Unplugged Wedding - Social media-free wedding zone
As the bride and groom, you are real stars for at least 24 hours on your wedding day. Fame has its advantages (e.g., your wedding guests bring you cocktails all night long), but it also has its disadvantages—such as the dreaded family "paparazzi," or in this case, the guests who have made it their mission to take as many snapshots as possible of the wedding couple in every conceivable situation, right up to the altar.
This raises the following question: Do you mind if these photos end up on social media without your consent? And if so, how can you prevent people from taking and/or posting pictures of you?
The good news: there are measures and ideas from other weddings and even celebrations of famous personalities that can help you achieve one thing: damage control. Scroll down to read 10 great tips on how to keep that blurry photo of you dancing drunk off the internet.
To be honest, despite all the measures I'm about to describe, your aunt, girlfriend, or coworker will probably still can't resist sharing that snapshot of you cutting the wedding cake with jam squirting into your nose on social media.
1. Have an unplugged wedding— in short, go offline without smartphones.
Your first line of defense against unflattering uploads is to ban photos for guests altogether. The popular trend of unplugged weddings dictates a celebration completely free of electronic devices so that everyone can fully experience the moment and you two can look out into your audience and see smiles, not cell phones.
If you want to be really strict, you can even ask your guests to hand in their cell phones at the entrance; this is quite common at VIP weddings. There are even companies that offer services to keep smartphones with their owners but prevent them from recording sound or images.
2. Mention it in advance on your wedding website
Let people know early on that this issue is important to you, and use your opportunities to explain exactly what you expect from your guests. Should they put their cell phones in their pockets during the ceremony, but then be allowed to use them freely during the reception? Is it okay for guests to take photos, but not publish them? Is it okay for them to share the photos online as long as you and your partner publish them first? Do you want them to use a wedding hashtag so you can quickly find all the pictures and easily delete the ones you don't like?
3. Consider not using a wedding hashtag
If you ask people not to post photos on social media but have still set up an official hashtag, you are sending out contradictory signals. I know that as the future Mrs. Elisabeth Maierhofer, you are very proud of #Mr&MrsMaierhofer, but when you communicate the hashtag, you are ultimately actively encouraging people to use it too.
4. Include a note in the invitations and/or programs
A simple note in the invitations is another way to let your guests know that you don't want them to take over the job of your professional photographer. A reminder in the program booklet will ensure that they don't forget this information.
5. Put up a sign at the event location.
I have to admit that it's quite ironic, but if you search for #unpluggedwedding on social media, you'll find thousands of pretty pictures for inspiration.
6. Make an announcement
Use the authority of the wedding officiant, photographer, or DJ before the ceremony begins and have them say a few words about the smartphone and camera ban. Make sure that guests are clear about what they are and are not allowed to photograph and publish.
7. Approach the matter with humor
If you're worried that you'll come across as strict, vain, or a control freak, it can help to convey your request with humor. Nobody likes to be bossed around, but everyone appreciates a good joke. A creative phrase on a sign or a funny announcement can encourage your guests to respect your wishes.
8. Change your privacy settings on social media
This prevents you from being tagged without your consent. Here's how to do it on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. On Snapchat, you can't remove a tag, but you can report the troublemaker at any time.
9. Make sure to point out to anyone who isn't following the rules.
You don't have to do this personally (you're the stars today, remember?), but you can ask a few members of your wedding party, family, or photography team to act as press officers and keep an eye on photos on social media. They can then politely approach the offenders and casually say, "I bet that photo will be beautiful. But remember to wait until the wedding couple has posted something or ask them if you can publish it now."
10. Posting "sneak peek" photos in a timely manner
There are many reasons why you might want to keep your guests' photos off social media. Perhaps you are simply a very private couple, or you don't want unwanted photos to appear that could (wrongly) give the impression that you weren't the perfect couple you are on your special day.
If your only problem with shared photos is that they appear before you've had a chance to post your big, official "Hey, we got married" moment on social media, then I'll take care of the problem for you.
I will send you around 20 photos of your big day no later than 24 hours after your celebration. This way, you can be sure that you and your guests can see yourselves at your best.
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