How to set up a QR code camera for your wedding (a checklist)

A QR code camera is one of the cheapest ways to get the wedding you didn't see: the cocktail-hour conversations, the kids' table, your friends on the dance floor at 11pm. Setting one up takes about ten minutes. Getting guests to use it takes a little planning. Here's the checklist.

Two to four weeks before

Create the event. Give it the name you want guests to see. With Event Camera, invitations and the album email come from your event's name, so "Maya & Sam's Wedding" works better than "Reception test". Set the start and end times to cover the part of the day you want photographed. The camera won't open outside them.

Choose the roll size. Ten to fifteen shots per guest suits most receptions. Fewer than eight, and people worry about wasting them. More than twenty-five, and you're back to camera-roll sprawl. We go into more detail in how many shots each guest should get.

Decide on video. Short clips (up to 60 seconds) are lovely for toasts and the first dance, but each clip uses one shot. If you'd rather have stills only, turn video off.

Add your look. Your names, a colour that matches the invitations and a small logo or monogram make the camera feel like part of the wedding rather than an app.

Pay for seats. With Event Camera it's $2 per guest, and you count as one. Count everyone who might want a camera, including the wedding party. You can add seats later if the guest list grows.

The week before

Print the QR code. Download it from the host portal and put it on:

• table numbers or table cards, so every table has one in reach
• the welcome sign or seating chart
• the back of the program or menu
• the bar, where people wait with nothing to do

Add one line telling people what to do: "Scan me: you've got 12 shots to capture our day. We'll share the album after the honeymoon."

Send it ahead (optional). You can email the camera link to your guest list with Event Camera's invitations, so people have it before they arrive. On the day it only works between the start and end times.

Test it yourself. Open your own host camera link from the portal and take a shot. Your seat is already counted.

On the day

Get it announced. One sentence from the DJ, the officiant or the best man ("There's a camera on your table; it's got twelve shots, use them well") makes more difference than any sign.

Give a prompt or two. Prompts help guests who don't know what to shoot. Try a small card at each table:

• the people at your table, right now
• something we'll never see from the head table
• the dance floor at its best
• a selfie with someone you met today

Don't worry about the signal. Shots are saved on the guest's phone and upload when the signal comes back, which helps at barns, vineyards and basements.

After the wedding

Curate. Every shot is in your gallery. Filter by guest or by photos and videos, and star the ones you love. Only starred shots go into the album, so blurry shots and anything you'd rather keep private stay out.

Send the album. One button emails the album link to every guest who joined and everyone on your invite list. People can view the shots full-screen and download them.

Keep everything. Photos and videos are kept for 90 days after the wedding. Use "Download all" to save the whole album as one file, and keep the originals of anything else you want from the gallery.

Quick checklist

• Event created with your names, start and end times
• Roll size chosen (10–15 is a good start); video on or off
• Colour and logo added
• Seats paid for everyone who might join
• QR code printed on tables, signs and the bar, with one line of instructions
• Camera tested from your own host link
• Someone briefed to announce it
• Album curated and sent; "Download all" saved

Ready? Start your wedding's event or read more about Event Camera for weddings.