Using Instagram (and a particular Instagram hashtag) to help keep track of all the photos your guests take at your wedding is a fairly simple and increasingly popular way to keep tabs on your wedding photos after the big day is over. However, how do you know if an Instagram wedding is right for you? It varies from couple to couple, and there are a few pros and cons that each bride and groom need to weigh before sharing a designated hashtag with guests.

PROS:

1. Everyone already Instagram. It’s fairly simple to explain to your guests that you’re using an Instagram hashtag for your wedding, since most of them are already on Instagram religiously.

2. You get to make one of those cute chalkboard signs telling your friends about your own special hashtag.

3. Filters. Always filters.

4. Let’s get it straight, everyone loves instagram. We’re totally insta-ddicted to it.

CONS:

1. You might not have ownership of your photos. If you’re worried about Instagram (or their parent company Facebook) taking your photos and claiming ownership over them, then think twice about asking guests to post them and read the Privacy Policy. This isn’t an issue for every couple– only for those who feel strongly about owning exclusive rights to their photos.

2. It’s public. While only your guests will be searching for your photos with the hashtag, when your friends post their photos that means their friends on Instagram can see the photos too. And anyone who’s a jerk and feels like crashing the party can start Instagramming with your hashtag too.

3. The photos are actually really small. Downloading photos from Instagram yield photos that are only about 600 pixels wide, which means they’ll be too small to print large copies in high quality.

4. Filters. Yes, this is a con too. You might be flipping through your wedding photos on Instagram the next day and realize that none of your photos are actually just plain photos of the way the day actually looked. And that might be annoying.

5. Older guests without smartphones or who aren’t Instagram savvy can’t participate. This means if they’re taking photos on their SLR, you’ll have to get photos from them separately after the wedding day.

6. It’s really hard to download your photos. You have to find the photos online and then save them one by one.

7. People might not upload all the photos they capture. If you’re an Instagram lover/user, you know not to flood your stream with a lot of the same photos because that might be annoying for your followers. So, your guests might upload a few photos here and there for your wedding but I bet they’ll take a lot more photos that will never end up on Instagram.

So what do you think? Writing from the perspective of someone at a wedding app company, some of you are going to think I missed some pros and/or cons in the list, but I’d love to hear your own thoughts! Did you go for an Instagram wedding, or did you opt for something different? If you did end up Instagramming your wedding, what helped you make that decision?

Photos via Kim A. Thomas Blog and UnJersey Bride

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QUESTION: How do you deal with guests that respond with more guest RSVPs than you offered?

Kaella’s Answer: Traditionally, only the names listed on the envelopes are those invited to the wedding. However, it seems less people are aware of this rule these days. If you have a very tight guest list, as I’m sure you do, call the guest directly and explain your situation. This may be a delicate subject and you don’t want to risk a miscommunication, so don’t tell you guest over email or text. Finalizing the wedding guest list can be one of the most difficult parts of planning your wedding, and your guest will hopefully understand that you cannot invite every person. Just explain that you are not having kids at the wedding and hope they can see it as an opportunity to have a date night. Or tell your friend, that while you’d love to meet the person he or she is dating, you have a very restricted guest list and would love to set it up another time. One way to deter unintended plus 1’s is to list the names of those invited on the RSVP card with a space to indicate whether or not that guest is coming. This makes it very clear who is invited.

Need more wedding advice? Read Kaella’s previous posts:

• How do you (politely) stop your future in-laws from taking over your wedding planning?
• How do you tell a friend she won’t be a part of your bridal party?
• Is it okay to not allow children at your wedding?
• Should the bride and groom pay for the wedding party’s attire?
• What should I do if my MOH is slacking?
• What do you tell your family when you don’t want a wedding?

About our Kaella: Kaella Wilson is the founder of Kaella Lynn Events, a wedding planning and design boutique based in San Francisco. She believes the difference is in the details. Whether you’re planning a grand event or an intimate celebration, Kaella combines artistic design with meticulous planning and management to produce a memorable event that represents your style. Follow her on twitter @Kaellalynn.

Photo courtesy of onelove photography

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Getting married is a wonderful experience. That being said, there are tons of different pressures and myths surrounding the entire wedding planning process that can turn an otherwise memorable and amazing experience into a stressful second job. Here are 5 wedding myths that you should never believe — because they’re going to make your life a hell of a lot harder in the coming months if you do believe them.

