Social Media and the Modern Wedding
In-the-know mothers of the bride (MOBs) realize that the era of social media means their daughters are planning, deciding and sharing wedding plans in ways that may be new (and a perhaps bit intimidating) to them. Today, more than 80% of modern brides make a majority of their weddings decisions online!
As MOBs who support their daughter-brides it’s important for MOBs to embrace modern media and share this experience with your daughter. Social media, wedding apps and wedding blogs are a great way to foster great communication as you enjoy this time together.
Consider this your crash course in how to use the best-of social media to enjoy the wedding festivities, and when you and your daughter may want to sign-off.
Let’s Chat!
Ask you daughter which apps she is using to plan her wedding day. Have her help you download her favorite apps, or invite you to collaborate with or follow her on social media platforms like Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram. MOBs can share and support wedding planning together, whether she lives around the corner or too many miles away.
Does she use an online wedding platform like Zola.com? Ask her or a sibling to walk you through the site and show you her plans, online registry, guest list and other important planning information.
It’s ok to have a conversation about what is appropriate to share on the web through her wedding planning process, and those things that are perhaps best handled offline, like conversations about money/budget.
#hashtag & headline
Your daughter will likely create a fun, personalized hashtag to identify and tag everything she is posting on the web about her wedding day. These can be more general (#misstomrs) or can encorporate the couple’s names/unique details. Learn what it is and how to use it to track along!
Get Inspired!
Use the internet yourself to research just about anything a MOB might need to know, regarding bridal etiquette, family traditions or scan and search for the latest fashion wedding trends! This gives MOBs fresh insights to share with and connect to their daughter brides on all things bridal as they plan her special day together.
Feeling Overwhelmed? Pick Pinterest!
MOBS can get practice on social media on Pinterest and start learning with an easy fun social platform that is especially easy for MOBs on the go. This resource basically functions like a virtual bulletin board while also pulling in relevant ideas/inspiration a user may be interested in saving for later. Enter your email address at www.pinterest.com and you will be up and pinning photo ideas before you know it!
For a great place to get started, check the Unbox the Dress Pinterest page with boards filled with lots of classic wedding beauty, gorgeous gowns and lots of mother-daughter love! https://www.pinterest.com/unboxthedress/boards/
Facebook Frenzy
Facebook is a wonderful way to engage family and friends across the country and share excitement of the wedding days ahead. Just be careful that broad sharing of information may create expectations for being included in events. For smaller intimate weddings, this can pose challenges and risk hurting feelings. Discuss with your daughter how she wants to share in plans and photos across Facebook early to make sure you are aligned.
Google Photos
This application functions like a free, private, virtual photo album. The “owner” of the album simply sets it up and gives it a title – and then can invite other contributors/viewers via phone number or email. Once invited, other family members or friends can add their own photos to the album, making it a great way to collect up and share the best-of candid photos for all kinds of wedding events.
Silence Please!
It is perfectly acceptable to hit the pause button during the actual wedding ceremony to preserve the intimacy of the moment; ask guests to silence their phones during the wedding with a pretty sign or in the program, or have the wedding officiant make an announcement at the beginning of the ceremony. With professional photographers and video-graphers there to capture the moment professionally this allows the guests to focus on the bride, the groom and people in the room for a once in a lifetime moment!
We love seeing the professional photographs of our real brides wearing the accessories remade from their mother’s wedding gowns. Check out Chelsea wearing our Bridal Veil.
MOBs can set the standard with gracious social media behavior before, during and after the wedding in the ways that work for her family and the bride to be!
