Daily Express Monday, September 2, 2019 29DX1STexpressyourself
Edited by
MERNIE GILMORE
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ORGET writing
romantic vows or
choosing the perfect
song for your first
dance. According to a
recent survey by
Hitched, the most important thing
for many betrothed couples is to
have a wedding that looks good on
social media.
The study found that traditions
such as having flower girls and
page boys, and putting a silver
sixpence in the bride’s shoe, are
being abandoned.
Instead, couples are more likely
to have a photobooth and even
dedicated hashtags for guests
when they share pictures, videos
and messages on social media
platforms such as Instagram,
Twitter and Facebook.
“Having a social media– friendly
wedding is definitely becoming
more of a priority,” says wedding
and event planner Amy Johnston
(amymeadows.co).
“Sharing your big day online via
social media can be a wonderful
way to connect with friends and
family that couldn’t make it, and
to keep the celebration going
online after the wedding.”
And while the trend for sharing
is on the rise, so is the cost of
getting hitched. Couples can now
expect to pay an average of
£31,974 – up more than 50 per
cent since 2014.
But not everyone is a fan.
“Part of the fun of weddings is
that they bring together all the
people you love and who love
you,” says Amy. “I’m all about
connection and celebration. It can
take away from that sense of
community if people are looking
at their phones.”
We spoke to two brides with
very differing views.WE HIRED SOMEONE
TO TWEET OUR DAY
VERONICA PULLEN, 48, a
marketing mentor (victoriapullen.
co.uk), lives on the Isle of Wight
with her husband Bill, a company
co– directorAS MY husband and I had our first
dance as a married couple, a
message popped up on the big
screen behind us. “Congratulations
you two!” it read.
But the message wasn’t from a
family member or a friend. In fact,
it was from a perfect stranger.
You see, we’d hired
someone to post updates on
Twitter throughout our
wedding from a dedicated
Twitter account. For every
big moment on the day, they
described the scene and
posted an update online.
People from all over the
world followed us, and even
celebrities like former
Dragon’s Den star Duncan
Bannatyne tweeted their
support. It might sound
unusual, but I wouldn’t have it
any other way.
Social media has always
been a big part of my life.
At 26, I was diagnosed with
a sight condition which meant
I could no longer drive. Unable
to go out as much, I joinedFacebook forums to meet people
online. It was a lifeline at a time
when I felt very isolated.
And soon I had friends online
from all over the world who I’d
never met in real life. Many years
later, when I was 37, I even met
my husband online, when we both
joined a Facebook fan page for ourfavourite football team – Brighton
and Hove Albion. After chatting
online, we met in person and
quickly fell for one another.
In 2011, we got married at the
Crowne Plaza Hotel in Gatwick,
south west London.
In the run– up to the wedding, I
wondered if there was a way toinclude my online friends, without
them having to travel. Then it hit
me – why not share it on Twitter?
We hired someone to post live
updates, and asked the hotel for a
screen and projector so we could
see the tweets at the reception.
Guests could join in too – with
DJ requests and messages sharing
favourite memories of the day.
Having people from all over
the world taking part made it
even more special.
Eight years later, I’m still
glad we shared our nuptials on
social media.
The only thing I would do
differently now is I’d share even
more – by streaming a live
video on Facebook, which
wasn’t possible back then.
Why wouldn’t you want to
share the happiest day of your
life with the world?PHONES WERE
TOTALLY BANNED
HAYLEY COMBER– BERRY,
34, a brand designer (herbrand.
co.uk), lives in Lewes, Sussexwith her wife Chanesse, 27, a
medical receptionistWALKING down the aisle hand in
hand with my wife, I knew it was a
moment we’d never forget. And it
was made all the more special by
the fact that every eye in the room
was on us – and not on a screen.
Often at weddings, people spend
most of the ceremony trying to
take the perfect picture to upload
to Instagram.
And when the couple turn
around after their first wedded
kiss, their guests’ faces are
obscured by phones and tablets.
But when we turned around, we
could see the tears welling in
everyone’s eyes.
It’s not that I’m against social
media – in fact, that’s how my wife
and I met. We both joined a forum
on Facebook. I thought she was
beautiful and we started chatting
online. Before long, we met in
person and soon fell in love.
In August 2017, she proposed to
me and we began planning our big
day. We decided to have a wedding
with a difference, and got married
at a register office, before having a
huge, festival– style reception in a
field. And one thing we agreed on
is that we didn’t want anyone to
use social media at the ceremony.
We wanted to share an intimate
day with our guests, without the
distraction of technology.
When we told our friends there
were to be no phones at the
ceremony, they were surprised.
It’s become the norm for couples
to design their whole weddings
around social media. I’ve even
known couples who’ve had a
dedicated website for their
wedding, special hashtags for their
guests to use and even customised
filters for pictures on Snapchat.
Often guests are more focused
on making a mini-documentary of
the day than on having a good
time. But that was the opposite of
what we wanted. We asked the
registrar to announce that we were
having an ‘unplugged’ ceremony,
with no technology.
We also told guests we didn’t
want anyone to post on social
media on the day. As a result of the
ban, we danced late into the night
at the reception and all everyone
cared about was having a good
time. We hired a photographer to
take a few snaps, but avoided
having any formal photos.
Now as we look back on our
big day, we have memories that
we’ll treasure forever, and that’s
far more important than any
photograph.Interviews by
ELIZABETH ARCHERRise of the social
media wedding
Many now cite getting likes and shares online as
the key factor when planning their nuptials. But
can technology ruin the big day? Two brides
share their very differing views
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ccoPICTURE
PERFECT:
Social
media
plays a big
role in
modern
weddingsLIVE TWEETS: Veronica and Bill
UNPLUGGED: Hayley and ChanessePictures: GETTY; JESSICA BEVAN