6 Things to Avoid on Pinterest (What to Do Instead)

Running a wedding or event business isn’t just about designing beautiful wedding days — it’s about constantly marketing your business too. In the wedding industry, businesses can’t afford to take their foot off the gas of lead generation. No matter what you do in the wedding space from catering to photographer to stationary to bridal dresses to design to entertainment, wedding businesses are constantly on the hook to bring in new inquires and introduce their brand to new couples year after year. This is exhausting and a recipe for burn out!

Unless you know what not to do - and what to do instead! And that’s what I’m going to be sharing today when it comes to using Pinterest to get more leads.

As a wedding industry marketing expert, and the founder of wedding businesses like The Garter Girl where I design and hand make wedding garter heirlooms, and Let’s Get Rehearsed, the top website for wedding rehearsal dinners and night before the big day celebrations, trust me, I get it. When I say I understand what wedding professionals going through, I live it every single day.

If you’re looking for real, practical advice on how to use Pinterest to get more leads for your wedding business without spinning your wheels you’re in the right place. I’m sharing 6 mistakes to avoid (and what you should do instead) to actually grow your visibility, get more referrals from real engaged couples who are looking for your services and in a position to hire you, and turn Pinterest into a powerful marketing machine.

If you’re frustrated or confused and don’t know where to start with Pinterest, you’re in the right spot. If you want more inquires from couples planning a wedding, you’re in the right spot. If you’re brand new to Pinterest and don’t have an account set up, you’re in the right spot. If you’ve tried it before dipping your toe in waters with no real plan or success, you’re also in the right spot. Wherever you are from newbie beginner, this Pinterest advice is for you.

Pinterest, if used strategically, can be a power source of leads for wedding and event businesses. But, the key is to use is strategically! If you just jump in with no plan and no goal, you’ll be wasting your time and not reaching your target market. And, well, those of in the wedding industry do not have time to waste!

Photo credit: Ryan Greenleaf Photography

The Real Reason Pinterest Works So Well

If you're wondering why Pinterest matters so much in the wedding industry, here's the answer: Pinterest is where engaged couples go to plan their weddings. Full stop.

Yes, they also use Instagram, TikTok, Google, and they get referrals from friends and family - but Pinterest has a special role in their wedding planning journey. Pinterest makes it incredibly easy for couples to collect inspiration, find answers to their questions, and do serious research for their wedding day.

For most couples, this is their first time planning a wedding. They need a place to dream, research, organize ideas, find vendors, and explore options — and Pinterest gives them exactly that.

When you, as a wedding business, show up on Pinterest with helpful, inspiring, practical, aspirational, and informative content, you aren’t just promoting your business, you’re positioning yourself as the trusted expert they’re already looking for.

And when they’re ready to book vendors? They’ll already know and trust you because they found your content, or they’ve been saving your pins for months.

Is Pinterest Right for Your Wedding Business?

If your target audience is engaged couples planning a wedding, Pinterest can absolutely work for you. In fact, a 2025 wedding industry survey found that nearly 84% of engaged couples, across all budget levels, from modest to ultra luxury weddings, reported using Pinterest multiple times during their planning journey.

Wedding and event businesses that tend to perform especially well on Pinterest include wedding photographers, planners, event designers, bridal dress shops, stationery designers, officiants, entertainers, graphic designers specializing in wedding branding, florists, DJs, event rental companies, and videographers.

But, if you serve engaged couples in any way, whether you bake wedding cakes, provide custom signage, or do hair and makeup, Pinterest can help you reach the right clients.

If weddings are part of your business model, Pinterest should be part of your marketing strategy.

What Couples Really Want on Pinterest

Understanding what couples are searching for on Pinterest is the key to creating content that actually attracts them to your business. Engaged couples turn to Pinterest for a wide variety of reasons. They use it to search for wedding venues in their area, to gather inspiration for different wedding styles like boho, modern, or classic, and to find vendors who can help bring their vision to life.

