My Love/Hate Relationship with Pinterest

Part of me loves Pinterest. I'm totally and completely obsessed, pinning beautiful pictures left and right. I adore all the inspirational ideas that can be found in just a quick wedding search. I love love love having a place to store images, and more importantly, the links that go with them. It is terribly convenient being able to share boards with my mom, sisters, and friends and that they can see all the things I am envisioning without the pretty getting lost in translation.

There is something just innately right about Pinterest. It is the most efficient outlet for storing and sharing and it really speaks to my OCD tendencies.

That said, I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. My number ONE biggest issue with this site, or more with the blogger-masses who post on it, is that most pins are seriously devalued. Either by price, or by ease of completion. I love when I see pictures of twinkle-light wrapped trees with beautiful glass lanterns filled with fresh flowers or candles hanging from them. Stunning.... and yes, the supplies are easy and inexpensive enough. What they fail to convey in those perfectly staged photos is 1) who are you getting to decorate those trees, 2) who is going to hang all those pretty lanterns, 3) who is lighting all the candles or filling those hanging vases with water and perfect flowers? Well, maybe your answer is "the wedding planner" and a tip of the hat to you, my friends, and a hand in your pocket maybe too! For us girls on the efficiency-wedding planning end of things (which is still a ridiculously substantial fund, considering it's all for 1 day) sometimes the finds on Pinterest that look budget-friendly are not, AT ALL.

Another disappointment I have faced with Pinterest (and if I'm being honest, Style Me Pretty, is also guilty of this) is the way they glorify "backyard weddings" and establish them as budget-friendly. News Flash fellow brides!!!! That is just not the case. The cost of rentals (tents, tables, chairs, lights, generators, BATHROOMS, etc.) plus the cost of a caterer (who still wants to charge you what you'd be paying at the venue... even though they don't come with bathrooms) is astronomical.  I say this in all seriousness... if you are having more than 100 people to an affair in your backyard or on a farm that hasn't been refurbed into a reception venue, you really need to consider portable toilets, or a bathroom trailer... and these options run from $3000-$5000, so just keep that in mind.

Another huge disadvantage here is that a lot of those pretty outdoor weddings take place in California or other equally-perfect weather places, and for a girl like me, an outdoor wedding in Philadelphia, PA is just sooooo risky! It could be raining, it could be gorgeous! There could be a hurricane, there could be a tornado, there could be drought-like conditions or it could be record-breaking heat. All that, and it doesn't matter what time of year you try... the weather is just terribly unpredictable.

That said, I do love Pinterest. I would even admit that I might be addicted to it. I have deemed the love of my life, my fiance, also the keeper of all things sane. He has been designated as the person to pull me back down to earth when I get carried away by pins.