Shhh – listen. Hear that? It’s the dreamy sighing of a billion little girls across the world, overcome with romantic sentiment as they imagine their perfect wedding day. But unlike the fantasies of old, which were filled with satin gowns, armloads of flowers, and walking down the aisle to “November Rain” (my heyday was the ‘90s), today’s young romantics have a different picture of holy matrimony – and social media plays a big part. Especially if you create a wedding hashtag to organize your photos and encourage posting.
So in this new, digital world, do the old rules of wedding etiquette still apply? Whether you are bride, groom, or guest, we’ve got some tips to marrying your special day with your social media.
Before the Big Day
The Couple – You’re in love, engaged, and you want to shout it from the rooftops. Congratulations! You should! But before you take to Facebook and announce your engagement for all to see, make sure you tell the people closest to you. After all, your parents, siblings, and best friends will be supporting you throughout your marriage – they deserve to find out about this joyous occasion before that kid from high school you only kind of remember.
And ladies, when posting your engagement ring picture on Instagram, consider this sage advice from Crane and Co.: “It’s perfectly fine to post a picture of your engagement ring, but steer clear of creating hashtags or commenting on the carat weight, where it’s from and, of course, the price.”
The Guests- If you are close to the couple, particularly if you are part of the wedding party, you’ll likely have the inside scoop on all the plans for the blessed day. KEEP IT OFF YOUR NEWSFEED. A wedding is a special ceremony for everyone involved, and oversharing can be as upsetting for some as a Game of Thrones spoiler. So stay safe: no photos of the centerpieces you spent all day helping to DIY, no photos of the altar before the ceremony starts, and certainly no photos of the bride in her gown before the groom has seen her.
The Phone – Most couples have a wedding website these days. It is an easy way to get information out to your guests: your love story, details about the wedding and reception, links to your registry, etc. Appy Couple is a great app for building your wedding website, and it also helps you with managing your guest list, group messaging your wedding party, and storing and sharing photos of your special day.
At The Wedding
The Couple – Remember when I told your guests to keep your wedding off their newsfeeds? Now it’s your turn. Your wedding is a special day – arguably, the most important day in your life together. So don’t get distracted by social media! If you want to keep out-of-town folks updated on the day, you can designate a “tweeter-of-honor” in your wedding party to handle it for you.
Also, know that with your wedding, you can make the rules. Don’t want friends to be on their phones during the ceremony? Say so< . Want them to post photos with your personalized hashtag? Make sure they know what it is! Remember, it’s your day; do it your way.
The Guests – Unless the couple say otherwise, it’s a safe bet to keep your phone off and away during the wedding ceremony. No one wants you staring at the screen when they exchange their vows! The reception, of course, is a whole different ball game (which we’ll get to in a minute), but keep it classy and cell phone-free while your friends become man and wife. Oh, and by all means, stay out of the photographer’s way.
The Phone – Didn’t I just say no phones during the ceremony? Come on, guys.
At The Afterparty
The Couple – One of the amazing things about a wedding (or any other party for that matter) is the different ways people experience it. And of course, you’ll want to look back years from now and see all the angles of your special day. Enter the wedding hashtag. This little link will be the key to finding all those photos of your guests having a great time. Just make sure your hashtag is memorable – use your names, the wedding date, maybe even a pun – and make sure to post it around your reception space so your guests remember to use it!
The Guests – Wedding receptions are FUN. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. And while the ceremony was a place for screenless celebration, here is the time to document your fun. Just remember one thing: if the couple is using a special photo app or a wedding hashtag, make sure you use it, too!
The Phone – There are bound to be lots of great pictures from your wedding day, and there is no better app to keep track of them than WedPics. Not only will this allow your guests unlimited space for photo sharing (provided you invite them via email), you can order prints of the pictures you like best! It’s an easy way to keep those lifelong memories at your fingertips.
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