Wedding Planning in a Social Media Age

You're the bride. You've looked over hundreds of wedding related Pinterest pages. You've tweeted your wedding planning progress daily. Your Instagram account is loaded with inspirational pictures of cakes, flowers, and gowns. And you've lost track of just how frequently you update your Facebook status. You're having fun. Your friends seem to like the updates. So what's the problem?

Social media can be a good tool. It can help you research ideas and share your thoughts with lots of people in a single stroke. It can also waste valuable time or add to feelings of overwhelm. Ask yourself, how often are you on the computer? What are you doing? Did you get something accomplished (e.g., you placed an order, booked an appointment, etc.)? If you don't know the answers to some of these questions, next time you sit down for a "pinning" session, clock yourself in and out. You may be surprised to see how long you are actually there. What was the end result? If you're not getting much done, save for "inspiration," you're likely not managing your time efficiently. That's not to say you shouldn't look for wedding inspiration. Of course, that's part of the fun. But there is a point when enough is enough and it's time for action.

If you've narrowed down the list of flowers you might want, stop the "inspiration sessions." You'll only overwhelm yourself more. Take what you have and go to a florist. Talk to the professionals. See what it might look like in person. Same goes for other big day decisions. Already chose a wedding gown? Then stop looking at other gowns. You already made a choice. Continuing to peruse wedding sites for gowns, will start to make you second-guess yourself, not to mention waste more of your precious time.

But my friends want to know. Sure they do. It's exciting to be in the loop. But sharing too many details will leave little to look forward to on the wedding day. Plus, you never know who may actually start getting bored of constant updates. In addition, posting all your choices or decisions opens the door for other people's opinions. And even if you think you want other's input, there will come a time when you're tired of so many differing viewpoints. It may make things more confusing and stressful than you anticipated.

So how do you find a balance in this social media age? Give yourself guidelines and time limits. Only update statuses with absolute musts or limit yourself to an hour a week on social media. No more "researching" inspiration once you make a decision. Striking a balance, means finding more time to get things done and putting your energy towards more important matters.