My opinions on social media for weddings have shifted a bit now that I’m the bride. Oddly enough, even being a blogger who’s glued to my phone, I thought wedding hashtags were kind of a dumb fad. I used them, sure, for the brides’ sakes, but I just thought they were tacky.
I literally have no idea why. And I humbly recant this opinion.
Now that I’m on the other side of it, wedding hashtags make a lot of sense. Our guest list, after getting all of our RSVPs, is over 200 If even a fraction of that number is posting to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (Yes, Twitter. I have a whole table of friends I know from Twitter, actually) the hashtag will make it so much easier to see what is posted. It’s essentially list a virtual album for me to love on before my professional pictures are ready.
One thing to note though, I’ve seen a wedding etiquette post that suggests holding off posting anything until the bride gets her professional pictures done. I’m not that bride, at all, and I think it would be a little difficult to do that. However, if you know that’s what the bride would prefer, please stick to her wishes.
This was one of the tables from my amazing cotton candy princess dream Sweet Caroline shower. One of my bridesmaids is a graphic artist dabbling in calligraphy so she made all the little signs. The share the love sign had two hashtags on it- #shecheckedyes (our wedding hashtag) and #sweetcaroline (the shower/ weekend hashtag). The record on the table? Neil Diamond, of course. My MOH, Casey, put so much precious thought into all the the details!
That being said, there are certainly some ground rules that one should follow when posting along with a wedding:
I made a sign for my ceremony asking for all phones and cameras to be put away. As a general rule, you really shouldn’t be snapping away during a ceremony, especially in a church. I even asked my church if I could take a picture of the alter for my florist, as churches are a sacred space. Although most of the planning goes into the big ol’ party you’re having after, the ceremony is what is legally and spiritually binding the couple. Don’t watch it through a screen, experience it with them. Be present, especially if the couple specifically asks for phones and cameras to be off and away.
Don’t get in the way of the photographer. I ADORE Darrell. On a recommendation from one of my ‘maids’ sister-in-law, we booked him and his wife. I cannot recommend them enough for their professionalism, sweetness, and value. They know what they’re doing and they have a list of who and what needs to be photographed.  They are being paid to capture our day and fingers crossed nobody will get in the way of letting them do that. When I say “get in the way,” I mean physically by getting in the way of their shots AND by anyone who may not be authorized to do so telling them what to capture . This is, unfortunately, a big concern of mine and thank goodness for my coordinator Tabitha who I know won’t let that happen.
I honestly hadn’t thought of this but my manbff told Kendall to kind of make a point not to stop and take pictures with everyone on the day of your wedding. Seems counter-intuitive right? Actually, because you have your wonderful photogs basically following you and your friends and family around for the night, you’ll have plenty of pictures to choose from without stopping the party every few minutes to pose for someone’s cell phone pics. By the same token, as a guest, please remember that the bride and groom are trying to mingle with everyone they invited. Try not to monopolize their time as they’ll barely get time to breathe.
If you’re getting ready with the bride/ groom PLEASE remember to not post pictures of them or any details before the wedding happens. I almost slipped on this one while getting ready for my friend Jo’s wedding. We had all of our dresses, including hers hanging in a row. Our dresses were all different colors and it was adorable and I snapped a pic, remembering at the last second that her dress was supposed to be under wraps for another few hours. I would have felt so terrible.
Let’s just make a general rule, shall we? Nothing posted until the reception when it’s party time and all bets are off.
More and more weddings are utilizing photo booths, especially since it’s a service many djs offer. Go early, go often, and have fun! We’re actually doing a photobooth guest book (something I stole from Jo) along with a traditional guest book at the church. If you’re a bride who wants to do this, I say just make it clear to your guests what you’d like them to do! I have a little sign with our logo asking for advice or a favorite quote to go along with funny pictures of our guests. My mom wanted a traditional guest book for the older folks who may not want to participate in the photo booth.
Social media and weddings have also brought about the trend of personalized Snapchat filters. I don’t really think there’s an etiquette on these besides use early and often, if it’s available! My MOH got one made for my bachelorette party and I loved it! I feel like it’s almost like having a mini-photo booth!
What’s your opinion on social media at weddings? How did you/ will you navigate that as a bride? Let me know in the comments!
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