Wedding photographer blog Sarasota Park City | Monthly Archives: September 2014September 2014 - Wedding photographer blog Sarasota Park City

How to use Hashtag for Weddings

There are a number of up-and-coming wedding trends for 2015, but one of the most popular is using one or more hashtags for posting videos and photos on social media, such as Twitter and Instagram. This trend is gaining popularity as more and more people use social media to post photos instead of just text. If you want to use a hashtag for your 2015 wedding, you may wonder which one to use and how to get the word out to your guests so that they all use the same tag. Accomplishing this will take a little bit of planning and understanding how to use these social media services to your best advantage so those who can’t be there can still enjoy up-to-the-moment photos and videos and so that you can look through all the photos later without having to scour the Internet.

Understanding Hashtags

Before you can hashtag your wedding, you have to understand how these tags work. While a hashtag can be made up of almost any combination of letters and numbers, it cannot include special characters or spaces. If these are included in your hashtag, it will break the hashtag into two separate sections, which will make it impossible for your or your loved ones to find. When creating a hashtag, try and keep it simple and remember that the hashtag symbol itself, which is a #, must not be spaced away from the rest of the tag. For example, the hashtag #Joneswedding2015 is a searchable tag, while # Joneswedding2015 is not. It’s also important to keep your tag simple so it’s easy for people to type and for searching purposes. Sarasota wedding photographer Catie Sweeney says: “Many brides are using hashtags to promote their wedding either as part of the invitation or at the wedding itself.”

Choosing a Hashtag

Choosing a hashtag that suits your wedding is important for both the guests who are attending and for those who can’t. This is why simplicity is the key and that while you may think a complicated or clever hashtag is cute, as your guests are posting photos, they might skip using the tag because it takes too long to type out or is easily misspelled. Because you’ll want to be able to find all of your photos later on and add them to your Facebook or repost them on your own Instagram feed, choose something that is easy to remember and to add to any post.

If you have a last name that is common in your area, you might want to do a hashtag search to see if the tag is already in use by another couple. Since you don’t want your photos getting mixed up with those of strangers, you will have to somewhat modify your hashtag. For example, instead of #SmithWedding2015, add the name of your spouse as well to make it unique, such as #SmithJonesWedding2015. This is still an easy tag to remember and will help set your photos apart from the millions of other users who post photos and videos on these services.

Putting the Hashtag to Use

If you’re having a medium-sized or large wedding, you don’t want to have to send out hundreds of texts to let people know which hashtag you’re using. To save time and money, there are several ways that you can get the word out. If your wedding is a bit smaller and people are coming into the ceremony through one central entrance, you can set up chalkboards there that welcome them and remind them which hashtag they should be using. Don’t forget to have several of these boards set up at your reception as well. If you plan your hashtag well in advance, you can add it to your invitations so that people can refer to it when the time comes to post photos. If you don’t want to add the hashtag on the invitations themselves, you can include a small printed card in the envelope that reminds your guests about which one they should use when posting to Instagram or Twitter for the evening.

Anna Lythgoe of professional SEO services company Level9 SEO says: “Using a hashtag to group your wedding photos on social media to make them searchable and shareable is the best way to ensure that your family and friends don’t miss a moment of your big day. It also makes them easy to find, download, and print so that you can make albums as gifts for those who were thoughtful enough to capture the big event and to create memories that you can cherish for years to come.”

Summary: There are a number of up-and-coming wedding trends for 2015, but one of the most popular is using one or more hashtags for posting videos and photos on social media, such as Twitter and Instagram; accomplishing this will take a little bit of planning and understanding how to use these social media services to your best advantage so those who can’t be there can still enjoy up-to-the-moment photos and videos.

Sheila and Steven’s Sarasota Beach Wedding Story

Sometimes, when there’s love, you really don’t need anything else to create a perfect wedding. This was true for Shelia and Steven Keegan, who eloped on June, 5^th, 2014. The couple, who resides in Venice Beach, FL, decided that they didn’t need hundreds of guests, a fancy dinner, or a pricey location to make their wedding special. Instead, all they needed was the natural beauty of Caspersen Beach, a minister, and their desire to commit to each other. From the handwritten “just married” sign set up on the shores of this beautiful locale to the ocean backdrop to the intimate moments the happy couple shared, this elopement would be a day neither of them would ever forget.

Setting the Scene

When most people think of an elopement, they think of a drive-thru wedding chapel in Las Vegas, but Shelia and Steven’s elopement wedding ceremony had all the earmarks of a traditional ceremony, and it was as unique as it was beautiful. The bride wore a knee-length white wedding dress with a stylish, narrow white belt and a sheer, see-through piece at the upper chest and shoulders. She carried a small but elegant bouquet of white roses to complement her dress. Steven lent an air of tradition to the ceremony by wearing a classic tuxedo, which was a striking contrast to the casual beach setting. Once the scene was set, Shelia and Steven were ready to take their vows.

Making Memories with Photos

Once Shelia and Steven said their vows, they posed for a number of photos that would allow them to cherish this special day for years to come. The couple posed together and separately, in a number of poses that highlighted their clothing, their wedding rings, and showcased the love and affection they have for each other. The ocean backdrop gave these photos a fantasy-like quality that traditional wedding photos often lack. The happy couple kissed and held up a small chalkboard sign that proclaimed, “JUST MARRIED!” in chalk, with the accompanying date, a whimsical touch that friends and family are sure to enjoy. Once the posed photos were taken, the couple was ready to enjoy their first dance together as husband and wife.

Dancing on the Shore

Shelia and Steven’s elopement wedding proved that you don’t need a state-of-the art sound system or a crowd of people watching to enjoy a first dance as husband as wife. Instead, the happy couple shared their first dance in a simple manner, with an iPod and some portable speakers that played their wedding song. The sound of the waves hitting the shore was a lovely complement to the music, and the lack of a crowd made the moment an intimate one for the dancing couple. When the dance was over, Shelia and Steven took advantage of this beautiful locale and took a stroll along the beach as the sun began to set.

Love Letters in the Sand

During their walk along the beach, Steven and Shelia spent some time writing their names and drawing in the sand, smiling and laughing as the tide came in and washed it all away. While the couple enjoyed this whimsy, it was also symbolic to their union, as though tangible things can be washed away with the passage of time, memories and emotions last forever. The couple eventually kicked off their shoes and went barefoot as they enjoyed their walk along the shore, but there was one more activity to be enjoyed before the sun set on Shelia and Steven’s unforgettable day.

Sparklers in the Sunset

As the sun began to set on Caspersen Beach, Shelia and Kevin celebrated the coming of the evening by playing with sparklers. The couple laughed and joked as they tried to write their names in the air, but it proved to be harder than expected for them both. Despite the difficulty, playing with the sparklers on the beach as the sun went down was the perfect way to end this unforgettable day. Catie from PixelArt Photography (a Siesta Key photography company) captured the moments with perfection. From a mix of the traditional and the casual, the expected and the unexpected, Shelia and Steven’s elopement ceremony was as unique as the individuals themselves and solid proof that when it comes to getting married, all you really need is love.

Summary: The elopement wedding ceremony of Shelia and Steven Keegan proved that the only things necessary for a wedding are love, commitment, and the willingness to blend tradition with fun in order to create a perfect day. If you are looking for Siesta key photography contact PixelArt Photography at 1-855-55-PHOTO.