The QR code that collects your wedding photos

There is a reliable trick for collecting guest photos, and it is not a speech or a reminder. It is a QR code, placed where people are already looking.

Why a code beats asking

Asking guests to send photos puts the work at the wrong end. They have to remember days later, find the pictures, select them, and upload. A code moves the work to the moment they are already holding the phone — at the table, waiting for dinner, with nothing to do.

It also removes the awkwardness. Nobody has to ask you for a number or a link.

Where to put it

• Table cards. The single best position. People pick these up unprompted.
• The welcome board. Catches everyone as they arrive, before the day gets busy.
• The bar. People stand still there, phone in hand.
• The photo booth or backdrop. Anyone using it is already thinking about pictures.

Avoid the ceremony programme. Nobody is scanning anything during the vows.

What to write next to it

Be specific about what happens. "Scan me" gets fewer scans than a sentence that says what they get.

Add your photos of today — and see everyone else's.

The second half matters more than people expect. Guests contribute far more readily when they are also receiving something.

Practical details

• Make it big enough. Roughly 3 cm square is the floor for a card held at arm's length in low light.
• Test it in the actual lighting. A code that scans under office lights can fail under warm dim ones. Check it at the venue.
• Don't put it on a dark or patterned background. Contrast is what makes it readable.
• Check it opens without an account. If scanning leads to a sign-up wall, most guests will close it and never come back.

Leave it live afterwards

Keep the pool open for a couple of weeks. A good share of guest photos arrive several days later, when people finally go through their camera roll on a quiet evening.

Every Fondays pool comes with a join QR you can print — and guests add photos without signing up for anything. See what it costs.