The DIY event planning is a booming trend right now with the increasing popularity in various event planning websites. Some of these websites charge a minimal amount for their ideas, kits and services. If you're looking to get away from those fees or just want to let your own creativity run wild there are other resources, that are not specifically suited for event planning, at your disposal.

One resource you might not think of for event planning would be Pinterest--one of the newest and rapidly growing social network.

If you're not familiar with Pinterest... Pinterest is an online community where users share pictures of things they like, which are categorized by theme on their own "pinboards." A person's pinboard follows the basic idea of literally thumbtacking something you like to a bulletin board as a way to share your interests with others. Users can re-pin, comment and share--thus being social! Subjects covered range anywhere from fashion to sports to travel to inspirational quotes to technology to interior design.

Pinterest is well known by its users as a tool for wedding planning. Even people who do not have plans to be engaged or get married any time soon, have "wedding" themed pinboards. To meet this popular demand, Pinterest offers a built-in "Wedding & Events" category but you can't rely entirely on this category.

Theme
There are some awesome party themes on Pinterest like this robot themed birthday party! But you can also find bachelor(ette) party ideas, anniversary party ideas, seminars, etc. Once you have a decided theme, you do a more specific search on just that theme to find everything you need that is a part of that theme (i.e. food, decorations, places, etc.)
Food
Pinterest is crawling with food and drink ideas--most of which are complete with recipes! You can find desserts, dips, and alcoholic beverages. To check and see if a recipe is available, use the picture click-through link and check the source of the photo (example: loaded baked potato soup). There's no doubt that you'll be inspired (and made hungry) by browsing through these pictures! You'll find something perfect for any event and audience that will fit any budget.

Decor
Pinterest is busting at the seams with decorations! You can either pick your theme first or just get inspired by the decorating ideas. A lot of the ideas are DIY so hopefully you're crafty or know someone who is!

Marketing & Promotion

You can find a lot of design ideas for graphics on Pinterest. Get inspired for your invitations and graphics to support your theme and decorations.

By searching through pins that fall into the Travel & Places category on Pinterest you can get an idea for locations for your event. You can search by specific cities to narrow it down or by searching "hotels" you can find photos of places you may want to put your guests up for the night. Most of the places you're going to find here are going to be either exotic or luxurious, so using Pinterest to choose a location might not be the best Idea. However, you might get inspired for a dream getaway event! For instance after seeing the above photo, my boyfriend and I are now trying to plan a vacation to this hotel (Inntel Hotel) in Amsterdam!

So what do you think? Will Pinterest help you plan your next event? Are you using it to plan a vacation? A wedding? I'd love to hear your planning with Pinterest success stories!