Instagram or Instasham: Instigator of wedding stress?

With the average cost of a UK wedding rising due to the increase in pressure from Instagram, award-winning wedding experts at Dine, are telling attendees to leave the ‘Gram firmly at home with the launch of their Wedding Etiquette Guide for the Roaring 20s.

The guide helps couples and guests navigate this stressful life event by identifying the five biggest wedding etiquette faux pas to avoid this decade. Dine, which manages Sefton Park Palm House in Liverpool, partnered with industry-leading wedding planner Helen Eriksen and identified social media activity as a top watch-out, advising attendees to keep it anti-social:

Keep your phone switched off during the wedding ceremony. No one wants embarrassing alarms and ringtones going off mid-vows, but it also makes sure your phone doesn’t get in the way of official photos. More and more couples now explicitly ask attendees to leave their phones at the door with assertions such as "This is an unplugged ceremony," specifically to ensure guests aren’t distracted or experiencing the day through a lens.

Helen adds: “This unplugged rule also applies to the wedding party pre-ceremony, as there have been instances where bridesmaids have uploaded an image or video of the bride to their social media accounts and the groom has logged-on and seen her before the wedding! There are many responsibilities for members of the wedding party to take care of pre-ceremony, so leaving your social updates for later in the day shouldn’t be a problem.”

Echoing findings showing Instagram is causing couples to overspend on their wedding due to pressures throwing the perfect party can create, Dine and Helen stress in the guide that doing it your own way is critical in planning your wedding day:

It's important to remember that other members of the wedding party and attendees may have their own rules for what makes a wedding, it doesn’t mean they have to apply to yours.

Helen says, “If you want to make a speech as the bride, do it! If you want a child-free day, that’s up to you. An alternative to the wedding breakfast? Not a problem! Adding personality is so important: they can transform standard parts of your wedding day into things that become the most memorable elements of the occasion.”

For more guidance on avoiding a gift gaffe or how to negotiate a plus one for the occasion, visit: www.dine.co.uk/blog/dines-wedding-etiquette-guide-for-2020