After Deepveer tie the knot, and before PeeCee and Nick Jonas take over social media, here's a guide to documenting your wedding online
It might just be easier to impeach the US President than to ban the big, fat wedding in India. It isn't unnatural then, that the Internet has spread to encumber weddings, too.
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Diksha Haria
Diksha Haria, co-founder of Social Shehnai - a Mumbai-based digital agency that specialises in digital invites, social media for weddings, and creating wedding apps, websites and films - says, that there are many advantages to getting social with your big day, but a few aspects need to be considered before you go all out.
- If it felt like all of us were at Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja's wedding earlier in May this year, it's because she allowed friends and family to share it with the public on her behalf. This, Haria tells us, is a great way to ensure your wedding is well-chronicled because instead of having one photographer, you put 100 others to work. "Share a game plan with your trusted friends and cousins beforehand," she suggests.
- Online competitions, using the "ask me a question" feature on Instagram, and Facebook contests are not only great ways of keeping your guests engaged, but also a clever way of getting them to record your best moments; this could include contests around clicking the best picture of the bride or the groom, or the weirdest dance moves during the sangeet. "A family member can judge it and gift the winner a hamper or gift. You'll be surprised at what you get," Haria reveals.
- Create a cool hashtag for the wedding. This not only works well for Instagram, but also makes searching for the content easier by placing everything under one umbrella. "Ask your guests to use the hashtag while sharing pictures and videos online by including it in the wedding invite or having photo booths," she shares.
- Fine-tune the content according to the platform. Use Facebook and Insta live for sharing guest bytes - such as blessings from elders - Insta stories for behind-the-scenes snippets, Instagram posts for images because it's more picture-friendly and Facebook for long-form videos. "That's where you get most traction. So, wedding and other ceremony videos are better-suited for it. Plus older relatives are savvier with Facebook and they'd be more interested in the actual rasams," she informs us.
Planning is key
Ritcha Verma
Ritcha Verma is a popular lifestyle blogger with a massive following and her work is hinged on social media, but that shouldn't overshadow your wedding. "This is a time when the couple should really enjoy and shouldn't be constantly occupied with whether their special day is being recorded," she warns us, and shares some tips on ensuring it's a smooth ride:
- The entire country had been on the edge of their seats till #Deepveer released their wedding pics. Verma says that that's a smart move since it helps create curiosity. "You get to keep people hooked as well as enjoy your big day. Roll out all the content post-wedding. This way, you can take your time with it instead of freaking out during the events. Share a few pre-wedding moments and space out snippets during the course of the wedding to keep things moving," she recommends.
- "There is a craze around designer outfits and grand venues. This is a misconception," the blogger clarifies, adding that one should instead not cheap out on the make-up artist and the decor because they directly affect the aesthetics. "Jazz the venue up with unique decorations. Also, in every candid shot your face will be in focus, so don't settle for an average artist," she suggests.
Ace the wedding photo
Shaiontoni Dasgupta, wedding photographer
Check the photographer's work out in advance and clarify about flexibility since there are often delays with functions.
Resize or compress the images and videos. This saves a lot of time while uploading, or when someone is trying to view it.
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