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How to create a hashtag for wedding photos

Custom wedding hashtags have become all the rage in the last few years.

Your wedding photographs can take a long time to be edited and delivered back to you, and you may want to look at some non-professional photos of the day to remind you of how amazing it was. This is why coming up with your own wedding hashtag can be a great idea. Imagine if there was one place where all of your guests could share their photos from the day so you could view and share them at any time? With a wedding hashtag, that’s exactly what you can do. It’s a fun (and free) way of allowing your guests to share their favourite aspects of your day online.

Below, I’ve come up with some ways you can create your own wedding hashtag.

 

How to come up with your wedding hashtag

Once you’ve decided that you want to have a wedding hashtag, you’ll have to think of a unique hashtag that you and your partner can use on the day. You could go with something as simple as your surname, such as #MrAndMrsMcDonald, however the chances are that someone else has already used this tag for their own wedding. This is where you need to get more creative.

You could try adding the date of your wedding, such as #MrAndMrsJones2020 or #MrsAndMrsJonesMay21. This is a relatively simple hashtag.

The best hashtags are the ones that are memorable, funny or a play on words. Use your surname-to-be to think of a play on words. If your new surname will be Seal, your hashtag could be #WeSealedTheDeal. You could even use an inside joke as your hashtag. Suits star, Patrick Adams, and Pretty Little Liars star, Troian Bellisario used a memory from their first date for their wedding hashtag, #FortDay2016. She explained that Patrick had built her a pillow fort in his apartment, where they spent most of the evening watching films and eating pancakes. This became known as Fort Day. They actually got engaged on the anniversary of Fort Day too. This cute story is what formed their hashtag. So be creative and think of something that sums you and your partner up.

 

Troian and Patrick's wedding photos feed

Troian and Patrick’s hashtag feed from Instagram

 

I’d advise staying away from words that are hard to spell, as it’s likely that your guests will accidentally spell the hashtag incorrectly and their photo may not show up on your feed. I’d also advise avoiding hashtags that are excessively long, such as #TheWeddingOfMrAndMrChestertonDecember2019. Something short, snappy and memorable will work best.

Alternatively, if you or your partner can’t decide on one, you could use a wedding hashtag generator which will create one for you. Just check on Instagram to make sure that the hashtag hasn’t already been used for someone else’s wedding! It should be unique to you both.

 

How does a wedding hashtag work?

First, you need to make all of your guests aware of the hashtag, otherwise having one will be of no use. You could include it on your save-the-dates, on your invitations, on your table menus and even on a chalkboard sign at the venue. Make it clear to your guests what it is.

Every time a guest takes a photo of a special moment of your day, whether it’s a selfie of themselves or a picture of you walking down the aisle, the photo can be shared on social media with the special hashtag. The morning after your wedding, you could log into Instagram and find a whole host of pictures that have been taken by your guests. These pictures will stay there forever and can be looked at whenever you want to.

Obviously, these images are amateur ones that may be bad quality and taken on smart phones, so you should still have a professional wedding photographer there on the day to capture those beautiful moments in incredible quality.

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How to decorate a wedding table

There are plenty of aspects of your wedding that you want your guests to be wow-ed  by. You want them to love your dress, devour the food and dance the night away with a memorable band or DJ. But one design aspect that you might not have thought about is your wedding tables.

When your guests sit down to eat, they’ll be sat at their tables for at least two hours. There’s the three-course meal to eat and then the speeches to get through as well. Therefore, you want your wedding tables to be beautiful and a place where your guests will enjoy eating, sitting and chatting.

No matter what your budget, a beautiful wedding table is certainly achievable. Below, I’ve identified how you can decorate your wedding tables to make them beautiful and look stunning in your wedding photos.

 

How to make your wedding tables stand out

If you have a little more budget to play with, don’t be afraid to hold back. Your wedding tables can become stunning features that will Wow all of your guests.

First, you need a good base to your table. Many brides stick to white tablecloths but there are SO many other options out there.

You can add some of your personality to your tables and either use colours that are part of your theme (the same colour as the bridesmaids’ dresses, for example) or you could go with something completely different like rose-gold sequins or even black. Don’t forget that your chair covers should complement the colour tablecloth that you choose.

Once you’ve chosen your base colour, you need to think about your centrepieces. Do you want something incredible like 6ft blossom trees or something simple like a chandelier with some roses wrapped around it? Again, the centrepieces should reflect the personality of both you and your husband/wife-to-be.

For round tables, a centrepiece on each table would work well. For long, banquet-style tables, you may want to choose a simple, but effective, runner.

Wedding banquet tables decorated with a foliage runner

 

I love this beautiful, rustic style decor. It suits the venue perfectly and the green foliage and white napkins break up the wood of the tables and chairs.

