Wedding Slideshows opinions

PrettyGirlLost · January 2015

jrich29 said:
Yes I assumed the answers because I read other boards but I was curious if anyone liked them and I wasn't interested in spending time stalking other boards so I made one for myself. I have always enjoyed learning more about the couple's journey at weddings (even if I am facebook friends with them) but clearly I stand alone on that concept. So I have no problem not including it at my wedding. Maybe as a cocktail hour quiet show for background.

Thanks for the responses

I don't understand learning more about the couples journey. If you are close enough with a couple to be invited to their wedding, then presumably you already pretty much know their journey- how they met, when they got engaged. That's pretty much all of the journey anyone not in the relationship needs to know.

Sure, I know many more details of my close friends' abd family members' relationships. . .because I socialize with them regularly. So that makes these slideshows irrelevant.

wrigleyville · January 2015

PrettyGirlLost said:

Yes I assumed the answers because I read other boards but I was curious if anyone liked them and I wasn't interested in spending time stalking other boards so I made one for myself. I have always enjoyed learning more about the couple's journey at weddings (even if I am facebook friends with them) but clearly I stand alone on that concept. So I have no problem not including it at my wedding. Maybe as a cocktail hour quiet show for background.

Thanks for the responses
I don't understand learning more about the couples journey. If you are close enough with a couple to be invited to their wedding, then presumably you already pretty much know their journey- how they met, when they got engaged. That's pretty much all of the journey anyone not in the relationship needs to know. Sure, I know many more details of my close friends' abd family members' relationships. . .because I socialize with them regularly. So that makes these slideshows irrelevant.

And if I'm not super close to the couple, I usually ask, "How did you two meet?" when they're doing table visits. I don't need a PowerPoint that shows me the timeline from birth to wedding day.

Knottie74992899 · February 2015

I agree with the responses about putting them to the side. I was at a wedding where the bride and groom had photos of themselves all over and it seemed very narcissistic to me.

fwtx5815 · February 2015

PrettyGirlLost said:
I don't understand learning more about the couples journey. If you are close enough with a couple to be invited to their wedding, then presumably you already pretty much know their journey- how they met, when they got engaged. That's pretty much all of the journey anyone not in the relationship needs to know. Sure, I know many more details of my close friends' abd family members' relationships. . .because I socialize with them regularly. So that makes these slideshows irrelevant.

Also, I don't think a slideshow of 50 or so pictures of the B&G actually does much to tell about the couple's "journey." Especially if I don't know one half of the couple or how they met, there's just really no useful information to be gathered by watching a slideshow other than to know they're AWs.

levioosa · February 2015

My personal favorite (not) that I've ever seen at a wedding was a narrated slideshow about how the B & G met.....it turns out that the first time they met, she burped right in the groom's face and laughed. She had brothers and frequently they had burping contests, and of course burping is hilarious! I was so uncomfortable (and I'm sure the other guests were too). Of all the things we could have learned about their "journey," that was not a story I needed to hear.

ohannabelle · February 2015

I've decided that the word "journey" is one of my least favorite ways to describe a relationship.

wrigleyville · February 2015

ohannabelle said:

I've decided that the word "journey" is one of my least favorite ways to describe a relationship.

Seriously. I got sick of it while reading weight loss sites/blogs too. It's overly-dramatic.

Junebug2015 · February 2015

I like slideshows, but I think they're more appropriate for a rehearsal dinner than the actual reception because the guest list is more intimate. I also think they're better when they include a variety of pictures from childhood, family events, and other friend groups instead of just a parade of pics of the bride and groom alone (THAT is boring).

For the reception, I don't really understand why you would want to carve out time where you're paying a lot of money for a venue, DJ/band, open bar, etc. to force people to watch a (probably poorly put together) slideshow. It seems like a waste of time to me when you can just include pics of the couple and details about them in other ways (like through decor).

anjemon · February 2015

I'm not a super big fan of slide shows either.

I think the time when I liked it the most was when the B&G had it playing before the ceremony. I was sitting in my seat waiting anyways, so I didn't mind a distraction via pictures. Nobody had to watch, just the people who were there could watch.

I don't like when they stop the reception to make you watch them. They did this at my cousin's wedding - half of it was fun for me, because I remember my cousin as a kid. Half of it was boring because I only care about so many pictures of his now-wife as a baby. All of it was boring for my FI who doesn't really know my cousin super well and doesn't know his wife at all. So often times it's boring.

Our venue has some TVs in various locations. I think because it used to be a nightclub so you put ad stuff there. I'm thinking of making a slide show to put on it during the reception/cocktail hour. Nobody will have to stop and watch it. Nobody has to pay attention if they don't want to. But my mom/family who likes pictures may be amused.

knapkinator · February 2015

Wow, now I remember why I don't come here often. People are catty!
Personally, I also think they are cute. However, as some people have said, timing is key. Everyone is there to celebrate your love so I don't see why it should be embarrassing or agonizing to look at pictures of you two, but if it interrupts the flow of the party people might lose interest. I think it works best before the ceremony, that way it helps keep people waiting entertained but doesn't hold up dinner or dancing.

flantastic · February 2015

knapkinator said:

Wow, now I remember why I don't come here often. People are catty! Personally, I also think they are cute. However, as some people have said, timing is key. Everyone is there to celebrate your love so I don't see why it should be embarrassing or agonizing to look at pictures of you two, but if it interrupts the flow of the party people might lose interest. I think it works best before the ceremony, that way it helps keep people waiting entertained but doesn't hold up dinner or dancing.

