With the nearly ubiquitous nature of social media in our daily lives, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others have become just as indispensable for your wedding plans as hiring a wedding photographer or a caterer. Uploading pictures, videos and other reactions will create a digital record of your ceremony, but these files will be scattered all over their respective social media platforms if you don’t encourage your guests to utilize a wedding hashtag during your special day!
A hashtag refers to a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign (#), which turns this arrangement into a direct link that will track discussion topics, picture/video uploads and other reactions under one umbrella. For instance, if you created the hashtag #johnandrachelwedding, guests who use this phrase can organize their best moments in the same place. But, spreading the word and educating your guests (who may not be social media-savvy!) is a challenge for your special day. Here are a few of our best suggestions from Nanina’s in the Park.
- Invitations/Wedding Website
To ensure that your guests know about your special wedding hashtag, make sure you start early in the process! Put a reminder on your invitations, and go in-depth on your wedding website to show your guests how to use the hashtag and why it is such a helpful tool in collecting all of the best pictures and videos from the gathering. This is a great way for your less social media experienced guests to become familiar with hashtagging before your big day!
- Chalkboard Sign
At the entrance of your ceremony, ask a friend or family member with great handwriting or artistic flair to write out your wedding hashtag with an illustration that adheres to your chosen theme. Place it in an area where your guests can pick up your wedding programs so they don’t miss it!
- Drink Stirrers
When it’s time to kick off your cocktail hour, drive the message home even further by including your hashtag on drink stirrers. This is a clever way to remind your guests to share their favorite moments using your hashtag, and it can help improve the visual punch of your cocktail menu! Additionally, putting a few small signs around your bar and other main focal points of the venue can be welcome reminders to your guests to share.
- Wedding Centerpieces
Last but not least, whether you’d like to include your hashtag on your wedding table numbers, as a feature of your centerpieces or simply as cards on your guests’ dinner tables, this is the perfect time to remind your guests that every picture and video they take during the event can and should be shared online for everyone to see.
