Wedding hashtags have become increasingly popular over the last few years with couples opting to document their special day on social media. The hashtag trend started as a fun way to share snaps of your wedding day as it happened and allowed the bride and groom to look back at the collection of photographs in one place once the day was over.
Using a wedding hashtag is a fun and quirky way to get everybody involved and take photographs of your special day. If you’re considering creating a wedding hashtag there are some pros and cons that we believe couples should discuss before making the decision.
Pros of Using a Wedding Hashtag
Getting everybody involved
Nowadays it’s very rare that anybody you know doesn’t have a social media profile. Using a wedding hashtag encourages your guests to take more photographs of your special day and to share them online as they happen.
Getting everybody involved makes for more social media exposure and brings your guests together. Perhaps you have family that live overseas or friends that can’t attend. Using a hashtag is an effective way to publicise your day. Without a wedding hashtag, you may not have the chance to upload any photographs until the end of the day or even the next morning. If openly sharing your day is something you’re happy to do, then a hashtag may be the best way forward.
See the parts of the day you missed
As bride and groom or bride and bride, your wedding day is likely to be incredibly busy and you may not have the time to take any photos yourself. It’s likely you’ll be busy greeting your guests, drinking champagne, having professional photographs taken, and spending time with friends and family whilst being occupied in a daze of newly married bliss.
Seeing your wedding day from your guest’s perspective can be really special. A wedding is one of the rare occasions that some families all get together, and it can be lovely to see everybody celebrating and having a great time.
Your photographs can be found in one place
A unique hashtag allows you to keep all your wedding photographs in one place, making them accessible to anybody that knows or follows the hashtag. Photographs with your hashtag will be displayed as an online photo album and you can go back through them whenever you fancy. In the digital world, we live in today, many of us would rather store our photographs online than get them printed and put into albums.
The Cons of Using a Wedding Hashtag
Keeping your wedding private
If the idea of sharing everything about your wedding day on social media makes you feel uncomfortable and you would rather keep your special day between you and your guests, then a wedding hashtag probably isn’t an option for you.
Some couples like to share elements of their life with everybody; others not so much. It’s important to note that once your photographs are out there, this cannot be undone. If you want to keep things low-key, traditional, or intimate, then we would suggest ditching the hashtag idea.
Your Guests May Spend a Lot of Time on Their Phones
A wedding hashtag encourages your guests to be using their phones, whether that’s to take photographs, film, or share elements of your day. There’s a chance that your guests may become glued to their phones and won’t appear in the moment, the opposite to what you’re trying to achieve. Mobile phones can be very distracting, and your guests may unintentionally find themselves scrolling through Facebook or replying to emails during your ceremony.
Mobile Phones Could Ruin Professional Photographs
The ‘no phones during the ceremony’ rule has become popular ask for many couples and wedding photographers after mobile phones flashes began causing issues with lighting. Standing at the altar and looking back at a wave of phones instead of your guests’ faces doesn’t quite have the same effect and just doesn’t look good in photos. Maybe there’s a compromise to be had, with no camera phones for the actual ceremony, or photos being uploaded after the big day.
At Lily’s Boutique, we are all about you making your wedding one remember. We hope these pointers have been helpful and that you can make the best decision for yourself on your special day.