Social Media at Weddings: Yay or No Way?

When we started our wedding business sixteen years ago, there was no such thing as Facebook, YouTube or Instagram.

Pro cameras were expensive, and we watched weddings with our eyes, not through the lens of a smart phone.

But today’s Millennial couples increasingly want digital proof of their weddings’ awesomeness.

There’s an opportunity for wedding professionals to facilitate that desire by making it easy for them to upload and share photo and video evidence with just one click.

Then we have the uprising of wedding pros and other couples urging us to “unplug” and get back to the moment.

#UnplugTheWedding

Watch this video parody featuring faux-tographers, selfie sticks, iPad photographers and Tinder trolling at the wedding.

Yep. That’s the reality of weddings today.

What’s the Impact of a Plugged In Wedding?

It seems to me there are TWO issues here:

Issue #1 – The experience of the day.

How does the Wedding Paparazzi impact the guests’ enjoyment?

How does it affect the ability of wedding professionals to do the best job possible?

Does it enhance or detract from the couple’s experience?

Issue #2 – The digital sharing frenzy afterward.

Does the ability to instantly share photos enhance the wedding experience?

Do live broadcasts through Periscope or Snapchat bring distant guests closer? Or do they make guests in attendance more removed?

How does the online curation process (I don’t like this photo–my arms look fat. Untag.) affect the way we see ourselves?

Speak Your Truth With Boldness

I see an opportunity here for wedding pros on either side of this issue.

For those who wish to embrace the digital wedding revolution:

Ally with your couples by making it simple for them to share the evidence of the celebration in real time.

Use those wedding hashtags. Periscope their behind the scenes footage. Give them the ability to upload and download the booty.

For those outraged at this digital assault:

Join the #UnplugTheWedding movement. Lead it.

Become an advocate for those couples who want to experience every moment by living it, and use it to promote your business, like SLF Weddings has done so cleverly.

Whatever you do, have an opinion and express it.

Your couples don’t want to hire a “vanilla” wedding pro. They want someone authentic who promotes a worldview they can believe in.

Now I wanna know — and don’t hold back…

What do YOU really think?