What wedding hashtag are you going to use? Who knew that when you announce your engagement, you now also need to choose what hashtag you are going to use.
After my sister Betsy said “YES!” when her then boyfriend popped the question – it quickly became apparent that the modern wedding was not the wedding I had 20 years ago.
Suddenly all of those pins on her “dream wedding” Pinterest board actually meant something. We spent endless hours on Facebook messenger chatting about various links, Etsy finds, and what not and of course choosing from a plethora of wedding hashtags for guests to use at the ceremony and reception.
Something that Betsy is having to think about, that I never had to think about at my wedding 20 years ago, is the role of social media at her ceremony and reception.
Some people shun it, others embrace it — but just like what flowers you will carry, you now choose what the presence of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc … will be as you say your “I do’s.”
Social Media Wedding Etiquette
Curious to what others thought, I asked a group of girls who are newly married, some-what newly married and a few brides, about how social media can be incorporated into a wedding.
Here are theirthoughts on including this new medium for communication and social media wedding etiquette tips all wedding guests should know.
Make the Rules Clear to Your Wedding Guests
The first rule of social media wedding etiquette is to declare the rules.
If you don’t want people tweeting during the wedding, state it. If you want people to post pictures on Facebook, let them know. It’s your wedding, don’t go to BRIDEZILLA — but let your requests be known.
If you want to be the person that releases a photo that you choose of you in your wedding dress, make sure that your guests (and mother-in-law) know before they go uploading and tagging you in wedding photos on Facebook before the ceremony is even over.
Wedding Hashtags
Wedding hashtags are all the rage. Thankfully more and more people are grasping the idea of how to use wedding hashtags.
Here are a few things to know about wedding hashtags:
- Choose 1 main hashtag for your wedding guests to use. If you want to trend on Instagram, popular wedding hashtags are #wedding #weddingday #weddingphotography #weddingbliss #weddingstyle
- Place wedding hashtag signs in visible locations at your ceremony and reception site, and don’t forget to list your hashtag in the wedding program.
- Show your photos from people using your wedding hashtag at the reception.
- Make sure to download any images after the wedding. Use the wedding hashtag to locate all of your photos.
- Need ideas for wedding hashtags? Don’t worry – here is a free wedding hashtag generator – weddinghashers.com
Instagram Spot
Will your wedding reception have an Instagram spot? Photo booths are old school. Setup a memorable backdrop for an Instagram spot.
This is where you will encourage wedding guests to take photos at your wedding reception and upload to Instagram.
Don’t forget to include a sign with your wedding hashtag so that you can easily find the photos after the wedding!
Set-up a Place for Guests to Upload Photos
Your guests will take photos and while they won’t replace a professional wedding photographer, these shots will give you a different glimpse at your wedding festivities.
Create a place for your guests to upload all of their photos. One suggestion is to create a folder on Google Drive, set it to open and share the link in your wedding invite or wedding program.
Have Someone Tweet For You
Want to guide the conversation of your wedding? Have someone tweet your event for you. This doesn’t have to be a professional (though, did you know you can hire someone to do this for you?) — just someone who can speak your voice.
Live Stream Your Wedding
With Facebook and Instagram, live streaming your wedding is now easy. When my mom was married, she had a small and intimate wedding in my brother’s backyard.
Using Facebook Live – we were able to live stream the wedding for all of her Facebook friends to see. Bonus, you can save the video to watch later so my mom – who didn’t have a professional videographer, was able to see the wedding later.
Create a Wedding Website
Create a wedding site! The Knot offers a free option, or set-up a blog (learn about different blog platforms). Include information about the ceremony.
Use the wedding website as your home base for information about your wedding ceremony, offer online RSVP, list your wedding social media rules, your hashtags, the place where guests can upload photos and your love story.
One thing I can say for sure — I am so glad I was married pre-Pinterest and pre-social media. Don’t let all the details bog you down, but if social media is prominent in your life, it’s something you will definitely want to think about on how you include on your big day.
How do/did you manage social media for your wedding?
