It’s probably safe to say that social media plays a huge role in your daily life. Your iPhone or similar device is always on and if not in your hands, close by. And it can be a big help if you choose to incorporate social media when planning your wedding.
Social media is a tool, and when used right, can be a great help when organizing your wedding. When using social media when planning your wedding, you can find great sites with photos, advice from other brides, and information on venues, resources, and planners. It’s a perfect way to share information about your wedding. Facebook, Twitter, and wedding websites can be ideal ways to communicate wedding plans and ideas with family and friends. Yes, social media can be a great resource for wedding planning information and where to start.
On the downside, social media when planning your wedding can also be a means to provide way more information than you want the world to know. As with anything else, you should always be careful with what you put on social media. And, sadly, your posts can be shared and manipulated by those up to no good, such as hackers, info thieves, and even “frenemies.”
Regarding social media when planning your wedding, here are 12 things to consider before you post (or have someone else post):
• Before you begin, make sure that the privacy settings are in tune with your plans and ideas.
• Vow to be careful about what you say and post. Try to keep negative experiences, thoughts, and feeling off line. Dealing with your frustrations are not topics to share with the world.
• Even folks who are invited to the wedding can get tired of continual posts. If you become obsessive about posting every little thought or photo or plan – consider scaling back. Useable information is fine but if you share every little detail with everyone, but if you give it all away before the big event, what’s left to surprise your guests? Where is the WOW factor for your special day?
• Are you posting to the whole world and not just your guests? Be careful of hurt feelings from friends who see your post but are not invited to the wedding. Create a wedding posting list.
• Instead of sharing the details on Facebook and Twitter, consider creating your own wedding website. It can be a very helpful way to share wedding news and plans within a controlled distribution.
• If a wedding website isn’t for you, you could set up a private Facebook group (or invitation only list). That way you can post relevant and necessary information with only those who need to know.
• Not everyone on your guest list is online. You may need to send or disseminate necessary information about travel, directions, times, etc. via phone or US Mail.
• Thinking about updating your Facebook status during your ceremony? By all means, do so, just make sure your partner is on board with it.
Denton on a Dime: A Social Wedding from North Texas Television on Vimeo.
• You may want to appoint a trusted friend to the position of Social Media Manager to manage the use of social media on your wedding day. This person can oversee the power station for recharging equipment, help people with tech issues, remind guests of your wish to have tweets (and can also tweet fun wedding day info), blogs, photos held until the happy couple have seen them.
• Remind those who are helping you on your wedding to not post any photos until after your ceremony. You don’t want anyone (especially your groom) to see you in your dress before you’ve even walked down the aisle.
• Wedding hashtags are a popular and easy way to virtually share photos (and make it easy to find them once they’ve been posted).
• Like many couples, you may want to have an unplugged ceremony. This will ensure two very important things. 1) that your guests will be fully engaged and paying attention to your ceremony, instead of looking through a viewfinder, and 2) that your guests won’t unwittingly get in the way of your professional photographer (and thereby preventing your photographer from getting the shots you really want).
Hearts, Joy, Love!
Jean
Looking for fun ideas, or need help with your wedding plans?
Weddings From The Heart can help. Contact me today at [email protected] or by phone or text at 937-581-3647!
