A lot of couples -- present company included -- decide to create custom hashtags on their wedding day, which guests can use to tag Instagram photos taken during the ceremony and reception. That way, the newlyweds can look back in the days following and gather all different kinds of perspectives of their celebration. We used the hashtag #hkwedding (which is also used to tag weddings that take place in Hong Kong, so going through them after the fact was pretty amusing).
After all was said and done, about 40 photos had been tagged to #hkwedding. They were awesome, and it was so great to see that everybody else had been having as much fun as we were. But what to do with them? I didn't want to abandon them in the ether, but then I remembered a special treat in the goodie bags at Blogshop Boston: a gift certificate to use at Artifact Uprising, an online photo printing service. That description doesn't really do it justice, though. Artifact Uprising allows users to create custom hardcover and softcover photo books, boxes, calendars, blocks, and prints. I took advantage of their Instagram-friendly products and created a book of all the photos that had been tagged with our custom hashtag.
I really enjoyed the process of customizing the book, mostly because I had complete creative control. I hand-picked the photos, chose the layout, and tested (and re-tested) endless combinations and pairings. It's also easy to add text, so I created two pages that include selections read during our ceremony (a Pablo Neruda poem and lyrics from a Patsy Cline song, naturally).
We plan to create a formal wedding album with our professional photos, of course, but in the meantime, I love this little keepsake.
*Artifact Uprising is an affiliate sponsor of the Homesteady. This is not a sponsored post.
