Custom hashtags are one of those wedding non-essentials that you can easily choose not to do, but if you, your other half, or your guests are big social media users, it’s a fun and easy way to build up excitement around your big day! Make it easy to share and relive moments from your wedding on your wedding website with our hashtag integration feature! (Click here to get started)
Whether you’re into social media or not, hashtags are a popular way to share your formal or informal wedding photos online. So how do you come up with the perfect hashtag? Keep reading!
1. Gather the Information for your Wedding Hashtag
Grab a piece of paper or a word processor and write down the following
- your full name
- your partner’s full name
- the date of the wedding
- any other significant dates (the day you met, your first date etc.)
- the year
- the name of the venue
- and the part of the world in which your wedding is taking place
- the theme or style of your wedding
These are the tools with which to build your hashtag.
2. Brainstorm
Write down a bunch of ideas, however silly they may seem. This might spark ideas for more elements to include in your hashtag: the names of your pets or children, your joint-favourite movie of all time, the red wine you always have in the cupboard, etc. Avoid the obvious, like #NameAndName , and generic phrases like #HappilyEverAfter and #JustMarried or your pictures may get buried among dozens of others.
3. Use Our Tips
Try your hand at some of the following formats and add them to the list:
- #TeamSurname or #TeamSurname2018
- #OfficiallySurname
- #MeetTheSurnames
- #SurnameForever
- #SoonToBeSurname
- #NameAndNameGetMarried
- #NameAndNameGotMarried
- #NameAndNameTieTheKnot
- #NameAndNameTiedTheKnot
- #NameAndNameGetHitched
- #NameAndNameGotHitched
- #NameAndNameSayIDo
- #NameAndNameSaidIDo
- #NameLovesName
If you and your partner are from different parts of the world, or one of you speaks another language, you can also try a mixed-language hashtag too! Another way to differenciate it to add numbers. Think year, date you met etc.
4. Puns Also Work!
Start with a word from the list we made in step 1. Use rhymezone.com to find rhymes for your word, or elements of that word (the “Jack” in Jackson, for example). Enter one of the resulting rhymes in the search bar at idioms.thefreedictionary.com to find common phrases and sayings to base your pun on. Then, it’s just a matter of swapping the two words. Surnames are particularly easy to do this with, for example #HappilyEverAdams and #HowToGetAwayWithMurphy !
5. Slash the List
By now, you should have a shortlist of 10 or 20 hashtags, but before you do anything else, search for them on social media to make sure they haven’t been used before. If they have, cross them off the list! You don’t want some other Sarah’s relatives popping up in your social media feed!
6. Pick Your Faves
You should have a couple of options left (if not, it’s back to Step 2!), so list what you have in order of preference.
7. Review Your List
Go through each hashtag, and ask yourself the following questions:
- is it unique enough that it won’t get used by another couple in the next few months?
- is it memorable?
- is it short enough for signage?
- is every word easy to spell?
- does it read clearly without spaces between the words (we suggest capitalizing the first letter of every word.)
If you’re answering no to multiple questions, that one needs to go too! When you’ve done this, the hashtag at the top of the list is your perfect hashtag!
8. Spread the Word!
Now all that’s left to do is let your guests know about your wedding hashtag! Put it on save the dates, invitations, ceremony programs and menus, custom signs and props and of course your wedding website