The final touches may only seem small, but they can make a big difference. You may want to think about the design of your plates. Some brides go for plain white, whereas others want something patterned of colourful. You should speak to your caterer about the crockery options. Don’t forget your favours too! Whether you choose something foodie or something more personal, it should go with your theme and be pretty to look at.

 

How to decorate wedding tables on a budget

Even if you’re on a budget, you can still make your wedding tables look beautiful.

The best way to decorate your top table is with your bouquets. Ask the venue to place vases of water along the top table, and when you and your ‘maids arrive, the bouquets can be put in the vases and will make your top table look instantly beautiful. Add some candles and tea lights and your top table is complete.

Other cheaper options include sprinkling petals on the table and using lavender sprigs as napkin rings.

If you wanted to, you could buy your centrepieces and sell them on after the wedding. This means you could add some height to your table with candelabras that are filled with scented candles. Renting them can be a waste of money, so it’s better to buy them and make some money back.

Finally, you don’t have to go crazy with your favours. You could fill some jam jars with sweets or chocolates.

 

Deciding on how to dress your tables can be fun. Whether you do it yourself, or have the help of a venue dresser, the result will certainly be beautiful.

How to plan a wedding on a small budget

Weddings can be expensive, but you don’t necessarily need to spend tens of thousands of pounds in order to have the best day ever. If you want to be a little more frugal when it comes to your wedding days, here’s some ideas and inspiration that you can use.

 

Choose your venue carefully

The venue will be a big focus of your day and it will likely feature in many of your wedding photographs. You want to choose a venue that not only reflects your personality, but that will also match the theme of your day.

There are plenty of venues that don’t have to cost the earth. You could choose a small village hall in an idyllic village or a small boutique hotel. if you’re wanting to hold a wedding on a budget, then expect to be hosting a small wedding – the bigger the venue and the more people you want to invite, the more the cost goes up.

Don’t forget – it might be better to hire a venue and spend more money on decor and dressing than it is to spend all of your money on an expensive venue.

 

Consider wedding packages

Now, lots of hotels are geared up to host weddings. In fact, hotel weddings have become so popular, many hotels will have a package that you can choose for your big day. The package normally includes the venue hire, food and drink, a cake, all the linen and crockery, the venue dressing, chair covers, etc. Not only is this minimal organisation for you, but you could save a lot of money by allowing the hotel to do everything. All you’d need to do is hire a wedding photographer and choose the bridal party outfits and wedding planning is complete!

Plus, by hosting your wedding at the hotel, you’ll be saving on the cost of a church wedding, which could add an extra £1,000 to your wedding costs.

 

Re-loved wedding dresses

Some brides don’t like the idea of a second-hand wedding dress, but there are plenty of companies in the UK that offer amazing quality dresses that have previously been worn at a discount price. They’re still in pristine condition and will have been thoroughly cleaned, ready to be worn again. You could save around 50% compared to the price of a new dress, plus you’re doing your bit for the environment by re-using something that was made to be worn once.

 

Choose in-season flowers

Did you know that flowers are at their cheapest when they’re in season? Different flowers prefer different climates, temperatures and humidities. This means some thrive in early spring, others in late summer. Flowers that are in season can be locally grown and will be in the best condition for your day. If you choose flowers that are out of season, you may need to pay extra to have them imported from abroad and they may not be as good quality. Below, we’ve listed a few of the most popular flowers and the time of year they’re at their best:

Spring

  • Roses
  • Tulips
  • Hydrangeas
  • Peonies
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Jasmine

Summer

  • Clematis
  • Sunflowers
  • Phlox
  • Iris
  • Chrysanthemum

Autumn

  • Lily
  • Camellia
  • Dahlia
  • Begonia
  • Physalis

Winter

  • Hyacinths
  • Juniper
  • Ivy
  • Pieris
  • Snowdrops

 

Cater for one meal

Food and drink is one of the biggest costs associated with weddings. Therefore the more food and drink you want, and the more people you invite, the more the cost will shoot up.

You might want to consider a late wedding. By having your wedding at 4pm, you can serve just one evening meal. But if you wanted to get married at 12pm, you’d need to provide an afternoon meal as well as an evening buffet. This could cause the price to shoot up.

You may also want to think about serving your wedding cake instead of dessert – this could save you a bit of money and the cake will all get eaten, instead of living in your freezer for the next few months.

 

Get married during off-peak months

Peak wedding season is thought to be from around the start of May to the end of September. It’s during this time frame that the cost of everything will increase, including your wedding venue. If you want to try and save some money, consider having an Autumn or Christmas wedding.