A category full of blog posts and articles to do with wedding photography.

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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 build your own photo booth

Looking to cut costs and build your own photo booth? Here’s how you can do it.

Entertaining your guests can become expensive – bands can cost hundreds of pounds, as can DJs, and what about the cost of a magician? Whether you’re trying to save the pennies or you want to do something fun for your guests, creating your own photo booth could be the answer.

 

How to make a photo booth

First, you’ll need a camera or a smartphone with a good quality camera, and a tripod to put it on.

You’ll need a mixture of props. Think hats, glasses, masks, inflatables, false beards, wigs, etc. The crazier the better! To make it easier, you can buy ready-made sets of photo booth props. Just take a look at somewhere like Hobbycraft for ideas.

 

Where should I put the photo booth?

Now that you’ve figured out what props you want, you need to find a place for your photo booth.

It would be a good idea to have it close to the dance floor or in the same room where the main reception is. You don’t want to set it up in a place where your guests won’t be able to find it.

You should also consider the backdrop and the lighting. Are there any curtains around a window that can be closed to create a backdrop? You may be able to find a blank wall that can be used.  You don’t want the background to detract from the guests in the photo, so choose something plain. Remember that the camera flash could reflect on a shiny background so, to avoid glare, make sure the wall doesn’t have shimmery wallpaper.

If you wanted to, you could create your own backdrop. You could hang chiffon like this incredible setup:

 

Backdrop with white fabric and pallets

This backdrop would be incredible for an Autumn wedding!

Or, you could create a colourful ribbon backdrop. For a more simple backdrop, you could hang a bedsheet in your choice of colour. Just be sure to confirm with the venue how you can hang it to prevent any damage.

If you want to push the boat out, you could have a flower wall created. The wall could be used throughout the day, and then moved to the photo booth location for the evening.

 

How will the photo booth work?

Now that you’ve got all your props and equipment together, you need to make sure the system will work flawlessly on the day.

First, you’ll need to set the camera or the phone on a timer. If you’re unsure how to do this, either check the manual or Google it. A 5- or 10-second timer should be enough. You should also make sure that there’s plenty of storage on the device. You may have to buy an additional memory card. You don’t want the device to stop taking photos because it’s got full memory.

Then, you might want to put a sign out that advises your guests of how to use the photo booth. It could say something like

Press the button and strike a pose!

This lets your guests know to push the button on the camera themselves.

When the day is over, you’ll have plenty of fun looking at all the ridiculous photos of your guests. Don’t forget to add them somewhere so your guests can see them. Facebook might be a good place to do this. That way, you can tag them in the photos!

 

If you want to take the hassle out of making your own photo booth, there are plenty of companies out there who can take care of everything for you!

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How to keep your wedding guests entertained during photos

 

Your wedding photographs are the one thing that remain once the wedding day is over to show all the little moments – your first dance, getting into your dress, and your first meal as a married couple.

But taking the perfect photos takes time, especially when you and your new husband or wife disappear off to have your photo shoot together.

No matter what part of the day you have your couple’s photo shoot, there may be a significant amount of time where you and your partner, the main stars of the show, disappear for an hour. But what are your guests going to do during this time?

I’ve had a think and have come up with some ideas on how to keep your wedding guests entertained during your photos.

 

If you’re having your photos during the drinks reception…

Lots of couples choose to have their photos during the drinks reception. This seems like a natural time. If you’re getting married at a church, people will be gradually arriving at your reception venue and receiving their welcome drinks and canapés. If you get married at a venue, it’s likely that they’ll want to turn the room around for your wedding breakfast.

So, if you want to have your photos taken during this time, there are a couple of entertainment options you can have.

The first is music. Hiring a string quartet, a pianist, a flautist, or even a singer to perform during your drinks reception is a great idea. Your guests won’t even notice that you’ve disappeared!

The second is games. If your venue has an outdoor space, you could hire some lawn games for your guests, particularly the children.

Finally, you could hire some bartenders who specialise in performance. Otherwise known as flair bar-tending, they can entertain your guests and throw glasses around while creating special cocktails for your guests.

 

Bride and groom posing outside amongst the grass

 

If you’re having your photos after your meal…

Some couples prefer to have their photos later on in the day. There’s usually a natural break between your wedding breakfast/speeches and the evening reception.

Say your wedding breakfast finishes at 5.30 but your evening guests aren’t arriving until 7, you have an hour and a half to have your photo shoot. This can be a beautiful time to have photos in spring or autumn as the sun usually sets around this time.

This would be an excellent time to have a photo booth set up for your guests or even something a little more quirky such as a caricaturist to draw people while they’re enjoying tea and coffee.

 

If you’re having your photos after your first dance…

This would be an unusual time to have your photos, but in the summer, it can still be light outside after 9pm. Make the most of the warm summer evenings and get some beautiful sunset photos.

But your guests need entertaining in the evening. DJs are still very popular so your guests can have a dance. Bands are also becoming increasingly popular. Although they’re more expensive, nothing equals the sound of a live band to create some amazing music.

 

Bride and groom dancing at sunset