What is the secret wedding planning weapon of any millennial bride? Instagram! Not only can the photo-based app give you all the pics of puppies, babies, and funny memes your heart can handle, it can also be an extremely useful tool for designing your big day! Forget Pinterest, burn that wedding planning binder, and say goodbye to outdated methods. Follow these hacks on how to use Instagram to plan your wedding!
Follow inspirational accounts.
Ok, this might be a given but it’s worth mentioning. If an account is posting a bunch of stuff that is right up your alley, give them a follow. Not only will this make their day, but it will also let Instagram know that you want to see more of that type of content. Instagram works on algorithms, which basically means the more you like and comment on particular accounts, hashtags, and photos, the more Instagram will show you that same stuff. Nerd speak aside, following those wedding accounts that light your fire will fill your feed with alllllll kinds of inspiration and ideas. And who doesn’t want more of that?!
Search and follow specific hashtags.
In addition to following accounts, you can also follow specific hashtags! This means that photos tagged with certain hashtags will show up in your feed even if you don’t follow the accounts that posted them. It’s a great way to have very specific content delivered right to you. Let’s say you’re on the hunt for a gorgeous #peonybouquet. You can follow this hashtag and any photo with a caption that includes it could show up in your feed. Consider it a way to curate an Instagram feed personal to you!
Swipe up on Stories.
Raise your hand if you spend more time watching Stories than you do scrolling through your feed? Guilty as charged. For some Stories, you may have noticed a little icon in the bottom center that says “See More”. It isn’t just for show…you can actually swipe up on that button and be taken to a webpage! It might be a link to a blog post, a page where you can shop, or even a newsletter sign-up…the point is that you can learn MORE about the Stories you like if you desire! This feature is only available on accounts with more than 10k followers, but they’re absolute gold when you find them. The owner of the account is sharing more content that they think you’ll love, so take advantage of it!
Save photos that resonate with you.
Don’t just tap that heart button and then keep on scrolling. If you really love what you see, make sure you save it! The little pennant button under an image will save it to your account’s Collection. Think of this as a list of favorites that you can then reference at any time. No more digging through old posts to find that one idea you fell in love with months and months ago. Just visit your Saved tab and see all of those photos in a single, easy-to-access-at-any-time place!
Create various Collections.
Take the ability to save photos one step further by creating multiple Collections, or what is basically Instagram’s version of a Pinterest board. The most organized brides have one Pinterest board for dream wedding dresses, one for cakes, one for flowers, one for photo ideas, etc. You can do the same thing in Instagram! Make a separate Collection for each wedding detail to keep all of your saved photos nice and neat. Plus, it will make vendor meetings run smoothly since you can quickly show them inspiration that pertains to them. Type A brides, you can thank us later.
Reach out to vendors via DM.
Social media is meant for just that…being social! Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation! Vendors and brands love hearing from their followers, especially if they’re potentially interested in hiring them. Tell them you love their work, ask them a question, or just say hey. Either way, use the direct message feature to start chatting with someone whose work resonates with you!
Look for vendor credits.
Like a bouquet you see in an image from a photographer? Want to know who designed the bride’s dress? Most professionals are really good about giving credit where credit is due and properly crediting other vendors involved. Usually, there is a list in the caption or you can also try tapping on the photo to see if vendors have been tagged. You might have to do a little digging. But if you really want to know where to find those shoes or who baked that gorgeous-looking cake, you can usually do some sleuthing and get the answer!
How are you using Instagram – or any other social media platform – to assist you with wedding planning? Share your favorite tips or hacks below!
