By Rachel Wilkerson, Lover.ly
While we think the web and wedding planning go together like, well, love and marriage, even we have our limits. Getting wedding inspiration on the Internet is awesome, but not every moment of wedding planning or the ceremony needs to play out on social media. So as you get ready to head into wedding season, here are our tips for handling wedding planning and social media etiquette.
Think before you update your status. Even though Facebook is a fast and easy way to update everyone on your change in status (or show off your shiny new engagement ring), make a point to tell close friends and family first. They will be hurt if they find out through Facebook, and do you really want to start off wedding planning with your grandma ticked at you? (And if you run off to the courthouse over the weekend and get hitched, definitely tell people personally before you post pics online. That’s the kind of thing that it can take a family years to get over!)
Don’t get so caught up in pretty wedding photos that you forget to enjoy the day. Hey, we appreciate gorgeous wedding photos more than anyone, but how your wedding feels is way more important than how it looks. So don’t forget to hand your phone to your maid of honor the morning of to avoid last-minute stress and to be fully present with your friends, family, and new partner.
Make your feelings about social media known. More and more couples are option for unplugged weddings; if that’s your thing, just put a note in your wedding program letting guests know. But if you go this route, make it easy for guests to see and order the photos your photographer takes by sending out the link to the online gallery as soon as possible or printing out slips of paper with the photographer’s info to tuck into thank you cards. (And if you’re a guest? Respect the couple’s wishes! If you’re snapping photos, you’re probably not paying attention to the ceremony anyway, and if they asked you not to share photos of them, there was likely a good reason for it.)