1. It’s your special day. We’re all for having a wonderful wedding celebration that showcases you and your groom’s amazing relationship and your happy future together. That’s what weddings are about, right? However, the minute a bride starts really believing that a wedding is HER day HER way, trouble begins. Because honestly your big day is never going to be just YOUR day, nor is it ever going to be perfect. Keep your wedding day in perspective and remember the things that really matter — the relationship of you and your better half, and the loving family and friends who have been supportive of you two the entire way.

“Me, me, it’s all about me!” 

2. You’ll “Say Yes to the Dress”. Going wedding dress shopping can be at the same time an incredibly exciting and incredibly stressful experience. Finding the dress you’re going to wear on your wedding day isn’t easy for most brides. There probably isn’t going to be a choir of angels that descend from heaven when you slip on the perfect gown. Like your road to finding the right man/woman, you’re going to have to slog through a bunch of messes and disasters before you get to the perfect fit. And you may not try on your wedding dress and love it right away, or after a few minutes, or even after a few days. You may have to think about it, and change your mind again and again. And again. And you know what? That’s okay.

“Well, it ain’t perfect. But it’s on sale! Why the hell not just choose this one?”

3. Your bridesmaids are your bitches. Oh, man. We really can’t stress this one enough. Unless you’ve got a sort of friendship with your best friends where you all call each other “bitch” and are weirdly passive-agressive to each other (it happens), don’t — I REPEAT DON’T — think of your bridesmaids as your bitches. Ever. Because you know what? They’re not your wedding bitches. They’re your best friends. If you want them to stay your friends after your wedding, it’s important to remember that they are real people with real lives outside of being in your wedding. Thinking about them as your bitches will actually lead you to treat them like your bitches, which in the end just makes you…kind of a bitch.

Bitch, please.

4. You need to DIY something. All the biggest wedding blogs and the best Pinterest boards out there will throw tons and tons and tons of DIY wedding inspiration at you. You might think after seeing all those pretty DIY projects that you’d be a fool not to try to DIY 75% of your wedding decor. But you know what? Sometimes DIY isn’t as easy, cost effective, or time efficient as you think. You don’t have to DIY something at your wedding. Nobody’s going to look at you funny if your souvenirs aren’t gold-foiled-paper-mached masterpieces. In fact, they may not notice. In short, don’t waste your time or money on DIY because you feel like you have to. Only do it if you really really want to. Trust us on this one.

“Excuse me while I effortlessly glide through my forest of DIY’d paper blooms. It was oh-so-easy, I promise.”

5. It’s all about the details. With all the wedding inspiration out there, it’s hard not to get caught up in all the little details that go into the picture-perfect weddings featured in magazines and the larger wedding blogs. Those details, while adorable, can work some serious inception on your mind and convince you that you need those small touches to make your wedding perfect. You need the paper straws! You need the decorative outdoor chandeliers! You need the hand-written 10-foot-long version of your vows to serve as your ceremony’s backdrop! The truth is, you don’t really need any of those things. You just need your significant other, your loved ones, and maybe some rings. Everything else is optional — so choose what you think is the most important, and don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.

This? Yeah, this is pretty. But it doesn’t exist for most brides in real life outside of Pinterest.

Image courtesy of: Bethany and Dan Photography via Southern Weddings Magazine, Colin Cowie Weddings, Rock Candie Designs via Etsy, Engaged and Inspired, and This Modern Romance via Green Wedding Shoes.

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Sweet Tea Photography via Glamour and Grace

Green Bride Guide

Bayly + Moore Photography via Boho Weddings

Alexander Terekhov

OnceWed

Dasha Caffrey Photography via Bridal Musings

Nick Tucker Photography via The Rock and Roll Bride

J.Crew

C Magazine

Candy Anthony

Nordstrom

Christian Dior

Dan and Melissa Photography via Lovebird Productions

Melissa Musgrove via Martha Stewart Weddings

J.Crew via Martha Stewart Weddings

So what do you think of this cute and effortless wedding style? Is it sweet and interesting, or kitschy and too retro for your taste? We’d love to hear it in the comments!

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