Many couples also use Pinterest to research pricing, build their wedding budget, and collect planning tools like checklists and timelines. It’s not just about pretty pictures, it’s about actionable ideas, helpful resources, and practical information.

Couples are looking for real solutions to real wedding planning problems. As I mentioned before, this is likely the first time they have planned something at this scale before and spent this kind of money. It’s a big deal and they need to do their research before investing in such a big day.

They want to find trustworthy experts, creative ideas, and reliable vendors who can help them pull off their dream wedding day. If you can meet them where they are with inspiring yet useful content, you’ll earn their trust, and often, their business.

OK, so let’s get into it. Now that you know who is using Pinterest (engaged couples) and what businesses it’s good for (all!), I’m sharing my 6 do’s and don’t’s for using Pinterest as a wedding business. This is what not to do and since I couldn’t just leave you hight and dry, I’m sharing what to do instead.

6 Mistakes to Avoid on Pinterest (and What to Do Instead)

Now that you know why Pinterest matters so much for your wedding business, let’s talk about the biggest mistakes to avoid, and what you should do instead to make Pinterest work for you. Learning how to use Pinterest the right way whether your a florist, DJ or a wedding planner, can be the difference between spinning your wheels online wasting time, and building a steady stream of leads and referrals for years to come.

1. Don’t get advice from people outside the wedding industry.

✅ Do get advice from experts who know wedding marketing.

Wedding clients and engaged couples planning a wedding behave very differently than food blog readers or fashion shoppers. The wedding industry is seasonal, high-stakes, emotional, and full of long lead times.

Getting your Pinterest strategy from a general marketing expert who has never worked with engaged couples can lead you down the wrong path. Engaged couples aren’t the only ones using Pinterest, of course. But, that doesn’t mean that we need to get our advice for how to use the platform from their experts either.

What works for consumer products or lifestyle content simply doesn’t translate into the complex, highly personal journey of wedding planning. If you want to get more leads for your wedding and event business, you need a Pinterest strategy that's built around how real couples plan, not random viral trends.

Takeaway: Follow Pinterest advice that’s specific to wedding marketing, not just general marketing tips.

2. Don’t rely only on Pinterest for your leads.

✅ Do diversify your marketing channels.

Pinterest is an incredible lead source, but you should never have only one. Algorithms change, glitches happen, and trends shift - especially in the wedding and event space. Besides, the pandemic taught us that we need to be flexible and prepared for anything.

Building a strong, balanced marketing strategy means showing up on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Google, while also nurturing your email list and encouraging word-of-mouth referrals.

Engaged couples are everywhere. They gather inspiration on Pinterest, but they’re also asking friends and family for referrals, reading Google reviews, and browsing Instagram. To grow your wedding business sustainably, you have to meet them on multiple fronts, not just one.

While I love Pinterest as a lead generating source, and I just told you that a majority of couples use it to plan their wedding (see #1 above!), it is not the only place that wedding businesses should be showing up. Do not spend more time or money on Pinterest than you need to. You need to balance out your time, effort and marketing dollars.

Takeaway: Be active across multiple platforms (social media, email marketing, SEO, networking, etc.) so you’re never stuck depending on just one source.

3. Don’t wait for perfect content.

✅ Do post your content ASAP.

The longer your content is live on Pinterest, the longer it has to build momentum. Waiting for the perfect styled shoot, editorial feature, real wedding, or blog post just delays your results.

Pinterest rewards content that’s been online for a long time because it sees it as more established and trustworthy. Every day you delay posting your gallery, blog post, helpful advice, or design inspiration means missing out on search traction.

If you want to grow your Pinterest presence and bring in more wedding and event leads, start posting and sharing content right away.

Takeaway: Done is better than perfect. Get your content up and let Pinterest start working for you.

4. Don’t go too broad with your content.

✅ Do get specific and niche down.

