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The wait between your big day and receiving your official wedding photos can be torture for any newlywed!
But with the invention of the smartphone – not to mention the pretty darn good cameras they come equipped with – the wait is just that little bit easier when your guests snap away some pics of their own.
To ensure you get to enjoy some of these wild and wonderful guest snaps, we’ll show you how to collect wedding photos from guests to smile over before the official portraits are ready.
How to Collect Wedding Photos From Guests
Obviously, our opinion is a tad biased but we believe nothing beats the beauty of professional wedding photos.
But that’s not to say your guests can’t produce some wholesome (or downright hilarious) smartphone pics on the day.
DropBox/Google Drive Wedding Albums
DropBox and Google Drive are the modern-day heroes of all things digital storage related – and they’re virtually free of charge (provided you don’t need to pay for extra space).
Simply create a shared folder that allows users access to upload photos and videos into a cloud storage location.
This option is also fairly technophobe-friendly, although Great-Aunt Myrtle and Uncle Wilfred may not be overly susceptible to it….
The only downer is that there is no structure to either platform and you may find yourselves with a whopper photo dump to wade through – especially once the fizz has started flowing!
That said, you can create sub-folders, which may help with organisation.
PROS
- More or less free, unless you require extra storage, which is fairly inexpensive.
- Easy to set up/use.
CONS
- Lacks the organisation that comes with specific wedding photo apps or websites.
- Google only provides 2GB of free storage, which very probably won’t be enough, especially for larger weddings.
- Lacks a fun/personalised experience.
Photography by Wildling Weddings
Instagram Wedding Hashtags
Free, simple, and absolutely faff-free, a wedding hashtag is ideal for couples on a budget and will ensure pics find their way to you by way of social media.
The obvious obstacle is this will only be usable for guests with an Instagram account, and may mean a lack of privacy when it comes to who can view these pics.
PROS
- Completely free.
- User-friendly.
CONS
- Needs to be super personalised: Something like #Sarah&JohnsWedding is too generic and may not stand out amongst the other hashtags of the same name.
- Lack of privacy. Hashtags are only effective on public accounts, so this means potentially anyone can view pics of your wedding day.
- Lack of availability for your hashtag of choice.
WhatsApp Wedding Group
WhatsApp is ideal for sharing multiple photos without additional fees or faff, and chances are, you will likely already have most of your guests’ contacts saved, so this method requires minimal fuss.
For extra organisation points, you can create a wedding group with guests, so they can upload pics and vids all into one place.
PROS
- Free to use for everyone.
- User-friendly for instant uploads.
- Camaraderie and group chatting allows for anecdotes and other communication to be shared, as well as photos and videos.
CONS
- Audience. Be mindful that everyone will be able to see all the photos uploaded. The bride’s mum and dad may not want to see photographic evidence of their daughter twerking to ‘Come On, Eileen’!
- Potential storage issues.
Polaroid/Disposable Cameras for Weddings
Perfect for couples with a love of all things nostalgic – and who may have multiple technophobic guests.
Having a Polaroid or disposable camera available at each table or somewhere within the reception area is also a fun ice-breaker for guests who may not know each other (awkward Polaroid selfie, anyone?!).
A Polaroid trio set, which includes a guest book, signage, box, and accessories (but not the camera or batteries, just FYI) starts at around £199.
Polaroid cameras themselves come in multiple options and usually start at around £39, depending on your product of choice. Disposable cameras, however, are more cost-effective and start at around £15.
You may be able to have your (wedding) cake and eat it too if your wedding photographer is happy to snap some Polaroids alongside their professional pics.
PROS
- Easy for anyone to use – whether young or old.
- Instant photos to enjoy immediately.
- A fun, nostalgic way to capture memories that doesn’t involve being glued to a smartphone.
CONS
- Cost. Although disposable cameras aren’t particularly pricey, they still cost more than other options, and you may need more than one camera, owing to limited photo capacity.
- Theft/Damage. Polaroid cameras cost more than disposable ones and there’s the potential for loss, theft, or damage to the camera.
- Environmental issues. Single-use cameras are not the most ethical option.
- Limited quality of photos.
Wedding Photo Apps
We all love the convenience that apps bring to our lives – whether it’s ordering our favourite food, bashing out our Christmas shopping, or indulging in some online dating – apps are where it’s at.
And there are multiple apps to collect wedding photos from guests in one super-organised and customisable location.
Oh, and many of them are free!
Free Wedding Guest Photo Apps
- Cluster: Although not specifically designed for weddings, Cluster is a great free, private space for family and friends to share photos in one place. It also works on an invite-only basis, allowing you control over who can add photos to the group by way of a shared code.
- Google Photos: Chances are you and your guests will already have this app installed at the default stage, so the only legwork involved is setting up a specific album and sharing accessibility with your phone or email contacts.
- Honcho: So, Honcho isn’t technically an app, but it works in a similar way. Powered by AI, Honcho allows couples to sign up for free and share photos via face recognition or a QR code on iOS or Android.
- WedUploader: Free and super simple, WedUploader allows you unlimited albums simply by signing up, connecting your Google Drive, and creating an album. Once this is done, WedUploader supplies you with a unique URL and QR code for you and your guests. Once guests start uploading, these pics will go straight into your Google Drive.
PROS
- Customisation options. Most wedding photo apps allow users the option to customise and organise the photos, which can be fun to use and easy to view your photos.
- User-friendly, even for those less technically inclined.
- Privacy settings that allow owner control over who can access the album.
CONS
- Not all wedding photo apps are free – and couples who wish to make a bespoke one specifically for their wedding can expect to pay a sum of between £10,000 to £40,000.
- Technical glitches/bad Wi-Fi may hinder the amount of photos your guests can upload.
- Distraction. Guests may spend too much time on the app instead of enjoying your magical wedding in real-time.
Photography by Wildling Weddings
QR Codes
The QR revolution has taken many industries by storm – including the wedding one!
A wedding QR code allows couples to create a virtual guestbook for their guests to scan their own pics into one digital location.
Options like GuestPix or Wedibox allow guests to provide their pics without the hassle of downloading an app – all through a tailor-made private QR code designed for your special day.
You can place the code on each table guest card, RSVP, wedding signage, and more, so everybody has access to it and can upload throughout the day.
Depending on the size of your event, prices for these QR code services usually start at around £27 – and it takes literally 2 minutes to set up!
PROS
- Quick and easy access – just make sure everyone has access to the QR code.
- Ideal for neat and tidy photo organisation.
- No requirement for app downloads.
- Quick set-up time.
CONS
- Not suitable for guests who aren’t tech-savvy or do not own a smartphone (*cough* Great-Aunt Myrtle *cough*).
- Technical complications. Make sure the code is created properly and is accessible. Test this before your wedding.
- Depending on the platform, privacy has the potential to be compromised.
FAQ
It’s the 21st century, so the sky’s the limit when it comes to sharing wedding guest photos!
The quickest and most convenient way of doing so, however, would be the good ole QR route and link it to platforms like Google Photos, Kululu, Dropbox, or iCloud.
Again, photo-sharing platforms are great for accessing wedding photos taken by guests. Also, options like WhatsApp and social media are great too.
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