Social media is now an integral part of everyday life, and unless you’re holding your wedding in a 3G black spot with no Wi-Fi, you’re guaranteed to see at least a few snaps of your big day appearing online before the first dance is done. Though some couples may enjoy seeing images of their wedding day on social media, others may feel that uploading images is a little invasive or that guests have stolen their photo-posting thunder.
If you’re getting your glad rags on and heading out to a wedding any time soon, check out our list of social media dos and don’ts to make sure you’re not caught out by your online activity.
Do: Find out how the couple feels about social media
More and more couples are now including social media instructions in their wedding info. Though many people will have a relaxed social media policy, or even no policy at all, in some cases couples may ask guests to refrain from posting photos on the day itself, or even from uploading anything from the wedding to social media. If this is the case, it’s important you respect their wishes if you want your friendship to continue into the future.
Don’t: Spoil the surprise
Though you may want to be the first person to post a picture of the dress, the cake or the first kiss online, rushing to upload images is generally considered bad social media etiquette. Like Real Simple points out, “Oversharing wedding details on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram not only has the potential to make those who aren’t invited feel bad, but even the invited guests will enjoy seeing certain things for the first time in person”.
Do: Use the wedding hashtag
If the couple has created a wedding hashtag for their big day, it’s because they want to be able to see all the images for themselves once their wedding is over. When a hashtag is provided, make sure you use it whenever you upload photos to social media.
Don’t: Sit on your phone all day
Even if the happy couple are comfortable with guests uploading the odd image to social media, they probably don’t want their nearest and dearest sitting on their smartphones all day. To ensure you’re not a digital bore, keep photo taking to a minimum and just upload a few select picks to your online profile.
Do: Enjoy the day
Last but not least, make sure you put your phone down long enough to really enjoy the day. If you spend the entire wedding looking through the screen of your phone, you won’t experience the best of the day and risk isolating yourself from other guests. Though social media can play a fantastic role in capturing moments and memories, first and foremost a wedding is about celebrating the happy couple – so make sure you’re in the room at all times.
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