Social media services like Facebook & Twitter can simplify wedding planning

If you haven’t hopped on board the social media train by now, you’re probably never going to. Social networks like Twitter & Facebook are changing the world so fast that it’s often hard to keep up. One industry that has seen rapid change and growth due to social media is the wedding industry. With countless new resources available to brides & grooms, it’s no surprise that their wedding planning questions, dilemmas and ideas are now the thing of public record: and that’s not a bad thing!

Here are 6 of The Man Registry’s favorite ways that social media can aid in the wedding planning process:

Wedding Vendors have gone social. Literally. Hundreds of thousands of them.  Have a question? Need a basic consultation? They’re not giving their services away for free. But you can start the process of locating vendors and identifying favorites online. You can even create a Twitter list to compile names of vendors you want to follow up with.

Try a basic Twitter search for the topic you’re researching. For example: “Save the Dates.” Doing this will show you everyone who is tweeting about this topic RIGHT NOW. Browse tweets, see what you like and go from there. Lots of vendors run Twitter of Facebook specific promos. There’s no telling what kind of deals you might find.

OK, preferably ask the ones who are still married. Chances are you have many Facebook friends that are married. If you’ve got a wedding question bogging you down or you need a vendor recommendation; post it on a status update. You’ll be surprised how many responses you get Brides (and grooms sometimes) love to share their wedding planning experiences. The good ones and the not-so-good ones.

Here’s an answer to another common dilemma. If you’re planning your wedding from afar and you won’t be able to go dress/tux shopping with friends and family, we’ve got a solution. Create a Facebook album full of your possibilities and ask for suggestions. There’s nothing more beautiful than connecting from thousands of miles. Single tear running down my cheek.

You want your wedding party to get along and have fun during the wedding festivities. The best way to guarantee this happens is for them to get together (and perhaps party) before the wedding. OK. But what does a blog about social media have to do with a get together? Lots. Our good friends at OneWed.com recently launched Wedding Pre-Party. This savvy wedding planning app allows your wedding party and other guests to get to know each other, plan, share photos and more using their Facebook profiles. Check it out!

Many consider including your wedding registry info along with the invitation or save the date is tacky. Through the power of social media, you can be even more tacky and post direct links to your registry on your Facebook profile page. Hell, you can even highlight specific gifts that you really really want. Want to be less subtle? Share your registry info on your wedding web page. This works as well.

Like free stuff? Wedding bloggers love to give prizes away. Make a note to do a daily scan of your favorite wedding tweeters. I’d bet my lucky $2 bill that you can find at least one contest per day. Sometimes all you have to do is post a tweet to be entered. Here’s one from Chatterberries. The prize? A pair of his and hers designer wedding bands. All you’ve gotta do is tell them who your favorite celebrity couple is.

Planning a destination wedding? Have a lot of guests who can’t make the long trip for the wedding? No worries. Through the miracle of Ustream, you can live stream your wedding to the masses. Our friend @mbernier did just this and actually beat out an episode of ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’ in the Nielsen Rankings.

We asked some of our favorite wedding tweeters to share their #1 piece of advice to grooms and brides who want to use social media to help plan their wedding:

@OneWed – Don’t burn bridges by blabbing about your wedding on FB to the uninvited.

@MrFrostings – You can learn a lot about potential vendors by following their Twitter stream. If you’re passionate about the environment, find out who runs a sustainable business. If you’re looking for someone who gives back to the community, this is where you can confirm that they walk the talk. Also, and more importantly to me, look at who follows them and how they engage with them.  I have more respect for the “Popular” kids when I see them help and engage with competitors regardless of their status in the industry. Lastly, if you find a vendor you like and their Twitter stream is one long advertisement, expect to be sold. If they engage on a personal level, expect them to treat you like an individual.

@BarbieHull – Get feedback!!  Whenever I doubt something I put it out there and ask for opinions!  My twitter peeps always seem to have an opinion.

@AnneChertoff – If your fiance asks you for wedding ideas a quick search on Pinterest will help you gather some together quickly.

@GigMasters – Twitter can be a great way to get the inside scoop on the wedding business. A lot of wedding pros basically use it for B2B marketing. Following potential vendors gives you insight in to how they talk about their clients, and access to great articles.

@Firefly_Men – My advice falls into the “What not to do” category. As a purveyor of well planned bachelor parties I would advise AGAINST putting up your party images on Facebook and Twitter. This is hugely important to remember while under the influence of alcohol. A picture that seems funny to post at the time can have consequences when you sober up.

———-

We want to hear what other ways our readers have used social media in their wedding planning. Leave a comment below and share your story.