There's no denying that wedding pictures have become one of your big day's most important "assets". It's a way for you to re-live the memories and also share the love with your family and friends.
In this guide, I'll teach you how to make a QR code for wedding pictures. Or, more precisely - how you can make an easy way for your guests (or photographer) to upload, share and view all the wedding photos with the ease of a QR scan.
Let's dive in.
How does it work?
Regardless of whether you're the couple of honor who wants to collect and share their wedding photos or a photographer who takes care of it on behalf of his clients, the general idea of creating a QR code for wedding pictures is as follows:
- Create a Digital Album - This is essentially a website for wedding guests to upload photos (or the photographer).
- Generate a QR code - this is a unique QR code that, once scanned (with the phone camera), will open up the digital album you created the step before.
- Print or display the QR code - Share the QR code with the guests. You can print it and put on tables/in the reception, display it on TVs or wherever you like. People scan it, and Voilà - the digital album opens up like magic, and they can view or upload pictures.
If you're unfamiliar with the concept of QR codes, I've added a helpful FAQ down the road to get you up to speed.
Important Considerations
A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event (hopefully 😇), so you have "one shot" to do your best to collect and share the photos, and you don't want to mess it up. Before I show you the solutions I'm suggesting, there are a few things you should consider when choosing the right solution:
- Ease of use for you and guests. You want to ensure the experience of viewing, uploading, and sharing photos is supreme. If people struggle with the process, you would probably end up with fewer photos from this important day and deliver a bad experience for the guests overall.
- Customizable to make it personal. It might be optional for some, but for those who care for the small details, you want to make sure that you can customize the album with your wedding brand (your pictures, preferred colors, etc.) and not have a generic look.
Best ways to create a QR code for wedding pictures
I've gathered a few ways to create a QR code for your wedding pictures. Some are free (DYI style), and some are paid (but affordable!). Each has its pros and cons, but overall they work similarly and serve the purpose of viewing and uploading wedding pictures.
Option #1: Use Kululu's Digital Album for Weddings
Kululu is a fun and easy way to collect and share wedding photos with guests. You get a stunning digital album where guests can easily view the pictures and upload their own. On top of that, you can also use the Live Photo Wall, a live slideshow that displays all the uploaded images and videos. No hassle with creating a shared album and generating a QR code for it - everything is taken care of for you.
Step 1: Sign-up to Kululu and create your event
Sign-up to Kululu, create your event, and complete the quick onboarding that explains how Kululu works. You'll end up with a Digital Album and a Live Photo Wall.
Step 2: Grab the QR code for your album
Kululu generates a QR code for you automatically. Just download it and use it as you wish. Once scanned, guests will be taken to your private digital album, where they can view existing photos or upload new ones.
Step 3: Print / Display the QR code
The same as before - now that you have the QR code, share it with your people. You can either print it on paper and put it on tables or display it at reception (or wherever you like). The album will pop up on their phones when your guests scan it. I've added a few printing templates you can use down below.
Step 4 (optional): Use the Live Photo Wall (slideshow)
Looking for extra fun? Use Kululu Live Photo Wall to display a beautiful real-time slideshow of all the uploads. Display it on projectors, TVs, or wherever you like - the QR code for your album is already there! The Photo Wall is a simple web link that can be opened on any device with a WiFi/internet connection.
✅ Pros:
- Affordable prices.
- Easy to set up - everything is taken care of for you.
- Great experience for guests to upload photos & videos.
- Customization and branding options to make your album truly yours.
- Guests can add captions and messages to each photo to make things more interactive and personal.
- You also get a live slideshow that displays all shared images.
- Private album.
❌ Cons:
- Cost money (but pretty fair for the value you get).
- "Likes" and comments on photos are not supported.
Option #2: Do-It-Yourself with Google Photos & QR Generator
In this solution, we'll create a shared album on Google Photos, grab the link of it, and then use a QR generator to convert this link to a scannable QR code. We use Google Photos, but any other cloud storage solution can work (Dropbox, iCloud, etc.).
Step 1: Create a shared album
Go to Google Photos (using the app or web browser) and create a "Shared Album" (it's usually under the "Share" tab -> "Create Shared Album"), set a title and confirm. Then, go to the album settings (using the three dots on the corner), and copy the album link.
Step 2: Generate a QR code for the album link
Once you have the album link, use an online QR generator website to convert this link into a scannable QR. I'm using this website, but any QR generator will probably work the same.
Just enter your link, and download the generated QR as instructed.
Step 3: Print / Display the QR code
Now that you have the QR code, you can share it with your people. You can either print it on paper and put it on tables or display it at reception (or wherever you like). The album will pop up on their phones when your guests scan it. I've added a few printing templates you can use down below.
✅ Pros:
- Mostly free.
- Not too hard to set up.
- Private album.
- Can add comments and likes to uploads.
❌ Cons:
- Requires some work.
- Upload experience is not the most straightforward for guests, and some may struggle.
- Missing some complementary features like adding captions to photos, branding the look & feel, slideshow view, and more.
- In my experience, you end up with fewer photos because the guest experience isn't the best one.
Which option should I choose?
Well, it's up to you - if you want to use a dedicated solution tailored for collecting and sharing wedding photos using a QR code, go with Kululu. It will cost you some money (well, probably a fraction of your wedding's total cost), but your and your guests will get the best experience and you'll probably end up with more photos from your wedding day.
If you're really on a tight budget, the Do-It-Yourself might be enough. However, since the experience isn't straightforward as dedicated solutions, you might end up with fewer photos from your guests. Also, you'll miss some cool features dedicated to collecting wedding photos from guests (adding captions, album customization, real-time photo sharing, etc.).
A wedding is something that hopefully happens once in a lifetime, so you have one shot at making it good. Choose the right solution according to your situation and the importance of collecting your wedding pictures.
QR Code for Wedding Pictures: Printing Templates
Once you have a QR code that leads to your digital album, copy and paste it into one of the templates below and print it. You can find many other ideas and designs online or use tools like Canva/Photoshop to create your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're new to QR codes or unsure how it works, we gathered some frequently asked questions to get you up to speed.
What is a QR code?
QR code or "Quick Response" code is a barcode you can scan that leads to a digital destination (link on the internet).
How does QR code work?
Each QR code is unique according to the link destination it's representing. Nowadays, most smartphones ship with a built-in QR scanner in the camera. Simply open your smartphone's camera, and aim at the QR code.
Once scanned, you'll be taken to the QR code's destination.
Is it free to use/generate QR codes?
Yes, many QR generator websites allow you to create QR codes for free. Just enter the destination link URL, and download the resulted QR code.
Why should you use a QR code at my wedding?
It's easy to use and people are familiar with it. Say you have a link to a shared album - instead of requiring your guests to type the link on their browser manually, they can just open the camera, scan the QR, and land in your digital album. The easier it is for guests to participate, the more photos you'll probably get.
