Choosing a wedding hashtag is hard. It’s such werk that now there’s actually a business devoted to brainstorming one for the bride and groom because if you get it wrong no one will want to post . . . and then, did your wedding even really happen?
Tracy Nour of the fashion and trend forecasting blog, She Just Knows, is recently engaged and in the beginning stages of planning her wedding for the winter of 2017. With close to 40 thousand Instagram followers, Tracy knows a thing or two about catchy hashtags—but coming up with a cool, witty one for her wedding was a curveball even for her. She teamed up with her planner, Barbi Walters of The Lynden Lane Co., to come up with something together. “We love hashtags,” says Barbi. “They’re such a great way to capture photos of so many moments that would have otherwise gone unseen.”
If you’re a private person, and want to forgo encouraging social media at your wedding altogether, opting for no hashtag is completely fine and pretty much cements your status as “above it all.” But if you’re into having guests contribute to cataloguing photos of the night, there are a few rules of the road you should be aware of when brainstorming a hashtag. Here, Tracy and Barbi outline their tips.
(1) Make it silly. “This is an area where it is fun to be a little tongue in cheek,” says Barbi. “So get creative and have fun.” But be sure to avoid anything vulgar or political. It’s your wedding and obviously you can do what you want, but making some people squeamish or uncomfortable right off the bat feels short-sighted and unwise.
(2) It should be easy to understand and to spell so people can use it correctly throughout the night—even late night.
(3) Start using the hashtag a few months after getting engaged—but not the minute after your future spouse has put a ring on it. “I think it’s weird to start using it right away,” says Tracy. “We all know the people that think about it way in advance, but when I see it on the Instagram announcing the engagement, I get weirded out.”
(4) Once you’ve landed on it, put it on your website and your save the dates. “After you have it, use it,” says Barbi. “Encourage guests to send you well wishes before the big day, and implement it at showers as well as bachelor and bachelorette parties.
(5) Make sure your bridesmaids and groomsmen are aware of your hashtag so when someone inevitably asks them, they can help spread the word.
(6) Your hashtag should stand the test of time. “Mine is our initials combined,” says Tracy. “It’s basically our team name—so it’s never going out of style for us.” The internet is written in pen, not pencil—so just like when it comes to your spouse, it’s important to choose wisely. You want to pick something you’ll like today, tomorrow, and beyond.
(7) Avoid including the date or year—no one wants to type in a series of numbers.
(8) Don’t post it on a chalkboard at the ceremony or put it on the formal invitation. “Cocktail napkins are great, but we don’t support using hashtags in any of the ceremony signage or programs because we want your guests to be present,” explains Barbi. “Keep the ceremony unplugged—and then, let your guests go crazy everywhere else!”
Photo: Daniel Lippitt
