How to Make a Wedding QR Code for Photos

Everyone at your wedding takes photos. Almost nobody sends them to you, because sending them is a faff and everyone has a train to catch. A wedding photo QR code on the table cards fixes that: guests scan it, land in a shared album, and add their photos while they are still at the table.

It costs nothing, it takes about ten minutes to set up, and you do it weeks before the day. After the wedding, the same QR code can point at the photographer's gallery, so any guest who kept a card still ends up in the right place.

How it works

  1. 1
    You create a shared album that guests can add to, in Google Photos, iCloud or Dropbox.
  2. 2
    You put the album's link behind a Linkly short link, which draws the QR code.
  3. 3
    The QR code goes on the table cards, the welcome sign or the order of service.
  4. 4
    Guests scan and upload. Afterwards you can see when people scanned, and change where the QR code goes.

The short link is what makes this better than a free QR generator: the album link is long and unmemorable, the QR code can be redirected later, and every scan is counted.

Chapters and full transcript →

How to create a wedding photo QR code

1

Create a shared album guests can add to.

In Google Photos, create an album, open its sharing options, switch on the option that lets other people add photos, and copy the link. iCloud Shared Albums and Dropbox shared folders work too. Google Photos is the easiest when guests have a mix of iPhones and Android phones.

2

Create a free account if you don't have one yet. The free plan covers a wedding comfortably.

3

Give the link an ending you could say across a room, such as /photos or /ellie-and-sam, and a Nickname such as "Wedding album" so you can find it again afterwards.

4

Click Save.

The QR code is drawn as soon as the link exists. Click it to match its colours to your stationery or add a monogram.

5

Download the QR code and add it to your stationery.

Download a PNG to drop into your own artwork, or an SVG for a stationer or printer. See SVG QR codes and adding a logo to a QR code.

6

Test it with a friend's phone.

Scan the QR code from your screen with an iPhone and an Android phone, and try adding a photo, before anything goes to print.

What guests see

Guests scan the QR code and land straight in the album, where they can look through the photos so far and add their own. Most can do it from the browser without installing anything. Depending on the album service, some guests are asked to sign in before they can upload: iCloud shared albums always ask for an Apple account, so if many guests use Android phones, Google Photos or Dropbox is the safer choice. Test with a friend before printing.

Put a short line next to the QR code so people know what it is for: "Scan to add your photos to our album" does the job.

Where to print it

  • Table cards and place cards, where guests are sitting down with their phones out.
  • A welcome sign or the bar, for people arriving.
  • The order of service, which many guests keep.
  • Invitations, so early photos from the hen do and the stag do land in the same album.
  • Thank-you cards, pointing at the finished gallery.

This is the part that makes it worth doing properly. When the photographer's gallery is ready, open the link in Linkly, paste the gallery's link into Destination, and save. The QR code on every card that guests took home now opens the professional photos instead. The album with everyone's phone pictures stays where it was; you just move the QR code.

When people scanned

Because the QR code runs through a short link, you can see when people scanned it in Linkly's analytics. A spike during the speeches, another at about eleven at night. It is oddly lovely to look at afterwards, and it tells you the cards were in the right place.

Frequently asked questions

Do guests need an app to add photos?

Usually not. The album opens in the phone's browser. Some album services ask guests to sign in before they can upload, so test with a couple of phones before you print.

Which shared album service should we use?

Google Photos works well for a mix of iPhones and Android phones. iCloud Shared Albums are easy for an all-iPhone crowd but ask for an Apple account. A Dropbox shared folder or file request also works. Whatever you choose, the QR code is made the same way.

Can we change where the QR code goes after the wedding?

Yes. Edit the short link's destination in Linkly and every card guests kept opens the new place, such as the photographer's gallery.

Can the QR code match our stationery?

Yes. Click the QR code in Linkly to change its colours, style and add a monogram or logo, and download it as an SVG for your stationer.

Can we see how many guests used it?

Yes. Every scan is a click on the short link, so you can see how many people scanned, and when.

Does the QR code expire?

No. The QR code keeps working for as long as the link exists, including on the free plan.

Is it free?

Yes. Every Linkly link comes with a QR code, including on the free plan, which covers a wedding comfortably.

Can we use one QR code for photos and another for directions?

Yes. Make a second link for the venue and print its QR code on the invitation. See the location QR code guide.

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