When planning your wedding, one of the most important factors you and your fiance need to consider is etiquette. In today’s technology-based world where posts, tweets and hashtags are the norm, new rules of wedding etiquette are emerging. Today I’m sharing some of the most common social media related wedding faux-pas and how to steer clear of them.
Announcing your Engagement
To keep it personal, do share the exciting news in person or by phone with the people nearest and dearest in your life. Your family and friends will want to hear the news straight from you. And let’s not forget that the older generations will probably not have Facebook or Twitter accounts and could miss out on the news altogether. Once these folks are covered, it’s OK to “post” or “tweet” to spread the news because let’s face it, it’s probably the most efficient way to do so. You can even indulge in posting or tweeting a photo of your engagement ring because once the news is out, everyone will want to see the ring and this will make it easy for them to admire from afar. Psst…before you start snapping though, you may want to consider a manicure first:)
Planning your Wedding
Yes, planning your wedding can be stressful at times but taking your frustrations to social media is a no-no. Venting about family drama and annoying bridemaids will only lead to hurt feelings and animosity towards your big day. When you get the urge to “post” or “tweet,” pause for second and instead confront those issues directly, privately and politely either in person or by picking up the phone.
Keeping your “post” and “tweet” positive may seem like a no-brainer, but I’m here to tell you even those should be carefully considered. Do you really need to update everyone on your search for the perfect dress? And just how necessary is it to post a wedding countdown? Do resist posting constant updates because even though you are sharing with positive intentions, over-sharing will only give your guests wedding fatigue before they even get to your wedding.
And of course, keep the best wedding ideas you and your wedding planner have come up with for your big day a secret. Look at it this way, do you really enjoy a movie as much when someone has spoiled the story for you? Chances are the answer is no so as excited as you may be, don’t give your guests wedding spoilers and ruin the surprise for them.
Your Wedding Day
We’ve really gotten to the point where almost everyone (except maybe your older relatives) know what a hashtag is and how to use it so do ask guests to use a special hashtag for wedding posts, tweets and pictures. To have a constant feed of posts, tweets and photos throughout the day, be sure to spread the word about your hashtag ahead of time. Have a wedding website? Awesome! This is a great place to start spreading the word.
Your Thank-You Notes
The rule when it comes to your thank-you notes is quite simple and there are no ifs, ands or buts about it – handwritten only.
Happy Planning!