Wedding Slideshow Tips

I would get the more important things done first. If you have time, money, and energy enough near the end to put together a slideshow, fine. If not, no one will miss it.

Are you talking about just like a regular slideshow? Because that can be done for free in Microsoft....do people actually pay for these?

A slideshow was one of my grand plans too, until I realized what a giant pain in the ass it would be. It's also in the category of no one really cares (not to sound harsh, but to keep things in perspective)! You CAN make a slideshow in Powerpoint; I don't think there's a need to pay for a service.

Are you planning to play the slideshow in the background or actually have everyone sit down and watch it?

Smilebox and Animoto are both good options! I think they both have some type of free trial as well.

Please don't make people sit quietly and watch it. I've been to one wedding where they did it after dinner and it was just long and boring. One I went to that did it well had it streaming during cocktail hour you could watch or not and people mingled and got drinks and food during it so it was much more just a feature in the room than an event you had to sit through.

You don't need it and most people don't want it.

Print out some photos and make a table of them.

No definitely not making people sit and watch it. My plan is for it to be playing in the background of the pre-ceremony, and then cocktail hour, and finally my Dad and I want one of just pictures of the two of us during our Father/Daughter dance so it's not completely all eyes on us during our blubbering mess of a dance.

My only problem with Microsoft is I don't want to pay for a subscription. I hardly ever use it.

Do you not have access to a computer with PowerPoint?

You don't need technology to show off photos. My family have incorporated them into the guestbook table, strung them on a line hung around the venue, or used them as the basis for games. We may display some of us as kids and as a couple around the venue, along with family wedding photos from past generations - they provide good talking points and encourage people to move around during the cocktail hour.

The PowerPoint access is something I am still working on.