How to use Pinterest to plan your wedding without losing your vision or budget

Pinterest is a digital treasure trove of wedding inspiration, you search for one thing and end up somewhere completely different an hour later. 

From abundant floral installations to candlelit barn receptions and ‘that’ perfect dress, it's no Pinterest is a popular planning tool for couples. But while Pinterest is bursting with ideas, it’s also a bit of a rabbit hole. One minute you’re pinning wild flower rustic tablescapes and the next you are looking at a tropical foliage heavy disco ball infused wedding (which looks amazing, but isn’t truly your style…or potentially budget). 

So how do you harness the best of Pinterest without feeling overwhelmed or disappointed when the pins don’t quite translate to reality? Let’s dive in.

Oliva and Dan

Start with vision, not detail

Pinterest is brilliant for helping you explore your style, whether that’s timeless elegance, whimsical romance or bold and modern. Instead of trying to recreate an exact photo, use it to help define your overall vision. What colours keep catching your eye? Are you drawn to an all white set up with flickering candles or vibrant colour pops?

We always recommend our couples start with a big-picture mood board that captures the feeling they want for their day. From there, refining becomes much easier, and more focused.

Lee Allison

Make it manageable 

Once you have explored and pinned to your heart’s content, create a final ‘wedding vision’ board, or even better, download your favourite images and turn them into a single-page moodboard. Not only does this help keep you focused, it also avoids the stress of second-guessing every decision when you fall down a pinning rabbit hole closer to the wedding. 

If you are one of our couples, don’t forget we have created editable Canva templates in The I Do Collective so you can quickly turn your Pinterest ideas into something tangible to guide your suppliers and yourself when shopping. 

Important reminder: many pins are styled shoots

This is where a gentle word of caution comes in. A lot of what you see on Pinterest isn’t from real weddings, it is styled shoots created by suppliers (often overseas) to showcase their creativity. While they are fantastic for ideas and inspiration, it is important to know that the setups are carefully curated, often without the constraints of a real wedding budget, timeline or practicalities.

That doesn’t mean you can’t bring Pinterest-worthy elements into your day. You absolutely can, and we’ve seen it done beautifully. Instead it is about choosing the elements that matter most to you and investing there, rather than trying to replicate every single detail.

Bethany Smith Photo

Use our boards as a starting point 

To make life a little easier, we’ve created a series of curated Pinterest boards filled with inspiration from real weddings right here at the barn. These feature designs and suppliers we know work wonderfully in our space, giving you ideas that are not only beautiful but actually achievable.

You can check them out here and use them as a springboard for your own wedding planning journey.

Lean on your suppliers experience

One of the biggest perks of getting married at a dedicated venue like ours? You’ve got a team who lives and breathes weddings, and knows exactly what works in the space. Bring your Pinterest board or moodboard to your planning meeting, and we’ll help you translate it into something realistic, personal, and true to your style. All of our recommended suppliers are also able to make suggestions or help you tweak your vision based on their knowledge of the space. 

Finally, don’t forget that in the I Do Collective (our exclusive planning hub for booked couples), we’ve got checklists and planning guides tailored to your wedding in our space, all designed to keep you focused and inspired, not frazzled.

Pinterest is a brilliant planning tool when used mindfully. Start broad, refine your vision, stay focused, and most importantly, use it as a tool, not a to-do list. Your wedding should feel like you, not a perfectly curated grid.

When in doubt? We are here to help bring the magic to life.