We all love a beautiful wedding. The soft-focus videos, the symmetrical floral arrangements, the guests dressed like they’ve stepped out of a Khush Wedding spread; it’s easy to fall in love with the dream of a picture-perfect celebration. But somewhere between mood-boarding your mandap and selecting hashtags for your sangeet, a pressing question emerges. Are you planning a wedding for yourself or for Instagram?
Today, where every moment is curated, captioned, and broadcast to the world, the pressure to make your wedding “go viral” can be overwhelming. While it’s natural to want memories you can look back on with pride, it’s important not to lose sight of what this day truly means. If your decisions are driven more by aesthetics than authenticity, it might be time to pause and reflect. Here are ten signs that your wedding might be more of a social media event than a celebration of your love story.
Your Pinterest board has more influence than your partner
Let’s face it: if you’re making choices based on what looks best on Pinterest rather than what feels best to both of you, it’s a red flag. Your wedding isn’t a campaign; it’s a deeply personal experience. If your partner’s preferences are constantly getting vetoed because they don’t match the “aesthetic,” it’s time to re-evaluate your priorities.
You’re obsessed with drone shots, even if the venue doesn’t allow them
Do you really need a sweeping aerial view of your pheras when all you care about is being present in the moment? If you’re picking your venue based on what looks good from above rather than what feels meaningful to you, you might be letting content creation dictate your choices.
Every detail is about the look, and not the experience
From the font on the welcome board to the shade of your napkins, if you’re more focused on whether something will “pop” on camera rather than enhance the guest experience, you’re planning for the Gram. A wedding should smell of your favourite flowers, sound like your go-to playlist, and taste like home, not just look like a styled shoot.
You’re investing more in the content team than in your actual guests
Hiring a top-tier content team is wonderful — but not if you’re cutting corners on guest comfort to afford it. If your budget prioritises real-time social media coverage over things like food, shade, or good seating for your guests, you’re missing the point of why they’re there in the first place.
You’re more excited about the photo dump than the ceremony
If your countdown to the wedding is more about “Can’t wait to post my bridal look” than “Can’t wait to marry the love of my life,” it might be time to realign. Instagram memories fade; real love stories endure.
You’re staging moments instead of living them
When every ritual becomes a performance — with retakes, posing, or waiting for the “right light” — the essence of the ceremony is diluted. You shouldn’t be worried about camera angles while taking your vows. Those moments are sacred, not scripted.
Your decor choices revolve only around what’s trending
Boho mandaps, neon signs, pastel everything — trends are lovely, but are they you? If your wedding looks like it belongs to someone else because you copied every trending look, you’ll miss out on the chance to create something genuinely yours.
You’re curating a guest list based on clout
If you’re inviting influencers, famous acquaintances, or distant socialites just for better media coverage or networking potential, it’s a surefire sign the wedding has become a PR event. Your big day should be about the people who’ve stood by you, not just the ones with a following.
You are editing your real emotions
Crying is okay. And so is being awkward. Weddings can be overwhelming. But if you find yourself suppressing genuine feelings just to maintain a flawless bridal look or because the photographer said, “One more take”, that’s when the spectacle has overtaken the sentiment.
You’re already planning your “Instagram husband/wife” life
If your focus post-wedding is less about building a life together and more about creating content together, it might be worth pausing to ask — do you want a marriage or a lifestyle brand?
Weddings are powerful and more than just a visual story; they’re a celebration of love, values, culture, and connection. Of course, it’s perfectly fine to want beautiful pictures and videos; they help you relive one of the most memorable days of your life. But the pressure to perform or go viral overtakes the joy of intimacy, authenticity, and love, and something vital gets lost. Ask yourself, when you look back at this day 30 years from now, what will you remember? The Lavender filter on your mehndi pictures or how your grandmother held your hand during the ceremony? The trending audio on your reel or the song you and your partner danced to, with no one else watching?
Plan your wedding for you; let it be messy, beautiful, imperfect, and real. Because while Instagram sees the highlight reel, your heart remembers the in-between moments, the ones that truly matter. Let your wedding be a reflection of your love, not your followers.
