For brides planning their big day, turning to wedding etiquette books becomes routine. Many brides have worn the pages thin making sure they have every attention to detail covered. One of the most recent items on their checklist though can’t be found in those books. Brides today are trying to figure out how to handle the social media of their wedding.
To dig deeper into the topic, Channel 4 did a segment and asked me to weigh in on ‘Wedding Day Digital Do’s and Don’ts’.
Here are the highlights:
Q – Does a bride need to be specific and share her social media do’s and don’ts with her guests?
A – Yes, the Bride and Groom can be specific; it’s their big day. They’ve dreamed about this day for a long time and they want it to be just right.
Today, smartphones are everywhere, we think they’re as critical as the air we breathe and snapping pictures has become second nature. As a wedding guest, we need to pause and take note of what the bride and groom want.
And if the couple prefers to have a social media free wedding, then we need to honor their request. Leading up to the big day, you can verbally tell your friends that this will be a social media free event so they’re prepared.
Q – If the Bride chooses to go with a Social Media event, how can guests help provide a unique perspective on the day?
A – Absolutely. Social Media Savvy couples love to enlist the help of friends and family. They use hashtags where they can easily gather all of those personal photos after the event.
If you are encouraging your guests to share your big day on social media, you will want to share the hashtag you create with them. There are some really fun and creative ways to get your message out to guests.
- List it in the program
- Place the hashtag in a picture frame and position them around the venue; at the registration table, food tables, bar, etc.
- The DJ can incorporate it into his visuals or even share it verbally throughout the night reminding guests to snap away.
I would refrain from putting any social media or hashtag info into the invitation itself. The social media ‘instructions’ can wait.
Q – And shouldn’t there be a happy balance between the event and showcasing it to the world?
A – Yes, you definitely want to be careful. Don’t go overboard and try to take over the professional photographers job.
You want to be aware of where the professional photographer is and keep your phone out of his or her photos. I saw a beautiful picture of a newlywed couple on FB recently that a guest had captured. It had the photographer’s camera smack in the middle of the photo – so you know the professional shot also had the cell phone in the photo. Some brides might not care, but it’s still a nice gesture to be ‘aware’.
And of course don’t forget to put your phone down and enjoy the event. It’s hard to be in the moment when you’re trying craft the perfect post and caption! It’s their big day – not yours.
Click to Tweet – Wedding Guests: be aware of the professional photographer and keep your smartphone out of their photos. #MannerMonday http://bit.ly/SMWedEtq
Thanks for reading!!!
– Carey Sue
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