Wedding Photo and Social Media Etiquette

Let’s talk about wedding photos and social media!

In this day and age, when everyone is constantly snapping photos and posting to FB, Instagram, Snapchat, etc., it is common to encounter this at weddings. And if you have any awareness of etiquette, you’ve probably wondered whether there are rules about this. 

Many couples consider the ceremony to be a private event for the people they’ve chosen to invite and while they may expect photos to pop up everywhere in the next fews days, most hope that photos aren’t flying through cyberspace before the ceremony is even over. 

Plus, wedding guests with iPhones in front of their faces and flying high in the air, doesn’t exactly set the best mood and tone for such a special occasion, especially for the professional photos for which the bride and groom are paying quite a bit of money. (As an aside and a personal pet peeve, PLEASE don’t step in front of or interrupt the professional photographer when they are taking group shots, staged shots, etc. That is incredibly rude and you should be ashamed!) 

So please, just sit back, enjoy the moment, let the professionals take photos, and be fully present as you share this special moment with the bride and groom.

If the bride and groom specifically encourage you to use their wedding hashtag (and many do), it’s safe to assume they’re fine with you posting photos of the big day. Even so, I still propose that you don’t take photos, and certainly don’t post them, during the ceremony. But during the reception, dinner, and dancing, take photos and hashtag away! And if any other photo instructions have been given in the program, please be sure to follow those.

One rule that I personally follow unless I’ve been given permission otherwise as the Wedding Consultant, I do not post and tag photos of the bride and groom until they have personally added a photo themselves. Until they’ve posted photos and/or been tagged by their photographer, I choose not to be the first. I recommend the same to you. 

 

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