I Do! Do!: Social Media and the Bride. A Marriage Made in Heaven

Have stacks of bridal magazines, visits to bridal shows, and long hours spent researching vendors been replaced with blogs, lap tops, and tweets? 

To a degree yes. Brides looking for a way to glam up their wedding, simplify their planning, or maximize their budget are finding it through social media.

The quick and effective exchange of information is what brides are hungry for, as they fit wedding planning into their already busy lives, and what makes planning with social media so enticing. On any given day, you may find an L.A. bride planning who is her perfect day in the South, tweeting looking for a wedding photographer in Atlanta, any suggestions? or updating her Facebook status, and, within minutes, she can have dozens or hundreds of referrals from other brides and other vendors.

When a bride engages others with social media, she cannot only plan her wedding but get instantaneous feedback, share information, find inspiration, and get the scoop on what is hot around the country, not just in her particular locale. And, it is not only the brides who are in on this top wedding vendors from around the country promote their businesses by sharing what would otherwise be pricey, valued information on their blogs, Facebook pages, and with their tweets.

With many couples no longer living and marrying in their Hometown social media keeps families and friends in the know as well. Bride-to-be, and author of the blog Hey Gorgeous, Rhiannon Banda-Scott has taken advantage of the information exchange and instant connections social media offers, "Without social media, planning my wedding would be impossible. With my fiance in Chicago, me in Toronto and bridesmaids in Colorado, New York, and Michigan, keeping in touch with everyone and bouncing around ideas would be very hard to do."

So, while a bride can take a poll about which bridesmaids dresses her blog readers prefer, or tweet about finding a good band, to finalize the plans, she will have to step away from the computer or lay down her cell at times. Social media can lay the ground work and streamline her decision making, but there are wedding planning tasks, such as viewing venues, gown shopping, and interviewing vendors, that can only be accomplished the old fashioned way in person.

Finally, with all the advantages social media can provide, the etiquette is still evolving. For example, a bride may want to set up a private blog or invite-only Facebook page to update guests, rather than offending someone on her friend list when their expected invitation never arrives. Additionally she should also be sure to pay that visit to, or make that phone call to Mom and Dad about the engagement before tweeting it to her 1500 followers. All in all, brides should use social media as the valuable tool it is, but remain aware of complexities of the real world too.

Article by By Holly Lefevre

Holly Lefevre is the author of The Everything Wedding Etiquette Book (Adams Media, December 2009). More wedding advice and expertise can be found at Hip Weddings