Terms (or sometimes called keywords) like "wedding ideas" or “wedding photography” are too competitive and too generic to be useful in bringing your business leads on Pinterest. Whereas detailed and specific terms like "romantic vineyard weddings in Napa Valley" or "budget-friendly fall wedding ideas in New England" will get you much better results on Pinterest.

When you create niche, location-specific, or style-specific content, you're giving Pinterest exactly what it needs to match your pins with the right couples who are actively searching for what you offer.

Specific pins like “DC Cherry Blossom Wedding Ideas” or “Mountain Elopement Inspiration for Colorado Couples” are far less competitive and much more effective at driving real leads.

Plus, engaged couples who are ready to book vendors are usually searching with very specific keywords, not broad ones, so the more targeted you are, the better your chances of showing up in their search results.

Takeaway: Smaller, focused keywords are better for visibility, better leads, and higher conversions on Pinterest.

5. Don’t make drastic changes too fast.

✅ Do be patient and consistent.

Pinterest takes time to index and understand your content. Changing your boards, deleting pins, or rebranding your profile every week or month will just confuse the algorithm.

Pinterest’s search engine operates slowly, and building domain authority on your account requires consistency over time. If you’re constantly overhauling your boards, shifting your niche focus, or deleting lots of content, Pinterest will have a harder time understanding what your business is about, and as a result your pins won’t rank as well.

Sometimes we get frustrated when the leads aren’t flowing in, and we worry about the instant engagement with our content. But, don’t forget that Pinterest is not like social media. The impact of your content is not immediate.

Oftentimes the result or interaction with your content won’t be seen for months or event years down the road. If you rush too quickly to make changes or hastily adjust things, this is a mistake because you might miss out on engagement that your content could have had.

To grow your wedding and event business with Pinterest, it’s crucial to stay steady, keep your content consistent, and allow the platform time to recognize your authority in your niche.

Takeaway: Stick with a smart strategy and give it time to grow on Pinterest.

6. Don’t treat Pinterest users like a click-and-run.

✅ Do provide real value.

Pinterest users aren’t just there for pretty pictures, they’re planning the most important day of their lives. Engaged couples, and the Pinterest algorithm, can spot clickbait a mile away.

If you’re only trying to drive traffic without offering real help, like meaningful blog posts, vendor guides, inspiration galleries, venue suggestions, timeline how to’s, or budget breakdowns, you’ll lose trust fast.

No one likes to feel like they are being “sold to” or used. We are all in the wedding industry, which by it’s very nature is a service based business and we are here to serve and help our clients. When your content for Pinterest comes from a place of genuine service where you truly just want to help people, Pinterest will reward this type of helpful, inspirational and reliable content. And this is appealing to your ideal clients too.

Wedding planning is overwhelming, and engaged couples are seeking real experts who genuinely want to make the process easier for them. The best way to get more leads and referrals through Pinterest is to offer thoughtful, helpful content that positions you as the go-to solution for their wedding planning needs.

Takeaway: Serve your audience first with helpful, informative content on Pinterest, the bookings and referrals will follow.

How to Grow Using Pinterest

Pinterest isn’t just another platform. It’s a serious lead generator for wedding and event businesses when you use it strategically.

By focusing on niche content, helping real couples with real needs, and being patient with the process, you can turn Pinterest into one of the most powerful parts of your marketing system. It can be one that works for you 24/7, even when you're out on-site making magic happen for your clients.

Need more no-fluff wedding marketing advice? Come hang out with me and find more wedding and event business marketing tips— where I believe in real results, real talk, and building wedding businesses that thrive all year round.

Join The Pin Pipeline

If you're ready to stop guessing and start actually using Pinterest to grow your wedding and event business, I’d love to invite you to join The Pin Pipeline. It’s my proven program designed specifically for wedding pros who want to turn Pinterest into a consistent, reliable source of leads, without needing to create new content or spend hours every week stressing about strategy.

If you want more dream clients finding you (without chasing algorithms), The Pin Pipeline will show you exactly how to make it happen.

Let’s build a Pinterest system that works for you, so you can spend less time marketing and more time doing what you love!