How to Come Up With a Wedding Hashtag, From Couples Who Did It

 Though you might look back on the throwback photos of your parents' wedding to inspire fodder for your own upcoming nuptials, there's definitely been a shift in weddings since your folks tied the knot. Since Instagram—or ahem, iPhones—weren't a thing all those years ago, your ma and pa likely never had to spend time brainstorming their wedding hashtag. Finalizing all of the countless details for your big day brings the work of an additional full-time job, but deciding what social media presence you'll encourage guests to participate in might be the toughest deadline of all.

If you and your soon-to-be spouse (who always remembers to double tap all of your posts because inlove) are struggling to decide how to hashtag your ceremony, take the advice from couples who managed to nail it.

Your first inclination might not be your best.

Before Arielle Katz' then-boyfriend, now-husband, Ryan Alexander proposed, she was already daydreaming about her wedding hashtag. Since she had been to countless weddings before her own, she was accustomed to seeing the #'s-for-two trend on her feed and she knew she wanted to have an unique sentiment for their joint step toward marriage together. "There are some pretty awesome ones out there, and I wanted ours to be just as original and punny," she explains. They started with #RyangotmARled, a concoction of their two first names, but instead of jumping at the first stroke of genius, she thought of the practicality of the hashtag, a piece of advice she'd give to all couples. Since typing it in gave people the opportunity to misspell, or rather, spell ‘married' the right way, she wouldn't be able to stroll through their posts with the incorrect hashtag.

Be mindful—and selective—about what you pick as the official tag for your wedding and also, consider your audience, Arielle says. Though your bridesmaids and your best friends could probably figure out the accurate way to thumb in your hashtag (ahem, before the whiskey shots, that is), what about your great aunt who just discovered ‘The Facebook?'

Get an outsider's perspective.

When Ellie Mannix and Juan Lamonaca decided to go from happily in love to happily married, they wanted a record of the candid, funny images their friends took at their wedding. To make it easy, a wedding hashtag seemed like the best solution. The easiest one? Nope, Ellie says. She was too determined to use both of their last names, but found herself coming up blank until a friend came to the rescue. It wasn't the first time this pal helped out too, as Ellie notes, "She's known for her wittiness and wordsmith abilities, came up with the hashtag on the spot. She's also the creative mind behind several other couples' hashtags so it's no surprise that she was able to craft something so witty, relevant and inclusive of both our names."

Set to marry in January 2018, Ellie wouldn't have found ‘the Juan' hashtag—EllieFoundtheJuan—without an outsider's perspective. That's why she says to always get a second (or third) opinion from a trusted confidant who won't spill the beans. Specifically, not someone who is in the wedding party, but is completely removed apart from being a guest. "Sometimes when you're too involved, you overthink the process," she says. "My sisters and I had been trying to think of a hashtag for months and it was ironically a fairly new friend that thought of the perfect tag within minutes of asking her."

Make a list of meaningful things.

Not a writer? Or interested in a career in social media? Without a marketing-centric focus, you and your partner may struggle to develop the creativity needed to come up with your hashtag. That's why Arielle suggests a fun brainstorming session (with booze of course) with your partner to think about what defines your relationship, what's brought you together and what meaningful moments you value together. "It's hard to come up with one that you love! Keep brainstorming and playing around with variations of your name, places you met, things that mean something to you—it'll happen," she adds.

In the end, Arielle and Ryan went with RyanLoveKatz, which holds a double-meaning for everyone who knows these newlyweds, who became Mr. and Mrs. in July. In addition to being Arielle's last name, ‘Katz' is also a tribute to one of Ryan's favorite things. "My now husband is an insane crazy cat person, whose love of cats has also rubbed off on me," Arielle explains. Though you might want to think outside of the box and truly make your hashtag one-of-a-kind, sometimes the simple route can mean more—and make it easier for guests to remember when they capture an epic shot of you walking down the aisle, beginning your long life of marriage together.

THE FLASH Cast Talks How “the Wedding of the Century” Will Turn Out

Five years on and four shows since DC Comics and The CW launched their small screen universe with Arrow, the franchise continues to reshape what people expect from superhero television. One of the cornerstones of the Arrowverse is its inter-show crossovers, the latest of which is fast approaching in the form of Barry Allen and Iris West's long-awaited wedding. Though this season's big event takes place on what should be the happiest day of the Flash's life, we must remember that this is a comic book wedding, so things won't exactly go according to plan. During our trip to The Flash's Vancouver set earlier this year, we sat down with the cast to talk nuptials, wedding dresses, and the upcoming "Crisis on Earth-X."

At center stage of this year's crossover are Barry and Iris. For the actress who brings her to life, Candice Patton, it's a hugely exciting prospect. "It's a really important moment in DC history," Patton said. "It's cool that our nuptials are part of the crossover, and a big part of the crossover. It's a spectacle for sure." Throughout the show's four seasons, the pair have been through a lot and Patton thinks it's about time that they finally settle down. "It's been a long time coming. They've had other partners, relationships, trials, and tribulations. I think season four is a good time for them to make it all happen. The wedding of the century, essentially."

