How to Incorporate Social Media Into Your Wedding

In today's day and age, social media and weddings go together like peanut butter and jelly, or, as the millennials like to say, like avocado and toast. It's a fun thing to incorporate into every stage of your nuptials so far-off family and friends can participate. However, it's also easy to let the social media monster get out of hand, so having some limits around it is also a good idea. Here are some ideas to incorporate social media into your wedding while also making sure everyone isn't glued to their phones the whole time.

Create Your Own Hashtag

Come up with a fun or "punny" hashtag for you and your beloved. This should be a unique hashtag so your guests can find it easily, vs a generic one like "#happilyeverafter."  It's usually done by combining names or coming up with a play on words. For example, someone marrying a Kent might use "#kenthardlywait." People named "Morgan" and "Stanley" could become "#mostan" or "#ganstan." If you're having trouble thinking of one, there are lots of wedding hashtag generators out there to help.

Start with putting the hashtag on the save the date card. Then, at the reception, you could also print it on napkins or have a sign by the bar with the hashtag on it, so your guests can easily see it (and also easily remember it, in the event of a few too many sips of champagne).

Before the ceremony, you can use the hashtag for all kinds of practical purposes: to post a picture of the wedding site if it's difficult to find, for example, or to show photos of the hotels that guests can book.

Use Stories and Highlights

Enter stories and highlights on Instagram and Facebook. Use these to show a series of similar photos, on which you can add stickers, humorous comments, or animations. People must click on the story or highlight in order to view it, so their feeds won't be inundated.

Create a Custom Snapchat Filter

Snapchat now offers the ability for users to create their own custom filters. You'll need to provide the filter, so break out your best Photoshop skills. They also offer a selection of filters if you need one.

The filter will ask you to set the geographical range where people can see the filter, so if you're using it at your wedding venue, that's the area you'll want to use. Do not just set the range for your entire city. It costs about $5 per 20,000 square feet of where people can see it.

Live Broadcast the Ceremony

Here's where social media can be an especially great tool for bringing people together. Consider a live broadcast of the ceremony on Instagram or Facebook. That way, your cousin across the country who's about to give birth or your nephew stationed in Afghanistan can watch, too. It's best to use a tripod for this (no selfie sticks, please!) making sure to position it where it will not hinder anyone's view.

It's easy to do-- each platform has a LIVE button. It will also show you who's watching and allow them to comment.

Livestream Your Feed

During the reception, consider live-streaming your Instagram feed onto a TV screen by using Google Chromecast or Amazon Fire or something similar. You'll also need an app like Tagg. That way, you can document your first dance for all to see. Plus, nobody will miss your great aunt and uncle voguing on the dance floor because they were in the bathroom line.

Limiting Social Media

Though sharing all the details of a wedding is entertaining, many couples would rather have their guests focusing on the ceremony and the people present instead of on their phones. Therefore, consider setting some limits on social media use.

►You can ask that people put away their phones during the ceremony.

►Be sure not to overshare. Some things from your bachelor or bachelorette party are probably best left off social media.

►Likewise, you don't need to document every moment of your honeymoon. Nobody wants to see a photo of your beloved waking up the morning after the wedding, or be subjected to countless photos of the two of you having sunset smooches. Everybody knows you're in love! They were just at the wedding. At this point, everyone's ready to move on.

Above all, when in doubt about social media, ask yourself the question, "Will this elevate my guests' experience?" If the answer is no, then take a step back and use less social media. But if your purpose is to share more of your fun, especially with those loved ones who could not be there, then social media is a fantastic wedding bonus.

Written by Andee S.