This post is written by our wedding contributor Katie, who is getting married this coming Pi Day!  Read on for how she used Pinterest to enhance her wedding savings.

For some brides, Pinterest can be the I Ching of wedding ideas, but it can also bring up anxiety and stress.  Check out these 5 tips to get your Pinterest addiction and wedding budget in check.

ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE

With Pinterest, it’s easy to dump everything all on a board and never look back.  For me, that’s not an option.  As a librarian, organization is how I survive.  To help keep my sanity, I broke my Pinterest boards out for the wedding into 10 or so different boards to help keep like thoughts together—novel, right?  But the best part of having everything organized from the beginning was that when we met with a vendor, I could pull up the board and say, “This is what we really love.  What can you do in our budget?”  With the baker, they were able to say that the look we really wanted would be fondant and it would cost more.  We nixed the fondant and went with a buttercream option that was just as pretty.  With the florist, she was able to suggest less expensive flowers with bigger blooms that would fill up the vases we made.

VENDOR WINDOW SHOPPING

One of my favorite ways to find vendors on Pinterest is to search photographers in the Pittsburgh area to see what other couples have done.  A photographer will generally list all the vendors at a particular event when they do a blog post about the specific wedding.  We were able to find a DJ who was at our venue last August (hilariously enough for another Kate + Brian wedding) who gave us a reduced rate for our March date and threw in the cocktail hour for free after we mentioned how we found him!  We did do some browsing on Facebook, Wedding Wire, and The Knot.  Not to discredit any of the reviews, but for the most part, it seems like every bride had the best DJ ever so you may have to go with your gut instinct.

TIPS & HINTS

There are some incredibly wise event coordinators and brides who have shared their knowledge on Pinterest.   Their free wisdom is worth every penny.  Something as simple as putting a number on the RSVP that lined up with the guest in our spreadsheet has saved us at least 4 headaches as we’ve collected responses with no names on them so far.  I’m also much more open to the plan of taking off my dress, which has a zipper not a corset back, when I need to go to the bathroom because fighting into a stall with 26 yards of tulle will not end pretty for me or the dress.

THEME-TASTIC

Here’s where some more librarian skills have come in handy.  Searching the general Wedding category can be a great way to start when newly engaged.  When you get a theme in mind, it’s better to narrow in on those specifics topics.  For our Pi Day wedding, we’re trying to incorporate circles and polka dots into multiple aspects.  Having a specific theme in mind helped me clear out the clutter, in a sense, because I could search specifically for circle escort cards, dot wedding invites, etc and not get too caught up in all the ideas out there.  When I get stuck and need some inspiration, I head back to the main Wedding category.

KNOW THINE OWN DIY SKILLS

I would consider this a bride’s biggest Pinterest downfall.  It all looks so pretty, but if you or your fiancé/fiancée have never ever accomplished a craft on your own, before your wedding is not the time to start.  In a society where both parties are generally working full-time, the stress of crafting in the evenings and making first-timer mistakes will start to outweigh the budget help.  My suggestion for the non-crafty folk who really do want a personal touch is to find one thing where you and your partner can have a blast and if it happens to save a few bucks, celebrate!  Already know that no matter what it’ll turn into DIY Hell?  Search on Etsy and eBay for vendors who may already have your crafts pre-made for a few more cents or invite your super crafty friends over to help and provide the wine.  If you’re lucky like me, your friends will travel for free booze!

Follow Femme Frugality and katej0805 for more wedding advice over on Pinterest!