Social Media and....Weddings??

By now, if you've been following my blog since the first post, it's no secret that I have a real interest in social media.  I'm enrolled in MKT 420, in charge of the social media for Imagewest, and my procrastination method of choice is finding cool new people to follow on Twitter (and hopefully getting them to follow me back.)  I also happen to be engaged to a fellow social media enthusiast.  The wedding is set for next August, leaving our families with a little under a year left to figure it all out.  Since June, I've been scouring the Internet for wedding related blogs, twitter feeds, discussion forums, and more. 

There are hundreds of social media resources for brides planning their own wedding, especially if they're interested in DIY or on a budget (a.k.a. my frugal college student self.)  By joining the social network The Knot, I've been able to "meet" other brides-to-be from my hometown.  I even found the photographer we've hired for the big day reading a great review about her on the message boards!  I attended a bridal expo event in Cincinnati hosted by The Madison Even Center after receiving an event invite from their Facebook Fanpage.

Mashable, social media's go-to guide, even has an article showing people how to plan a wedding using various forms of social media.  Other resources I've found include Gift Registry 360, a website that allows you to post your wedding registry online, even linking in to your Twitter and Facebook accounts. MyWedding allows uers to create their own free personal wedding website.  A save-the-date widget allows uers to post a wedding countdown on their blogs or other social network pages. The wedding industry's role in social media proves just how powerful of a tool online networking really is. If an industry whose net profit is $86 billion annually is involved in social media, industries who have not yet taken to microblogging or social networks better take note.

P.S. Sometimes using social media for your wedding can go too far.  Watch the video below, I swear it's real.  I'm a little surprised the bride still agreed to marry him and didn't just beat him to death with her bouquet.




Articles: Mashable's HOW TWO: Plan a DIY Wedding Using Social Media,