When to share the gallery link with guests

Create the gallery a week or two before your event, but share the link with guests on the day — printed as a QR code on tables and shown on screen. Keep it open for two to four weeks afterward so people can add photos once the rush is over, send one reminder a few days later, then download everything as a ZIP before it expires.

Timing is the difference between a gallery full of photos and an empty one. Here's a simple before/during/after plan you can follow.

Before the event: set it up early, share it late

Create the gallery ahead of time — a week or two out is plenty. Setting it up early means your QR code is printed, your table cards are ready, and nothing is rushed on the day. It takes about a minute to create, so there's no reason to leave it until the last moment.

But don't blast the link to guests days in advance. There's nothing to upload yet, the reminder gets forgotten, and an early link is more likely to drift somewhere public. The one thing worth doing before the day is prepping where the code will appear: QR code table cards, a welcome sign, the order of service, or a slide for the screen.

During the event: put the QR code where people look

On the day, the gallery goes live where guests already are. This is when sharing works, because there's something to capture and the mood is right.

• Table cards and signage. A QR code on every table beats a single sign at the entrance. Guests have it in front of them all night, so they scan when the moment strikes — not just once on the way in.
• On the screen. If there's a projector or TV, show the code and, better still, a live photo wall. When guests see photos appearing in real time, everyone wants to add theirs.
• A nudge from the MC or host. One spoken line — "Scan the code on your table and add your photos" — reliably lifts participation more than any sign. Time it after a big moment: the first dance, the cake, the speeches.

The goal during the event is simple: make scanning obvious and give people a reason to do it now.

After the event: keep it open, then remind

Here's the part most people get wrong — they close the gallery too soon. The days after an event are when a lot of the best photos arrive. Guests are tired on the night; it's in the quiet days afterward, scrolling their camera roll, that they finally upload.

• Keep it open for two to four weeks. Give people time. There's no rush to shut it down, and late uploads are often the candid gems.
• Send one reminder a few days later. A short message on the family or group chat — "The gallery's still open, add your photos here" — recovers everyone who meant to upload and forgot. One reminder is enough; more starts to nag.
• Watch for a natural drop-off. After a couple of weeks the uploads slow to nothing. That's your signal the gallery has collected what it's going to collect.

Don't forget: download the ZIP before it expires

Free galleries don't stay online forever — they expire after a set window. Before that happens, download everything as a single ZIP so you have every full-resolution file, not just previews. Do this once the uploads have clearly stopped.

Downloading also lets you safely let the gallery expire: your memories are backed up on your own drive, and nothing lingers online longer than it needs to. If you're on a free plan, note the expiry date when you create the gallery so the download never sneaks up on you.

The timeline at a glance

• 1–2 weeks before: create the gallery, print the QR code, prep table cards and a screen slide. Don't share the link yet.
• On the day: QR on every table, code on screen with a live wall, one nudge from the MC after a highlight.
• Days after: keep it open 2–4 weeks; send a single reminder a few days later.
• Before expiry: download the full ZIP once uploads stop, then let the gallery close.

Get the timing right and the gallery does the work for you — guests upload without being chased, and you end up with far more photos than any single photographer could capture.

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Ready to plan yours? Create a wedding photo gallery now, prep your QR code table cards for the day, and read our tips on how to get guests to upload photos to make every scan count.