Using Pinterest to Plan Your Wedding? Read This First!

Wedding planning nowadays comes down to two words: pin it! If you're planning your "I dos," chances are that you'll be using Pinterest or other online resources to gather ideas. In fact, a recent survey found that 70 percent of brides-to-be began pinning to their wedding-planning boards before he or she put a ring on it.

We spoke with professionals in the wedding industry about both the advantages and the perils of Pinterest wedding planning. Straight from the experts, with some of our personal advice thrown in, here are Pinterest wedding planning dos and don'ts. And be sure to follow us on Pinterest for more wedding tips and inspiration.

Jaimi Brooks of Fiore Beauty says her number one piece of advice for brides-to-be is to do your homework and gather up inspiration pictures on Pinterest. But don't just throw together a board and send it to your beauty artist; know what you like about each photo. The more specific you are, the better. If you show a photo to your artist and she thinks you're pointing out the bold eyeliner but you just liked the updo, stress and tears are sure to ensue.

With an overwhelming amount of great ideas and wedding photo eye candy, the toughest part of using Pinterest is knowing when to call it a day. Once you have signed the dotted line on vendor contracts, started dress fittings, and mailed the invites, it's time to look away from those boards. Seeing "better" ideas after you've finalized planning will just add unnecessary anxiety or, even worse, lead to last-minute changes and stress.

Moms just want to help, but it can be tricky finding the balance between having them feel involved and curbing unwanted ideas. And you don't want them to feel like a worker bee. Paige Appel and Kelly Harris of Bash, Please had some advice for dealing with MOBs who want to get involved in the wedding-planning process: ask mom how she wants to be involved, taking her strengths into account. What is she really excited about? If it's food, she could attend the tasting, and if it's design-related — decor, paper goods, floral arrangements, fashion, etc. — she could help by creating Pinterest inspiration boards. It's a win-win!

Chelsea LaMay of de'Arti San Francisco warns that not all is what it seems on Pinterest. Her advice is that you shouldn't be fooled by the models. When you're looking at hairstyles on Pinterest or in magazines, most of those models have hair extensions and additional hairpieces, so be realistic about what your hair can do and stick to a more natural look.

The saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is especially true with wedding planning. It's not always easy to describe the photo style you're looking for, so photographer Eli Pitta suggests that couples compile a list of creative shots they like most on the site. If his clients are perusing Pinterest or blogs and come across a cool shot, he says to send them his way so that he can see what types of looks you appreciate.

Take advantage of the ability to have multiple people pin to your boards for friends and family involved. This is especially helpful when you're not all in the same vicinity. For example, you could have a bridesmaid dresses board that you invite your maids to pin into to share dress ideas and inspiration. Or if your future mother-in-law is making the favors, you could have a shared board with design ideas. This way no matter where you're located, everyone is on the same page and collaborating together.

Mandy Scott of Mandy Scott Events puts it simply: use the technology that's available to give your planners an idea of your vision. Share Pinterest boards filled with details you love so that they can get a better sense of your style — if your favorite picks share a similar style, she knows which direction you'd like to move in, and if not, she knows she'll have to help you narrow your focus.

— Additional reporting by Laura Marie Meyers