some of the copyright/copying issues work themselves out. See you on Pinterest!

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  8. I lured you over to the dark side... :) I love Pinterest because it's all visual!

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    1. Yes, you did. Thank you! It is so much fun. I am such a visual person, so it's perfect for me. Cheers, Hanni!

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  9. I love Pinterest for winter inspiration! Crafts, new garden ideas, home design, etc. Check me out at Pinterest! Though I have so many Ideas, who knows how much I will actually get to doing!!

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    1. Hey Gabrielle: I agree--so much inspiration! I tried to follow you by clicking on your Pinterest "follow me" link but it didn't let me in. I'll try later--maybe it just froze up on me.

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  10. I love Pinterest too! I get great garden and recipe ideas and visit websites I'd probably not have found on my own.

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    1. Absolutely! I feel like I'm just getting started with its potential. Enjoy!

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  11. I am actually very upset with Pinterest. Yes, my photos originally appeared on the site with a link to my website which is OK, although I would rather have someone ask permission for copying my photos. But then from Pinterest they go off to other sites without any links or acknowledgments. I have gone from thinking that it was OK to feeling that the site is aiding the illegal rip off of copyrighted material and wish it would be taken down.

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    1. Carolyn: I'm sorry to hear that. I was worried about that, too, so I've been adding my URL to my photos to at least increase the chance that people will know where they came from. I just found out there's code you can add to your site to prevent people from pinning your photos. Here's a link to the article: bit.ly/z9qmhR.

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  12. Down the rabbit hole with Pinterest. Copyrighting has been discussed and is an issue but most of us will never ever get paid for photos, not that we shouldn't. I am on the fence with Pinterest and copying.

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    1. Yes, it's a tough issue. On the one hand, people willy-nilly copy images and that's the whole idea of Pinterest. On the other hand, if the images draw traffic back to the source and the person wants that, it can be beneficial. I'm glad there's now code that you can add to your site to prevent people from pinning your photos: bit.ly/z9qmhR.

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  13. Pinterest would have been a great help to me last year when Daughter was planning her wedding. Even so, I don't know how I could have helped her without the internet--she was in Arizona, and I was here, so everything prior to the wedding was pretty much done through emails and sending links to websites. My younger daughter introduced me to Pinterest a few months ago, and although I enjoy browsing around it at times, I'm not addicted to it yet. Looking at some people's "pins" and Facebook pages, I wonder how in the world they ever get anything else done! I keep worrying that someday we'll all sit glued to our computer screens (or their replacements) and never communicate with people face to face at all.

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    1. Yes, true about the time thing. I thought about giving up Pinterest (or some part of my Internet activity) for Lent, but I didn't do it. One of these days I'm planning to go Internet free for a week. That will be tough!

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  14. Blogging is dying? I don't think so. Maybe bad blogging is dying :)

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    1. I hope you're right, Sheila. Our little worldwide community of garden bloggers is too precious. I can't think of a different (existing anyway) platform that would make the interaction as rich and rewarding.

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  15. Oh dear, I have never heard of Pinterest! Thank you very much for telling. I'd like to learn and have a feel of what's it is all about, can you please send me an invite? My email is mynicegardenblog@gmail.com.

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  16. Beth, thank you very much for your speedy action. Now I can try Pinterest!

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    1. Sure thing! I'm thinking you will find lots of great ideas there, Autumn Belle!

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