For the other half of Central City's happy couple, Grant Gustin, it's all about the spectacle. "It's bigger than ever," he said. "There's more people than ever included [and] some of the biggest sequences you'll see with the most superheroes we've ever seen together at any given time. Barry and Kara have a few interactions that are fun, classic Barry-and-Kara interactions."

Jesse L. Martin, who plays Iris' father Joe West, was likewise blown away by the scale of "Crisis on Earth-X." "I can tell you that it's a giant, giant, giant wedding," he said. "Everybody from every show is at the heart of this wedding, so it seems to be the biggest wedding of the century." One of the highlights for the seasoned actor was getting to work with some of the Arrowverse's other supers, in particular a certain Kryptonian. "I'm a huge fan of Melissa, Supergirl," he continued. "I think she's just one of the best people ever. I love being around her. I really do. The Supergirl cast in general, they're all wonderful people."

Fan favorite Cisco will of course be returning, and Carlos Valdes gave us some insight into how he perceives Team Flash's tech genius. "Maybe it's audacious of me to say, but I've always felt that Cisco is a sort of window for the primary demographic of this show," Valdes said. "When they see Cisco interacting with these heroes, it's almost like they're interacting with these heroes. It carries with it a lot of responsibility, but all I have to do is stay true to the character and just tackle it like so. This year's crossover is no exception. I try to bring that degree of relatability and almost ‘fourth-walledness' to the interactions."

This season has seen the continuation of a huge character arc for Caitlin/Killer Frost, and that's opened up a whole world of opportunity for the actress who brings her to life, Danielle Panabaker. "Obviously, last year I had my powers sort of, but didn't cross over to as many of the other shows—really just went to Legends," she said. "This year was nice because I finally got the chance to suit up, as it were, and get out there and fight with everyone. Both Caitlin and Killer Frost do get to interact a little bit more with a lot of different characters in our universe. I have some really funny interactions with Dom, with his character. Heat Wave's really into Killer Frost."

Getting married during a full blown alien invasion can be tough. But for Candice Patton, it meant she got to find the perfect wedding dress for kicking intergalactic butt. "We flew to L.A. and I tried on dresses at Monique Lhuillier," Patton said. "And the first dress I tried on we were like, 'Okay, this is it. This is great. Feels good. Comfortable.' The most important thing was like, ‘Am I comfortable? Am I going to be able to, like, run away from aliens or whatever?' It was pretty neat."

Will the big day work out for Barry and Iris? Well, Candice's lips are sealed. But she did leave us with this little tease: "I think that you can expect on any DC TV show that weddings don't usually go as planned. You've got some villains who come in and try to spoil that. You've got aliens from Earth-X. You'll have to wait and see if they can actually get married at some point!"

"Crisis on Earth-X" begins on Supergirl and Arrow on Monday, November 27, and concludes with The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow on Tuesday, November 28. Will you be tuning in for the big day? Can't wait to see some evil versions of your favorite heroes? Just wanna see Cisco in a suit? Let us know in the comments!

Inside Bachelor Alum Whitney Bischoff's Cape Cod Wedding: See the Gorgeous Photos

When it came to her wedding day, Whitney Bischoff caught a lucky break with some especially compliant weather.

"It was sunny and warm and perfect," says former Bachelor contestant Bischoff, who wed Ricky Angel at the luxurious Wequassett Resort on Cape Cod on Saturday. "I really do feel like that was my [late] mom's hand in this. The whole day was everything I dreamed it would be."

Sunny skies weren't the only thing the couple's 150 guests — including fellow Bachelor alums Kaitlyn Bristowe, Shawn Booth, Carly Waddell and Evan Bass — enjoyed at the celebration, which was planned by Always Yours Events.

An emotional Bischoff was escorted down the aisle by her maternal grandmother, Mamaw, to the tune of "My Old Kentucky Home." She carried a bouquet of blush, white and nude blooms from The Wild Dahlia, including a single Stargazer lily, a tribute to her late mother, Carol.

Bischoff's dress, designed by her with the help of Audrey Grant Bridal, was particularly sentimental. "I found my mom's wedding dress in my grandmother's attic," she tells PEOPLE. "The lace, the buttons, everything that is an embellishment on my dress is from my mom's dress. It's beautiful."

After the vows and exchange of Sam Rafidia-designed rings, guests joined the newlyweds for a cocktail hour featuring Cape Codders (a signature drink made with cranberry and vodka) as well as Cosmopolitans. A raw bar served fresh oysters, lobster and crab.

Guests then gathered for a four-course dinner (menus were designed by stationer Amanda Day Rose) that included New England clam chowder, New York strip steak and herb-crusted cod. The cake featured four distinct tiers: vanilla, Italian olive oil, spiced carrot and chocolate.

Bischoff and Angel, who met on Bumble in 2015 after her split from former Bachelor Chris Soules, chose "Amazing Day" by Coldplay for their first dance. "The theme to our wedding is ‘Life has a beautiful crazy design,'" says Bischoff. "It's a line from our first dance [song] that we feel relates so much to our lives and how we got to where we are today."

