When I first started this blog, I totally procrastinated joining Twitter. Maybe it was my assumptions about it [it’s dumb, I already have Facebook – what’s the difference?], or maybe it was my fear of the unknown. Looking back, I am not really sure. But after 3 different vendors told me I should be there, I finally joined.

And boy was I wrong.

Twitter, in short, is awesome. The way it connects you to people, vendors, information, answers – and the speed at which it does it, is incredible. I can’t believe I put off joining something that is so useful when it comes to wedding planning. As a vendor [I guess you can say I am a vendor?] I have met SO many industry pros through Twitter and whenever I have a question, my answer is a quick “Please RT” away.

So now my advice for those planning a wedding – join Twitter. It will give you access to so many amazing wedding vendors, giveaways, deals, information, and more. And not only does it give you all this info – it also gives you a great community. It sounds so strange that an online forum of millions of people writing >160 characters at a time, could feel like a community, but for those of you that are on there, I think you know exactly what I mean.

Still don’t believe me? Well then … read a real [recent] Washington, DC area bride’s take on joining Twitter. Local Washington, DC blogger Ashley [Twitter handle Arlusk] wrote a post on her own blog, and thanks to Twitter [where I found her and where she agreed to let me share this] I get to share her advice with you!

*ARLUSK’s ADVICE: taken from http://arlusk.com/2011/11/it-takes-a-community/*

It Takes a Community

Posted on November 29, 2011

Six months out. In any other universe–like waiting for graduation, or college to start, or a soldier to come home–six months can seem like an eternity. However, in wedding time six months is merely the indication that your hair is very soon to be on fire.

Last weekend was the first time in many months where it felt like there was a definite progression on wedding planning. I now have:

  1. Purchased a dress
  2. Had a dress fitting
  3. Decided on decorations and table settings
  4. Decided on bridesmaid colors/designer

And very luckily we have a host of friends and family who are tackling even bigger and more time consuming tasks. Our friend Maggie is baking all of the cupcakes for our wedding, my mom and sister-in-law are crafting 70 beautiful place settings and table decorations, and my brother is imagineering the chuppah and ceremony. I love that our DC wedding will meet our budget (well, almost) and that every piece of that day will feel connected to people we care about.

See what I mean about this being a community event? So much of my dream wedding has been achieved thanks to connections, family and friends.  Twitter brought me our caterer and a new friend Alli Sosna, plus our photographer and my new pal Nikki Rappaport. I met Michelle at Hey Love Designs based on a recommendation from my Twitter/Borderstan pal Alejandra. I have to thank Twitteratti Alex Priest for coming through on our wedding band and I’ll never have a more lasting memory than the very special engagement photos by my best friend Lauren.

I know it’s a recession and many brides are DIYing their brains out in way that might feel like it is a hardship. But truthfully, I can’t imagine turning my wedding over to people anymore capable and authentically interested in seeing it be a success. Lucky me. Lucky us.

In short, I’d say … To Tweet.

 

6 comments

  1. Twitter is THE best for everything. I was convinced to join in 2007 after I read a Getting Things Done article that suggested using Twitter as a “mobile post-it note” service, meaning you could tweet yourself any ideas or thoughts you had while commuting via text and then have them in an RSS feed on your desktop at the office the next morning.

    So 4 years, 10,000 + followers and 25,000 tweets later, Twitter has been an important networking tool for me in my capacity as a financial writer. I’ve made lifelong relationships just through Twitter, both professional and personal. Not to mention the countless number of really useful articles I’ve found by people I follow sharing them that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

    Great advice and hopefully we will see more couples jumping on the bandwagon!

  2. Somehow I’m just now seeing this. It was great working on Ashley’s Save the Dates and (just recently) wedding invitations. It’s amazing how much Twitter brings people together and I can honestly say that at least half my clientele (probably much more) I’ve met from Twitter or recommendations from tweeps.

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