Something Old, Something New, Something...Pinned?

Brides have forever fantasized over their wedding days. What will they wear? What will the party look like? And will we live happily ever after?

It used to be that bridal magazines offered the only portal into this exclusive world of nuptial style. But the media savvy brides of the 21st century are increasingly turning to social media sharing sites to indulge and share their passion for all things bridal. In particular, they’re using the online pin board, Pinterest, to find, save and swap ideas for the wedding, the honeymoon and beyond.

“Being on Pinterest has given me a huge boost in web traffic,” says Alison Fischer, owner of the award-winning Plumed Serpent Bridal salon in Westport.

Fischer’s experience isn’t just anecdotal; it’s backed up by statistics. In February, the online tech publication Mashable reported that Pinterest is driving more referral traffic on the web than Google+, YouTube and Linkedin combined. And Media Bistro reported this month that 82 percent of Pinterest users in the United States are women. Mashable also reported in an interview with a wedding cake designer that “100 percent of the 10 to 12 brides she meets with each week” use Pinterest.

For the uninitiated, Pinterest is incredibly simple to figure out and begin using. First, you request an invitation on the Pinterest homepage. You’ll receive it via email within 24 to 48 hours. Once you set up your account — something you can do automatically by linking it to your Facebook or Twitter accounts — you just start pinning. You can upload photos from your computer, or pin images you find on the web just by copying and pasting the URL. And yes, there’s also a mobile app so you can pin on the go.

Boutiques such as The Plumed Serpent have organized their pin boards by designer and also by themes, such as “accessories we love,” “receptions we love” and even photos of the brides they’ve dressed, pinned under “Plumed Serpent Brides.” 

Nationally based bridal brands, such as the popular bridal blog Style Me Pretty, have already acquired a large and enthusiastic following on Pinterest, with nearly 240,000 people following the blogs pins. And other, more traditional bridal publications such as Brides magazine are following suit and pinning everything from couture inspiration to DIY ideas. 

So if you're a bride who's looking for inspiration — or maybe just some dress ideas — it's probably time to take the leap and get pinning.

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