Wedding Hashtag Idea

Add a wedding hashtag and let the sharing begin!

Unless you have been living under a rock and are not a user of social media sites like social sites like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Vine, you will see that the benefits of "hashtagging"your wedding are really a great reason to start!

WHAT IS A HASHTAG? The term "hashtag" was first brought about for Twitter.com, however it is now the measuring stick indexing on all social networks.

HOW DOES A HASHTAG HELP ME? What a "hashtag" essentially is is the creation of a word combination for searching reasons. For instance, if you were to search #applepie on the above social media sites, the search engines would bring up pictures, videos, recipes, places to buy apple pie ...and maybe even events related it. A hashtag search gets you results from real people in real time sharing stuff related to a very specific topic of just about anything.

WHY IS A WEDDING HASHTAG GOOD?  So, one of my readers may ask, "why exactly would you want to hashtag your wedding?" The answer is having the potential to obtaining different perspectives of your wedding and find them easily.

EXTRA PICTURES/VIDEOS - Tons of people use mobile devices that have these social media apps on them already. These same people may already be taking pictures of your wedding for personal use, but you may never even see these images. At the end of your special day, by having encouraged your guests to hashtag your wedding, you will have access these extra pictures/videos for immediate sharing from your hashtagging guests, as well as countless annotations from any moments throughout the night.

VIRTUAL GUESTS - You will also be able to share these images and updates with friends and families who were not able to make it to your event, by allowing them to follow your event updates from afar in real time.

OTHER PLUSES - No more cheesy film cameras on the tables.  And shy guests can even request songs to a cooperating hashtagging DJ from their respective tables!

To optimize hashtagging at your wedding, you really only have to do three things.

Three Steps on Wedding Hashtag Creation:

1) ASSIGN YOUR OWN OFFICIAL HASHTAG - If you create your own hashtag early on, there will be no confusion on what people should search later. Try and pick a short and original hashtag by first searching the proposed hashtag on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Vine. When you find a combination of words and/or numbers that works for you and is easy for your guests to type in, their posts will not get lost and mixed into other event searches.

Promote your wedding
hashtag and reap
the benefits

2) PROMOTE IT - There are many ways to get  word of your official hashtag out there to your guests. Adding your hashtag to your reservations, your program, your place cards, and your table setting are a few easy ways to promote. You can also make up nice decorative signs and/or chalkboard displays, as well as get the DJ to remind your guests what the hashtag on the mic.
 
3) SEARCH IT - A search after the wedding or even as the fun is still going on will bring up all kinds stuff! You will see pictures of guests preparing before the wedding. You will get comments from people who couldn't make it to the event. And you will even get pictures from different angles and perspectives that your official photographer just could not do. Let the sharing begin!

For more tips on how to share your wedding hashtag, and also a gallery of pictures on how some brides and grooms have promoted their #weddinghashtags  in the past, check out our web site at:

http://www.thedjservice.com/blog/2013/09/how-to-hashtag-your-wedding/

The wedding hashtag idea is really super great for weddings! Try it out! The benefits are countless.

Funny Wedding Pictures (pt 4)

Thanks again for all the responses to this mini-series of funny pictures around the Capital District. It seems like people really liked it!

What I wanted to do is slightly deviate from the formula for this post and go a little bit more broad. Below is an example of a new wedding photography craze called "Wedding Party Attacks."

MORE ATTACK PICTURES ??? - If you liked the Ghostbuster tribute above and are thinking of doing something like this now at your wedding, CLICK HERE to see more wedding attack shots. Other pictures including zombies, aliens, and even a T-rex on our site at http://www.thedjservice.com/blog/2013/07/wedding-party-attack-theme-pictures-zombies-monsters-more/

SEND US LOCAL WEDDING ATTACK PIC AND WIN!!! If you were part of a wedding and know that something went down like this in the Troy, Schenectady, Albany, or Saratoga area and can send me a JPG of it for a future blog post, I would love to share it with our readers! If you are getting married or planning on having a party and can send me the attack shot ....ye shall be rewarded with a free DJ laser lighting upgrade towards one of our parties.

Funny Wedding Pictures (Part 3)

Here is part three to my humorous spotlight on local wedding photographers from Upstate New York. This one photographer I am partial to, as I also personally use his services from time to time when brides come to me for a good deal on a picture package...

The following timepiece is arguably a timeless masterpiece that will be revered by many for years to come. In just so many words, it truly is epic...



Troy, New York Photograph Credit, Vincent Gizzi.

