- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
Hi Bees,
Just a short post - I've read on here a bunch of times that people hate watching slideshows at weddings and that they're boring. Is this true!? Am I the ONLY one who LOVES the slideshow portion of the evening!?
I just think the childhood photos are so sweet and it's always nice to look at the couple's "journey". I pretty much ALWAYS cry (or at least laugh a lot). What do you think of the slideshow? If you don't like it, how come?
I like them to a point. Sat through a 20+ minute show once and it became, well boring. Plus it should be about you as a couple. The couple years you attempted to model or the celebrities you met years ago? Not so much, what's the point?
I'm not sure how to answer the poll. I think they're super cute, but I'd never put it as an "event" for people to watch during the wedding - I'd want it off to the side, or in the cocktail room, or something like that, so if someone wanted to see the pictures they could.
I can't really vote because while I like them while I am eating etc I don't find them appropriate if we have to take 20 mins to sit and stare. That being said the photos need to be appropriate at all times (ie: hunting photos of dead animals...not so much).
I voted "I don't really like it", but really the only thing I don't like is when they are played once and everyone is expected to pay attention. If your space permits, I highly recommend playing a slideshow continuously in a corner, either on a screen, a white wall, or a TV. It makes for a nice conversation space and people can hang out and look at a few baby pictures, then go do their own thing. I just don't like being held captive for 15 minutes and feeling rude if I eat or chat or something.
I really enjoy the slideshows as long as they are well-organized and not overly long.
My favorite has been seeing the slideshow either before or after the ceremony. So sweet. :)
I've liked the ones that play before the ceremony. It adds to the anticipation of the event, IMO, and are usually on a screen in the front, where it's easier to see than in the reception space (where placement can be awkward and people have to turn, etc.)
I did spent a LOT of time with a picture gallery that was supposed to be played in our cocktail hour space. It was all set up, but the computer crashed and I don't think anyone even saw it. LAME!
I love them and will be having one at mine that will play throughout the evening. But, I am not going to make everyone sit there and stare at the darn thing. I've never experienced that at a wedding and would hate to.
TWENTY minutes long and containing photos of modelling attempts and dead animals!? No wonder some of you Bees hate the slideshow! Thank you all for the feedback.
So basically: keep it short and relevant and, if possible, have it "attention optional" and off to the side, haha. I like the idea of incorporating it into the ceremony/before the ceremony, but with our venue the screen is in the room where the food will be eaten (a separate room from where the ceremony will take place).
I like them :) My mom insisted on making one for us - she was so sweet, and spent so much time on the project!
It ended up being around 6 mins, I think? And just played at some point during dinner so people could watch if they wanted, or not. A lot of people actually commented on it, saying how much they loved it. Who knows if they were being sincere, but I thought it added a fun, personal touch!
Although, I can definitely see how a 20 min long one could get old!
I'm not a huge fan- I just think it breaks up the weddnig.
Instead I prefer when the bride and groom decorate their venue with photos of them growing up, family, friends, and them together. This 1) makes the venue more intimate and 2) allows guests to peruse photos at their leisure wtihout breaking up the flow of the party
I've actually never seen a slideshow in action, but I lean toward not being a fan.
Our hall has big screen tvs over the walls, so if a slideshow is going, its usually during dinner and people can choose to watch it. If it was like an actual event, I would hate it.
I like slideshows as long as they aren't super long (think 5 minutes or less) and have many cute pictures of them as kids. Of course older ones too but funny and cute pictures are the best.
Not sure if we'll do one because I'm not a fan of being the center of attention, lol. But I like watching them.
It depends on the slide show. It should be short & sweet and to the point!
And also, it shouldn't be too in depth. It should be kept light hearted.
I like it, but HATE being forced to watch it. Put it on random in a corner and let it repeat. I don't like when all festivities stop just so it plays... I'd rather it be played as background.
@Gemstone: That's what we plan to do. The church we're getting married in has projectors, so while people are filing in and waiting for the ceremony to start, we'll have one running (and it's got background music, bonus for not having to pay a musician).
Then after the ceremony, while we're ushering out our guests instead of doing a receiving line, we'll have a different slideshow to play in the background to entertain those who are waiting to be ushered from their seats.
I like slide shows in general, but I agree with PPs. Not too long, nothing gross, nothing boring (oh, look, I was so hot when I was 17), just short, sweet, couple-y, and the best is if it's optional, not a stop everything requirement.
I used to work as a banquet server at a golf course that hosted wedding receptions every weekend. I worked two weddings a week for two years, and I can tell you that I definitely hate the slideshow that plays during the dinner service.
Often, the bride/groom don't want the waitstaff working on passing out plates or clearing tables while the show is playing, so we end up slowing down the dinner service because of the slideshow. People seemed to enjoy verbal socializing during dinner versus watching the slideshow, so I feel like it can really derail the mood.
I have seen them played on a loop during a cocktail hour or on a loop during dinner where people are not expected to stop what the yare doing to watch. Typically, the more casual background presentation seems to work out better.
Just my $.02 from the catering side.
I really dislike them, mostly because they generally seem to be on the side of "forced group activity" as opposed to "passively playing in background". I don't think it would be such a big deal to have one playing during the cocktail hour or dinner, as long as it's a background activity and people can still feel comfortable chatting, getting up, moving around, etc. I just think it's a super pain when the MC or DJ encourages people to get in their seats, shooshes them, then cranks up the volume on the accompanying soundtrack so we can all watch 20 minutes of baby pictures. It's not that much fun to me.
They are cute as long as they are short! As a guest I get annoyed when there is this whole production of turning off the lights and sitting down watching a 10-15-20 minute loop of pics. I personally like it when I can watch something like that at my own will.
