#JohnAndJaneGetHitched. #MacDonaldWedding. #MrAndMrsBonacini. #HappilyEverWilson.
If you’ve been on Instagram in the past year or so, you’ll have seen your fair share of these. Custom wedding hashtags have become a normal part of tying the knot.
In case you’ve managed to avoid all this nonsense and are unsure of what we mean, they make any photo on social media (predominantly Instagram) searchable by typing in that specific hashtag. So whoever uses it in their photo becomes a part of your “movement.”
Your “special day” becomes everyone’s special day.
Why would we miss the chance of putting our treasured moments even more in the limelight? Or in this case, screen light. Before we dive into why this is ruining humanity, let’s try and look at some positives.
Well, there’s the added attention — attention not all of us want.
You can find photos you didn’t know were taken — and also discover those you wish you hadn’t seen.
Hmmm, seems all the positives have an equally, if not more, negative side.
Come on, people! Doesn’t hashtagging the most important day of your life make it just like any other day?
You’ve put substantial time into building a relationship with the person you’re marrying. You’ve spent countless dollars and hours on putting the whole event together. You’ve specially ordered printed invitations asking people dearest to you to be there. You’ve hired both a professional photographer and videographer to document the entire thing, from the putting on of the dress to the “Just Married” on the back of the car you drive away in.
Time, effort, blood, sweat, tears — all punched in the gut by adding in a #DonnaAndMikeWedding to every photo people take.
Carefully choosing a guest list and mailing out invitations makes the event a pretty exclusive thing. So why would you waste that “special” quality on a hashtag that makes it all mainstream?
In case you haven’t been able to tell, we think wedding hashtags ruin the magic of the big day. And they definitely decrease the value of your hired photographer. Cause nowadays everyone is a photographer. Sorry, Ansel.
Maybe the newer generations disagree. Maybe all that effort is worth publicizing to anyone and everyone.
Would people remember the event any less if they were limited to viewing the photos?
On the contrary. They’d probably remember it even more, as it wouldn’t get lost in the tidal wave of hashtags they encounter in their daily newsfeed.
But don’t let the weddings take all the credit. #SheSaidYes, #Engaged and #FutureMrsMacDonald share the same sentiment.
And don’t worry about putting any more work into your wedding; there’s a wedding hashtag generator to do the most important thing for you.