Your guests will be like your own personal paparazzi on your wedding day. What should you do if you don’t want your special and intimate moments to find their way onto social media?
Unfortunately, this is one situation you can’t fully control, but there are steps you can take to make your wishes known and (hopefully) limit social media uploads without your consent.
Mention It On Your Website
If you will be creating a wedding website, mention your wishes there. Be specific though. Are you fine with guests snapping photos at the reception but not the ceremony? Would you prefer guests to wait until you and your partner have posted photos before they do? Tell them exactly what you do, and don’t want – it’s your day after all!
Send a Note
If you’re sending out printed invites, you could include a small note if your budget allows. This will give guests plenty of advanced notice concerning your photography wishes. Additionally including a reminder in your wedding program will refresh their memory on the day of.
Announce It
Since you will have everyone’s attention at the start of the ceremony, get your officiant, master of ceremonies, or DJ to announce any photo and social media posting requests. Try to make your wishes clear without being overbearing, you don’t want your guests to feel bullied.
Create a Sign
Another option is to create a sign that you can place at the entrance of your ceremony. Get creative! All your guests will see it and a funny or cute sign may sway your guests into respecting your wishes.
Alter Your Privacy Settings
If you’re worried your request will be ignored, you can always change your social media privacy settings to prevent guests from tagging you in unsanctioned photos. Facebook and Instagram allow you to manually review posts you’re tagged in before adding them to your feed and Twitter allows you to remove your tag from a photo. This won’t prevent users from posting, but at least you can let them know you don’t approve if they do.
Go Unplugged
If you don’t want to take any chances, you could always adopt the popular Unplugged Ceremony trend. A device free service encourages your guests to live in the moment and you get to look out and see smiling faces, not cellphones.
Don’t feel guilty for asking your guests not to post your wedding photos on social media. By approaching it in an open, honest, or even humorous way, it doesn’t have to be a big deal.
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