I hope I didn't come off as a snot about the modeling pictures but if you had seen it, it became a somewhat self absorbed slideshow. Plus some of the photos I'd be embarrassed to have my husbands grandmother seeing. This is the only wedding I'd been to where I was forced to watch it bc they stopped the wedding for it. 20 odd minutes later it really changed the tone of the wedding for the bad. I've always seen them playing to the side or through cocktail hour.
The best one I've seen at a wedding is where the couple had the slideshow on a loop in the bar section. That way no one had to stop everything and devote their full attention to it, and people could watch at their own time, rather than interrupt the reception.
I think they are nice when they are playing on a loop in the background during cocktails or the meal, but I find them awkward when they are made into an production.
@agerard23: I think I would like to see that, too, with photos all over to look at on my own time, although it's probably a bit more work to make it happen.
@NDBee: Your avatar is of the same flowers I'm using for my wedding (sorry that's off topic, haha)!
@MrsCarnival: Thank you for that perspective!
@MissGreen: You didn't come off badly at all! You make a good point - those pictures, though probably the bride and grooms favourites, don't really fit in with the whole point of a wedding slideshow, haha.
Thank you to everyone for the input - I can't BELIEVE some of you have had to sit through 20 minute slideshows! I was thinking more like 5 minutes for mine. I still personally don't mind it when the slideshow is a "mandatory event" haha, but maybe the ones I've seen were just really well done. From what I remember from the last one, we were still eating during it, too, so we weren't just stuck sitting there, we had food to eat!
I think that it depends too... sometimes slide shows are dragged out for way too long and people start to get bored.
I think that might be a little boring. Especially if I was at a round table and had to twist to see. I think slideshows are most fun for the people in them. But maybe it could be a really amazing slideshow, or just going while people are mingling or eating? Maybe pictures of the guests from that day could be mixed in?
Honestly, I don't think I've been to a wedding with a slideshow! I've seen them more at graduation parties, so I think I associate slides more strongly with that event. But I say you should go for it if you want to! If your guests don't like it, who cares! They're probably grumble under their breaths and forget about it five minutes later. Odds are, most people will be gracious and will enjoy a personal celebration of you and your hubby. And you'll be happy you got your slideshow!
I will try my best to keep it short to avoid the grumbling, hahaha! Most of the people there are going to be family and older people so hopefully they'll enjoy the nostalgia. Our friends can just have a drink and secretly text each other under the table if they don't like it. :P
I agree with past PP's that I enjoy watching them if they're well organized and only a few minutes long. I'd rather not strain my neck to watch a 20min+ slideshow of pictures when I'm ready to party...
We're doing a slideshow, but I'm going to make sure that it's 5 min max (less if possible) so that people aren't getting sick of looking at our faces. We don't have much of a program, only one other speech besides FI and I saying our thank-yous so figured we should take up a bit of time.
I was so against the idea of a slideshow, but my mother (bless her heart), reallllllllllly wanted to have that touch to our wedding. People ended up enjoying it! I think it's really important to try to keep slideshows a strategic length - the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) rule. At any rate, slideshows are also great, cuz you get a great photo like this!
I love them! I think they are sweet & fun! I didn't have one at our wedding but they're cute!
Slideshows to me are a great idea because it gives a great chance to bring out some old memories and share them with your new family
I am not a big fan of slideshows at the reception, but I had a couple of friends do it at the rehersal dinner which I enjoyed. I think the people at the rehersal dinner typically appreciate a trip down memory lane because they were a bigger part of it.
Depends on the length and the presentation.
Keep it under 10 minutes and keep the music fun and the pictures bright and unique.
It's the 30 min shows with classical music in the background and 8000 pictures of people standing in a line staring at the camera that are boring as hell.
We did a memory board, a big collage or our pictures that was set in one corner of the cocktail hour room.
Like a short and sweet one, but do not like an overly long (2 songs max) one.
Oh and I like it to be an actual show, that someone has put some effort into making.
I once went to a wedding that included 2 slideshows; one that was one of childhood photos of the couple and then the 2nd which was the photographer just putting his memory card into the computer and hitting go. There were like 50 shots of the bride at the hair salon, then in the limo. It was nuts. I wanted to poke out my eyeballs with my salad fork.
@MissGreen: Agreed, I too recently sat through one that was 20 minutes and was bored to death. That, and the DJ added in stupid little clips from movies and tv shows.
I like slideshows if they're short and sweet. I saw one at a wedding that was about 2 minutes of pictures, including the bride, the groom, their family and friends, then they had a little video of their engagement that was about a minute, and then 1-2 minutes of recent pictures of the two of them... It was about 5 minutes and played while everyone was eating--very cute and well done, in my opinion.
At a wedding? Never seen one in my life. Among my family and acquaintances, they are reserved only for funerals and anniversary parties. Even then, no one really pays that much attention to them. Honestly, I'd skip it. As a guest, I wouldn't care, nor would I ever dread it.
I just can't imagine us showing a slideshow about us. It's a modesty thing. As brides, we got enough attention on our wedding day, without adding a whole slideshow about us.
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| MissBoPeep | 94 |
| ndreighton | 78 |
| hisgoosiegirl | 56 |
| beargoose | 55 |
| Mrs.KMM | 46 |
| akp0702 | 42 |
| BetterSherm | 42 |
| MrsBlueSeptember | 41 |
| MrsPom | 37 |
| Beckster329 | 37 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| Sassafraskate | 4 |
| BetterSherm | 3 |
| nerdysarah | 3 |
| everalwaysrealtrue | 2 |
| akp0702 | 2 |
| fishbone | 2 |
| chicky99 | 2 |
| julies1949 | 1 |
| hisbahamamama | 1 |
| KateByDesign | 1 |