The subjects in this shot have been forever immortalized by photographer Vincent Gizzi in a pose that genuinely captures the attitude of this esteemed era. The subjects, as you can see, are seemingly well-versed and fully imbibed in the well-cultured discipline code of  either "Gangnam Style" or "The Harlem Shake," or perhaps both. These self-enriching mindsets were before their times, becoming very popular in the late 2012 era and have bled well into today's current 2013 pop culture, as a way of life. Today, they are often referred to now as YOLO, SWAG, or just plain ridiculous.

Vincent Gizzi is an accomplished full-time professional photographer whose portfolio speaks for itself. The above picture was taken nearby at a wedding at The Franklin Plaza of Troy, NY. 

Vince really has a creative eye for photography and I highly recommend him. He reads his subjects for character and personality and can masterfully mesh them into, say, an ugly back alley backdrop, to create a desired result. This sample above shows Vince's ability to take fun pictures that people will remember for the rest of their lives. For more information on Vince's service, check out http://vincentgizzi.com.

Chalkboard Photo Backdrop Wedding Idea

If you are looking to add that old country rustic feel to your wedding reception, there are a number of roads less traveled that you can take to get there. One thought is to add chalkboard action to your wedding to get that crafty farm atmosphere that you may want.

THE CHALKBOARD BACKDROP - One idea is to create your own chalkboard backdrop for pictures. This is very similar to the recently trending photobooth idea, but more do-it-yourself.

At a recent wedding that I was the disc jockey for, the bride and groom made a three panel facade with their names and the date of their very special day.

This simple idea was enhanced by "Chalkboard paint" (that actually works) and a number of important phrases to the newlyweds, at hand.

CHALKBOARD TABLE SIGNS - Another idea is to label each of your tables with little chalkboards to inform the guests which number they have been assigned to.

These ideas are a great way to "chalk up a victory."   Okay, I had to do it. It was just too easy!

Lightning Wedding Picture (Fun Photography Series - pt 2)

With all the crazy weather we have been having, I thought this would be a great picture to represent current weddings in the Capital Region and also go along with my Local Wedding Trends spotlight series.

If you look just to the left side of the sky in the frame, you will see why this is arguably "a once in a lifetime opportunity" shot for local photographer Amy Hedges of A.Hedges Photograhy from Delmar, NY. (However, with the weather we have been having lately, it seems likely that lighting could very well strike twice making another picture like this for Amy possible.)

This is the second spotlight on a photographer that I have chosen to recognize for excellence in execution of services. As a local DJ, I have worked with Amy and can attest to her attention to fine detail.

A. Hedges Photography is a professional wedding and portrait photography studio in Albany, New York. For more information check out http://www.ahedgesphotography.com.

Funny Wedding Pictures in Capital Region ( Pt 1 )

2013 WEDDING PICTURES IN THE ALBANY NY AREA

Wedding Season is back in FULL EFFECT and so far, it looks like mustaches are back, too!

As a DJ in and around The Capital Region, I asked a few local photographers that I have enjoyed working with to send me some fun poses that they have already shot. The above mustachio picture by professional photographer (Keira Lemonis Photography) is the very first image for this series that I got back.

It's funny. I do not know where this mustache humor came from, but I have already performed disc jockey services for three weddings in 2013 that had similar mustache swag available to their guests!

Keira Lemonis really is great fun to work with when she shoots a wedding. Based out of Albany, NY, she is creative, has a great sense of humor, and like Carrot Top, is abviously not afraid to use props. Her pictures really have an interesting style to them and are seemimgly great for people who like a classy, crafty, and also light feel to their pictures.

For more of Keira's work, check out www.keiralemonisphotography.com.  Thanks for reading!

- DJ Kenny Casanova, www.thedjservice.com  ...

Northeast Kidney Foundation Walk 2013 – Colonie, NY

Team "Kooky Kidney" Came Out For A Great Day Of Fun!

Northeast Kidney Foundation Walk 2013 – The Crossings

A bunch of great people came out for a great cause this Sunday; Northeast Kidney Foundation’s 2013 Walk at The Crossings in Colonie, NY.

This year's fundraiser was held on June 91th, 2013, featuring, Battlezone Laser Tag, Kizmet & her balloon-twisting clown friends, Sidney the Kidney, a petting zoo & pony rides , as well as Corporate Wellness Free Chair Massages.Corporate Wellness, by the way, was also at last week's fundraiser set too at the Crossings, 2013 The Easter Seals Walk With Me .

FUNDRAISER PICTURE GALLERY

A super day was the backdrop, adding to the "fun" to fundraising. Click here to see our own picture gallery of the Norteast Kidney Foundation 2013 Walk At The Crossings - DJ pictures in Colonie, NY.

Also, if you missed the walk and would like to make an additional donation, please contact Carol LaFleur at 518-533-7880, or by emailing carol@healthykidneys.org