Yes, A Wedding Hashtag Expert Is A Real Job — Here Are Her Top Tips For Choosing One
If you're newly engaged, congratulations! It's time to roll up your sleeves, stock up on caffeine, and start with the wedding planning. In the early stages, along with who's going to make the cut for your guest list, you might be wondering how to pick a wedding hashtag. Everyone loves a good Instagram flex or even just a really solid Facebook album to reminisce on. By adding a wedding hashtag to the mix, you and all of your loved ones will have this big, beautiful, collective, digital memory of your special day to look back on. It's a fun (and free!) perfect touch to your wedding experience.
Jennifer Spector, director of brand for wedding-planning site Zola, has found wedding hashtags to be incredibly popular in her line of work. "In a recent survey we did, 61 percent of couples told us they planned to have a hashtag," Spector says. It's also the most popular topic in Zola's Facebook community and the first topic someone will ask for help with. Spector says, "If possible, I recommend sharing your wedding hashtag with your first wedding-related post so you can catalog your whole journey in one place." Still, it's never too late for a wedding hashtag to blossom. "There's nothing wrong with coming up with a hashtag at any time during your wedding planning process —even the day of your wedding — if inspiration hits," Spector explains.
So, sit back, relax and get those creative juices flowing. Here's what to keep in mind when creating with your wedding hashtag.
Know which platforms you want to use.
You probably could have guessed this, but Instagram is the ruling social media platform when it comes to sharing wedding content. Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat are the runners-up. "Hashtags have really taken on a life beyond social media, though, with couples incorporating them into the wedding day on neon signs or party favors," Spector says.
Decide if you'll need one hashtag or a few.
Your digital record of your wedding will be just fine with one hashtag, but consider coming up with a few event-specific hashtags. This could look like a hashtag for pre-wedding events such as your bridal shower or rehearsal dinner.
"Creating a bachelorette hashtag is a fun way to come up with something flirty or out of the box that you might not want your mom to use during the wedding," Spector says. And I'm sure you can fill in the blanks, here!
Spector also says, "We see couples use their hashtags as early as their first post on social media announcing their engagement, all the way through the actual wedding night and even into their honeymoon." If you're early in the planning process or about to get engaged, it can be cool to come up with hashtags now to bring your friends and family through the entire wedding process with you on social media.
If you do go the multiple hashtag route, Spector recommends using the main hashtag in addition to the event-specific hashtag. That way, for example, you can look at all your engagement posts in one place or you can look at your entire wedding experience, engagement posts included.
Don't think of it necessarily as adding more to your plate. Think of it as another opportunity to hop in the group chat, and brainstorm funky or spicy hashtags for your wild night out. As Spector says, "The more hashtags, the merrier."
Opt for something fun — whether that's a tongue-twister or a pun.
"Using alliteration or a play on words is always a great place to start," Spector says. Moreover, she recommends thinking of something distinct, just so that there aren't multiple weddings showing up in the same hashtag!
Spector's favorite examples are word mash-ups or puns. "Consider if there are wedding-related sayings starting with the same letter as your first or last names. For example: #MikeMarriesMolly or #MarryingMalloy," Spector says. Another detail to consider in the hashtag is the location of your wedding. "Recently, we had a couple who got engaged in a place called 'Marshmallow Mountain' and we came up with up #NemnichNoSMORE as their hashtag," Spector explains. "Another Zola couple went with #Skurnatoga, a mash-up of their last name, Skurnik, and Saratoga where the wedding took place."
If making a list isn't doing it for you and asking in the group chat falls flat, try outsourcing to your followers on Instagram and Twitter. The Instagram Questions function or Twitter poll could be a great place to go if you're looking for fresh ideas or just feedback. "If you're really stuck, Zola also hosts a monthly Hashtag Help Facebook Live in our Zola Community Facebook group, where members of our team help couples create hashtags live," Spector says.
Again, take this chance to really have fun with this part of your wedding-planning process. You might be stumped at first. You might even have to sleep on it. But know that once come up with the wedding hashtag(s) that are perfect you, you'll have a big, lovely, digital diary of one of the biggest milestones in your life.
And one last pro-tip from Spector: If you haven't sent them out already, feel free to put your wedding hashtag(s) on your invitations.
