From the rise of selfie sticks, to aerial wedding photography, keep a look out for these 2016 wedding reception trends!
Aerial Wedding Photography & Videography
Reliving your big day from the point of view of your guests is one thing, but seeing it from a bird’s eye view is completely different! Ever since the popularity of drones (flying, remote controlled cameras), people have been coming up with new and ingenious ways to incorporate them into everyday life. Cue the wedding drone.
Book in aerial photographs of your wedding and your licenced photographer or videographer will deploy a small, but inconspicuous camera to take photos or videos of your special day from a bird’s eye view. These photos are often dramatic and are best displayed printed poster size or on large canvas. They’d make an excellent feature in your lounge or home office.
While they’re bang on trend, it means we’ll see more and more drone wedding photography businesses emerging, with companies eager to cash in on the popular photos. If you’re planning your wedding, this means you’ll need to beware! Not every bloke who’s invested in a drone camera can pull off striking aerial photographs.
Make sure you vet your photographer, ask to see examples of his work and have a clear idea of what you’d want from your aerial wedding photography. Do you want shots of all your wedding guests assembled on your venue’s lawn or golf course? Do you want photos of the ceremony ? Have a plan and find the perfect, qualified and skilled aerial wedding photographer to deliver your vision.
Selfie Sticks
You’re huddled around your friends, faces smushed together, wishing your arms were just a bit longer so you could fit everybody into your selife. We’ve all been there. The selfie stick was invented because none of us (or at least very few of us) have freakishly long robotic arms.
Simply mount your smart phone or tablet onto the selfie stick, gather your friends or a group, pose and snap. It takes the guess work out of making sure everyone’s in the photo and it saves on arm strain. When used at a wedding, it can also lead to some pretty awesome photographs!
Of course, before you turn up to your mate’s wedding, brandishing your selfie stick, take note of this selfie stick etiquette:
- Don’t ruin an unplugged wedding.
Has the happy couple asked guests to refrain from snapping mobile photos? If so, your selfie stick will not be welcome. - Be mindful of the professionals.
Your mates will have shelled out a good chunk of change to pay for their wedding photographer. Don’t go upstaging them with photobombing and waving your selfie stick around, interfering with other photo opportunities. - You must take a group photo.
Gather everyone around and use your selfie stick to take an awesome group shot. The happy couple will thank you for capturing such a fun, candid shot. It’s these shots that the pros might miss.
Charge Stations & Power Bars
From using their phone to navigate to your venue, tweeting and Instagramming their mirror selfies and glimpses of the happy couple, by reception time, your guests will have probably worn out the battery on their mobile. If you want to encourage your guests to document their experience of your day through social media photos, then provide a charge station or power bar as a courtesy.
For large receptions, you’ll want two stations. No matter how many you decide to have, every power bar should include:
- at least two iPhone 5/6 lightning chargers
- at least one iPhone 4 charger
- at least two micro USB chargers
- at least one USB adapter for guests who’ve brought their own cable
Clearly explain what the power bar is with strategic signs or have your celebrant let guests know at the beginning of the reception. They’ll thank you for the thoughtful gesture and you’ll thank them for the string of crowdsourced, unique photographs and videos.
Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is a practice made popular by start-up companies looking to pool resources from a large group of people, mostly for funds for a new business or venture. But, it’s a brilliant idea that can easily be applied to weddings! You can crowdsource your wedding photographs and videos by using a unique hashtag on Instagram or by creating a WhatsApp group for your wedding guests to join and share photos in.
Crowdsource your wedding reception playlist by leaving space on your RSVP for each guest to suggest a song they’d like played on the night. Of course, you may not wish to honour each request, but it is a nice way to pad out the evening with a playlist your guests won’t be able to resist. For a personal touch, consider asking your guests to list a specific type of song such as the song they had their first dance to or the song they and their partner have adopted as being ‘their song’.
Crowdsource charitable giving is probably one of my favourite ways to see this idea implemented at a wedding. It’s the feel good way to pay it forward on your wedding day. Simply register with a charity of your choice and in lieu of gifts, ask your guests to make a donation to the charity. This is great for couples who live together before they get married and who have no need for traditional household appliances and wedding gifts.
