For those of you who are pinning wedding stuff in preparation for your own big day, you might have realized it's easy to get overwhelmed. You end up with a general "Wedding" board that has 648 pins on it and all of a sudden, what was supposed to make your planning easier ends up stressing you out to the max.

I've done some research of my own and am happy to share 5 TIPS FOR USING PINTEREST TO PLAN YOUR WEDDING!

1) Utilize Multiple Boards.
Keep your boards divided into all the categories you need. Start with the general boards of Wedding Cakes, Wedding Attire, Wedding Hair and Makeup, Wedding Details, Wedding Flowers. As you get further in planning or as special ideas pop in your head, create boards specifically for those, i.e. "Wedding Cigar Rolling Station" or "Wedding Yard Games"

2) Pin Practical Ideas.
A white fur coat looks amazing with a wedding dress, but it's not going to be feasible for you if you're getting married in Houston in May. It doesn't deserve a place in your wedding board if it's not possible for you. When you're pinning to your board, here are a few questions to ask yourself, "Is this practical?", or "Do I have a budget for this?"

3) Invite Others To Pin.
Wedding planners, event designers, or friends, invite them to the boards that are relevant, and get to collaborating!

4) Narrow Your Focus and Make It Happen.
As your wedding day gets closer, trim your boards as necessary. For example, trim your Wedding Flowers board to the best of the best, and then e-mail the link to your florist so she can get a feel for what you're looking for. How easy is that?

5) Be Inspired.
Use Pinterest for inspiration, but make things your own. No matter what, your decor, hairstyles, and venue will not be the same as any other wedding that came before you, and that's a great thing! In terms of photography, we've all seen tons of pictures on Pinterest pinned that say, "I *must* have this photo on my wedding day." A groom crying happy tears when he sees his bride coming down the aisle is a beautiful photo. The truth is, that picture is a genuine moment that may or may not happen for you on your wedding day. Instead of focusing on pictures you've seen on Pinterest, concentrate on your day and the love you share, which will naturally create REAL moments. Those moments are the ones that we try to capture for our couples, and the ones that might not be on any Pinterest board, but certainly in their album or on their wall.

It'll be so much fun to look back at your boards after your wedding and see how you used Pinterest for inspiration but made it your own! I looked through one of our past bride's Pinterest boards for her wedding and compared it to her actual wedding. I loved seeing how she was inspired!

Here's a few of her pins:

And here's a few of her OWN wedding images and detalis:

I've already gotten married (lucky me!) but I love pinning for my brides! I pin lots of great wedding info, along with the normal dream house and completely ridiculous recipes. Happy Pinning!

About a month ago we had the unforgettable experience of flying to historic Cheyenne, Wyoming to photograph Kassi and Ian's wedding. Kassi is a photographer herself, so she really spoiled us rotten and gave us plenty of time for portraits of the two of them.

On our second round of portraits (meaning we had already taken 1 round of portraits earlier in the day) Ian drove to the famous Cheyenne Frontier Days arena. In a once-in-a-lifetime moment for us, we got to take Kassi and Ian's photo in this huge outdoor rodeo arena, which is truly sacred to cowboys! As we walked around the arena, Kassi and Ian told us all about how the Garth Brooks song, Beaches of Cheyenne, is actually about the arena.

I'm not a rodeo person myself, but I come from a rodeo family, so it was an awesome experience for me. On the drive back to the reception, I had to call my grandma and tell her about the exciting moment I had just had. She then informed me that my uncle, Terry Powell, had won a round in the calf roping one year at Cheyenne, and she was sitting in those very grandstands herself. Love that!

Kassi and Ian's photos are coming up... but in the meantime, let me share one of the big perks of being a photographer hired to photograph another photographers wedding. Besides the fact that it is such an honor... the added benefit for us was that Kassi was able to take OUR picture at the arena too. Thank you Kassi for snagging this moment we will never forget! You look pretty good in that wedding dress with the camera! :)

Glad we got to share these memories with you!