Oh Lord. Saying that you find something boring and painful when asked for opinions is honest, not catty.

MIL straight up bullied everyone into a slideshow presentation at the RD after H and I said we didn't want it. I enjoyed seeing it enough, but that's because the pictures of me and family were all pictures that meant something to me. I actually didn't even care to see H's pictures that much, because I didn't know the context of some of them and H couldn't exactly go over it with me then. Those pictures were for MIL. I can only imagine how the rest of the dinner guests felt.

ohannabelle · February 2015

knapkinator said:

Wow, now I remember why I don't come here often. People are catty! Personally, I also think they are cute. However, as some people have said, timing is key. Everyone is there to celebrate your love so I don't see why it should be embarrassing or agonizing to look at pictures of you two, but if it interrupts the flow of the party people might lose interest. I think it works best before the ceremony, that way it helps keep people waiting entertained but doesn't hold up dinner or dancing.

So, if there's a thread about "Brussels sprouts opinions" and I say, yuck, hate em, they smell like farts- that's not "catty." It's an opinion.

You may like Brussels sprouts, or the scent of farts. That's an opinion, too. Not catty.

I prefer Brussels sprouts, smell and all, to a cutesy slideshow. That is not meant to be deliberately hurtful or to spite anyone.

cat·ty

adjective

1.
deliberately hurtful in one's remarks; spiteful.
2.
of or relating to cats; catlike.

jenijoyk · February 2015

I love watching them when they're of people I really know. Otherwise, zzzz. So my best friend's wedding (not that she'd ever do this) - I'd be enthralled and would probably recognize everyone in all the photos. My coworker's wedding where I would recognize no one other than the bride and groom? Snooze fest/bathroom break/time to hit the bar/check my email.

charcoalandblush · February 2015

DF and I have vastly different opinions on this. He LOVES slideshows. I hate them. There's been one at every one of his friends weddings that we've been to together and I've been bored at best and uncomfortable at worst.

Our DJ suggested a 15 minute slideshow after spotlight dances/before general dances. DF thought it was a fantastic idea. I immediately vetoed it. I always feel like it's such a downer/party killer to make everyone sit and pay attention for that long. Also 15 minutes is sooooo looooooooooong to be looking at someone elses pictures. It's especially boring since with most of his friends, I don't know the people in the pictures super well. And also he and his friends generally use them as fodder to make fun of each other for their childhood clothes/haircuts/hobbies/whatever.

DF is still REALLY REALLY intent on having one, so I finally talked him down to 3 minutes at the rehearsal dinner. It'll just be our parents and WP, so I feel like that's not as bad. And 3 minutes is way better than 15. I got a lot of side-eye on a different post for saying that we're doing this, but really it's one of the only things DF has had a strong opinion about (other than the venue, which we agreed on immediately, and having a cash bar, which I finally talked him out of last weekend) so I feel way more inclined to let him have his way on this one, especially since he was willing to compromise.

knapkinator · February 2015

Saying that you don't like something is fine. Saying it makes someone an attention w****e IS catty.

flantastic · February 2015

knapkinator said:

Saying that you don't like something is fine. Saying it makes someone an attention w****e IS catty.

And this is where paying attention to the terms of service is useful. You can't say "You're a crazy attention whore" or "You're a total bitch" because that would be unnecessary.

However, saying that a behavior or action will probably make you seem like an attention whore to your guests is just stating that we've observed this to be a bad idea, for that reason. Attention whoring may not be the reason why the person would be doing the behavior or action, but it is how it will be perceived. And using blunt language to describe it is also not catty.

etf boxes

MollyandD · February 2015

I am one of the few that loves slide shows as long as they're not too long and as long as I'm not expected to stop eating to talking to watch them.

A friend of mine played a very short video set to music showing the proposal as the groom and groomsmen walked in, then it ended and she walked down the aisle. I thought it was a cute idea, and it gave me goosebumps in a good way.

You have to be prepared that not everyone will like these, and that's just how it is. You can't logic someone into liking slide shows if they don't. That would be like trying to tell me why grapefruit is so healthy and wonderful and being mad that I still hate eating it. I happen to love slide shows and videos, when they don't distract me from what I'm doing. (In my friend's case, I was already watching the groom and groomsmen come out. The slide show didn't force me to stop eating or talking to look up.) Most people I talk to in person around my home area tell me they love slide shows. Most people here on the Knot tell me they hate them. That's just how it works when people share different opinions.

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226 · February 2015

jrich29 said:

I have always enjoyed when people do slideshows at weddings. I think it is super cute and throwback pictures always amuse me. However, I have been reading on these forms that other people hate them. We were thinking about doing a slid show cause as I said I think they are super cute. But I am interested in knowing other people's opinions of wedding slideshows.