Guests danced to jams by The Park Street Band and The Boston Common Band, and then at 10:30 p.m., gathered inside for an afterparty where late night snacks of sliders and quesadillas energized the crowd.

"It was amazing," says Bischoff of her wedding day. And of her new husband: "There is no better person than Ricky for me," she says. "He keeps me laughing and makes me so happy."

Bridezilla Goes Over Wedding Budget, Demands Bridesmaids Pay for Wedding Gown

These bridesmaids should have read these instructions.

One monster-sized bridezilla named Carol, has truly gone mad.

First, she asked her group of bridesmaids to supply Excel spreadsheets with cake makers' details on her cake—but then it got even worse. Carol the wedding monster went over budget with her planning for the big day, so she asked her bridesmaids to chip in for her $10,500 wedding dress.

One of her “friends,” which is probably safe to say won't be a friend after this wedding, took to Mamamia to describe Carol's outrageous behavior in detail.

“At first, I thought Carol was just being a little overzealous when the group emails asking for input on everything from bridesmaid dress colors, hairstyles, makeup looks, bridal dresses, buttonholes for the groomsmen (something I had to Google) and table decorations came flooding through [sic], quickly taking up a large chunk of my day,” the anonymous woman posts.

But then Carol got even worse. How, you ask?

The anonymous woman started receiving a number of emails at work, in which Carol asked her friends to supply spreadsheets with cake maker details including contact details, price brackets, flavors and an idea of how “prestigious” each cake would be.

Oh boy.

“I had to read the email about three times to gauge what she was asking me,” the woman writes. “After the third disbelieving scan, I felt my blood start boiling. Was she serious?!”

Bogged down by work, the woman didn't turn in her homework (the spreadsheet) until the weekend, the bride wrote back saying it would have been better had she received the document a day earlier.

After Carol found a wedding gown she liked, a satin Marchesa gown that retailed at a whopping $10,500, her friends soon received another group email—the worst one yet. Carol wanted $150 from each bridesmaid towards the dress because she had gone over budget. The subject line in the email read, “Bridesmaid dress contribution.”

“It was ‘totally fine if you can't,' but she would really love if we could ‘pitch in' around $150 each towards her ‘dream dress.' That it'd mean so very much to her and would mean that as she walked down the aisle, she'd be wearing something we'd all had a part in,” wrote the bridesmaid.

The $150 was in addition to all the ladies spent on their bridesmaids duties, including their own $550 bridesmaid dresses, the accommodation for the wedding night, the bachelorette party, bridal shower and three spa days planned.

“I nearly threw my phone across the room, such was the rage that consumed me,” the woman wrote. “I'm starting to think I might have to bail on this wedding, and friendship.”

The Elegance Collection From Missy Dress In This Season

It's so nice to be back with you again today and I have to say that I've loved writing this feature. To start with, it features an incredibly beautiful new collection of wedding dresses and secondly, the designer in question is just such a wonderful woman that it's a huge pleasure to share her work here on Love My Dresses. Without further ado, let me introduce you to the elegant and alluring new collection from Missy Dress.

Julia Taylor is an award winning bridal designer who was crowned Wedding Dressmaker Designer of the Year at The Wedding Industry Awards earlier this year. She's also an artisan maker, modern day couturier and downright fabulous woman. When you speak to Taylor, her passion for her work just sweeps you up and you're left in no doubt that this is a lady who pours her heart and soul into everything she does.

Wedding dresses by Missy Dress are instantly recognisable. They're elegant, alluring, bohemian and beyond pretty. The designs are created in the finest fabrics and delicate laces with intricate detail that adds another layer of grace and refinement to each gown.

All of Taylor's designs are lovingly handmade by her small and friendly team in her Staffordshire studio. This is a true ‘atelier' in the most genuine sense of the word. They work surrounded by so many things that inspire them and if you step into the studio, you'll be taking your first step on a unique creative journey.

Missy Dress is renowned for simple and uncluttered elegance as well as her signature subtle detailing and the new ‘Songs of Love' collection is possibly her most romantic yet.

With soft layers of sheer fabrics, ‘Songs of Love' is a play on transparency and luminosity. There are separates and overdresses in soft silk organzas, French chiffons, delicate tulles and fine laces, with glass pearl buttons and tiny crystals that catch the light. These can be worn with silk slip dresses and corseted dresses too for a more structured silhouette and this collection is perfect for the fine art bride.

I just love this collection from Julia Taylor. The tiny pearl buttons, the delicate hand-dyed lace applique and the crystal beadwork that catches the light all mix together to create the softest, prettiest dresses. I love the bridal separates in chalky colours and those fabrics… I swoon.

I grew up in a family where, for generations, mothers taught their daughters to sew. My sewing machines would often be whizzing into the small hours as I made my own clothes and I'm now proud to work in my beautiful studio, using old-fashioned couture techniques to hand craft heirloom dresses that we hope will be treasured forever.