I can't be the only one who likes them right?

I love them! We get one included with our video package so we pick out the pictures and he will put it together. I am making my best effort to make sure everyone at the wedding is included in a few pictures.

ETA: It will just run during the reception, no music and people aren't forced to watch it at a certain time.

AddieCake · February 2015

I think it's fucking stupid every time someone says anything to the effect of, "This is why I don't come here!" OK. Fine. Don't come here if you don't like it. Nobody gives a shit. WTF is the point of making some holier-than-thou announcement about it? STFU and actually DON'T come here if you dislike it so damned much.

Knottie67053264 · February 2015

I don't mind slide shows at funerals. That is all.

wrigleyville · February 2015

Knottie67053264 said:

I don't mind slide shows at funerals. That is all.

We're talking about slideshows at weddings and rehearsal dinners.

climbingsingle · February 2015

This should be the only journey at your wedding.

slothiegal · February 2015

Knottie67053264 said:

I don't mind slide shows at funerals. That is all.

Knottie67053264 · February 2015

I understand-I wasn't clear in trying to say that I can't stand them at weddings/rehearsals. Sorry!

Leslies1820 · February 2015

Hey OP, I love a good slideshow! I say if you want to do it, go for it. 6-8 minutes of people celebrating you the way you want won't kill them. Especially if they are enjoying that open bar and free meal you are providing for them!

manateehugger · February 2015

Leslies1820 said:

Hey OP, I love a good slideshow! I say if you want to do it, go for it. 6-8 minutes of people celebrating you the way you want won't kill them. Especially if they are enjoying that open bar and free meal you are providing for them!

No, it wont kill them, but it will bore the hell out them.

These people just witness you swearing eternal love and fidelity to another human being. That is a huge moment that cannot be topped. Why bombard them with the run-up to that untopable moment and slow down your own party? Slideshows are awkward and indicative of people who don't like to party IMHO (because people who like a good party never want the dancing to stop).

If they are off to the side, go for it. I actually enjoy slideshows where the photog has it set up to show pictures they've taken that day/night - but again, only in the background somewhere.

wrigleyville · February 2015

Leslies1820 said:

Hey OP, I love a good slideshow! I say if you want to do it, go for it. 6-8 minutes of people celebrating you the way you want won't kill them. Especially if they are enjoying that open bar and free meal you are providing for them!

Stuff like this makes me wonder why people even bother inviting guests to their wedding.

The reception is a "thank you" to your guests for attending your wedding. You and the groom (and parents, if they contributed) are the hosts.

If you're going to be bitter about providing "free food", then maybe you should elope.

adettma32 · February 2015

wrigleyville said:

Leslies1820 said:

Hey OP, I love a good slideshow! I say if you want to do it, go for it. 6-8 minutes of people celebrating you the way you want won't kill them. Especially if they are enjoying that open bar and free meal you are providing for them!

Stuff like this makes me wonder why people even bother inviting guests to their wedding.

The reception is a "thank you" to your guests for attending your wedding. You and the groom (and parents, if they contributed) are the hosts.

If you're going to be bitter about providing "free food", then maybe you should elope.

I agree 100%, that is the most ridiculous thought process to me. Often, especially with OOT weddings, it costs the guests more to attend the wedding than their "cost per head" amounts to for the Bride and Groom. And if it's such a big deal to provide me food and drink, just don't invite me!

wrigleyville · February 2015

adettma32 said:

wrigleyville said:

Leslies1820 said:

Hey OP, I love a good slideshow! I say if you want to do it, go for it. 6-8 minutes of people celebrating you the way you want won't kill them. Especially if they are enjoying that open bar and free meal you are providing for them!

Stuff like this makes me wonder why people even bother inviting guests to their wedding.

The reception is a "thank you" to your guests for attending your wedding. You and the groom (and parents, if they contributed) are the hosts.

If you're going to be bitter about providing "free food", then maybe you should elope.

I agree 100%, that is the most ridiculous thought process to me. Often, especially with OOT weddings, it costs the guests more to attend the wedding than their "cost per head" amounts to for the Bride and Groom. And if it's such a big deal to provide me food and drink, just don't invite me!

EXACTLY.

Unless it's a black tie wedding, there's an excellent chance I spent more on the gift and travel than you did for my "free" dinner and two glasses of wine.

Dreamergirl8812 · February 2015

Leslies1820 said:

Hey OP, I love a good slideshow! I say if you want to do it, go for it. 6-8 minutes of people celebrating you the way you want won't kill them. Especially if they are enjoying that open bar and free meal you are providing for them!

It's not a free meal. It's a hosted dinner in order to thank them for coming to the ceremony. It's such a simple concept but if you start to understand that you'll be much better off.

ETA: SQUEEEEE guyz look what I found! You can put your face on your guest's dinner plate then as they finish their meal they can see more and more of you! I mean, they should celebrate your face while they eat your food, right?

http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/plates/all-about-us-plate?productCode=1051383&categoryCode=1084038&skuCode=1051402

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