How to Make a Wedding Slideshow in 6 Steps

Wedding slideshows are an engaging and entertaining way to tell your story as a couple and give guests a fun way to connect with you and each other. But it can be tough to know what images to include, what software to use, and how to put it all together. That’s where this guide on how to make a wedding slideshow comes in.

Below, we cover everything you need to know to create a wedding slideshow in just a few simple steps. We also provide ways to make your wedding slideshow unique and give a few real-life examples that we hope you can look to for inspiration.

How to make a wedding slideshow in 6 simple steps:

1. Pick the tools and software you want to use.

There are lots of great tools for creating and sharing your slideshow, including:

• Smilebox offers professionally-designed templates to make your wedding slideshow look beautiful and stand out. It has an easy drag and drop interface, with the ability to caption your photos, add music, and share via social media.

• Animotica is available for Windows 10 users and features both pictures and video clips. You can also add photo backgrounds, text overlays, and stickers to your slideshow.

• Animoto is a free online video maker with simple drag and drop tools. While they don’t focus on weddings specifically, they have a number of beautiful wedding templates to create your slideshow.

• Adobe Spark is Adobe’s free tool for creating photo slideshows. The templates and graphic elements are all professionally designed, although the focus seems to be more on business-oriented slideshows rather than weddings.

• Keynote and Powerpoint, which are likely already on your computer, are free and easy options that you probably already know how to use. Stay away from business-oriented layouts on these tools so that your slideshow doesn’t end up looking like a work presentation.

• If you don’t want to go the DIY route, you can ask your photographer, videographer, or tech-savvy friend to create your wedding slideshow for you. You’ll still have to choose your photos and video clips, but the slideshow will look polished and professional.

2. Choose a theme.

No two wedding slideshows are the same because every couple is different. But that doesn’t mean you want to simply throw a few photos and songs together and call it a day. A wedding slideshow’s theme can make all the difference. You can, of course, make it match your wedding theme (Star Wars-inspired slideshow, anyone?!). But it doesn’t have to stop there. Study up on the different types of slideshows and templates to find one that will be able to fully capture the story that you and your partner are trying to tell.

3. Determine how long you want the slideshow to be.

In order to keep your guests engaged and interested in your slideshow, we recommend making it around 5-10 minutes long. This equates to between 60 and 120 photos. If you choose to include video clips, make sure they’re on the shorter side in order to keep the momentum of the slideshow going.

4. Pick your photos and videos.

The images you include in your slideshow should help to tell the story of your time as a couple. They should be high quality and high resolution so that they show up well and can be seen from far away.

Try to choose images that show you in different phases of your life, such as your childhoods, single life, and life as a couple. Make sure to include key milestones if you have pictures or videos of them, such as your first date, anniversaries, and the proposal.

While the slideshow is of course about you, you don’t want 100% of the pictures to be of you by yourselves. Your close friends and family may be looking out for images and videos of themselves with you, so consider including those as well. It’s a nice way to show how important these people are to you, and makes the slideshow more interesting.

Remember: Everyone at your wedding will see the pictures and videos you choose, so consider withholding ones that guests may view as inappropriate.

5. Pick your music.

You don’t have to include music, but it can make your slideshow more engaging as you’re presenting it to your guests. If you’ll just be playing the slideshow in the background, you can decide whether to include music based on the location that it will be playing and whether your guests will be able to hear it.

Try to choose music that is significant to you as a couple. Do you have a favorite song that you always dance to? What about a song that played on your first date? These are great choices since they’re special and unique to you. You can also choose from some of the most popular wedding slideshow songs or fun wedding songs in general, which will work well with the images typically found in wedding slideshows.

Keep the tone of your slideshow in mind as you choose your music. A bright, fun slideshow with a lot of humor and pictures with friends pairs well with happy, upbeat music. If, on the other hand, you’re focusing mostly on the romance between the two of you, then slower and more romantic songs might make sense. You can keep the energy of the slideshow up by using just a portion of each song, such as the chorus. This also lets you choose more songs.

6. Determine when, and how, you want to show your slideshow.

You have a few options for when to show your slideshow. Many couples set aside time during the rehearsal dinner or reception for guests to watch the slideshow. Others choose to have the slideshow playing in the background during the rehearsal dinner, cocktail hour, or reception so that guests can watch it as they please. 

Having a set time to show the slideshow gives you a chance to connect with your guests and have a shared experience and means that everyone definitely gets a chance to see it. But if you worry about boring your guests, or don’t have time in your wedding schedule for watching the slideshow, then playing it in the background is a good choice.

Put your DJ or a tech-savvy member of the wedding party in charge of the slideshow on the big day so that you don’t have to worry about it. That way you’ll know that everything will go smoothly and any technical problems will be handled.

How to make a wedding slideshow unique:

Now that you know how to make a wedding slideshow, it’s time to learn how to make one that’s unique and memorable. With a few creative ideas, your wedding slideshow can be engaging and fun for your guests and show off your unique story as a couple. Here are some of our favorite ideas from across the web:

• Interview your friends and family about yourselves and your story as a couple.

• Record words of marriage advice from people that you look up to.

• Create a documentary-style slideshow covering the wedding planning process.

• Include video clips from your childhood.

• Show video of milestones like your first date, anniversaries, or the proposal.

• Record a choreographed dance performed by the wedding party.

• Create a parody of a film you enjoy.

• Have a friend or family member narrate in a voiceover as if telling a fairytale.

• Have a friend or family member read a script live during the wedding slideshow.

Explore 3 examples of wedding slideshows for inspiration:

This slideshow uses professional photos in a variety of settings to show off the energy and exuberance of the happy couple. By using only professional photos, Joyce and Kevin keep the slideshow looking smooth and polished. Their music is happy and laid-back and doesn’t overpower the video.

Jonathan and JoEllen’s slideshow does a great job of knitting together their photos and memories into a cohesive story. Their template and animations are simple and unobtrusive, and give the slideshow an elegant feel. By starting with each of their photos separately as babies and then transitioning to photos together, we really get a feel for their memories as individuals as well as their time together.

Kenneth and Ivanna created a truly unique slideshow that exemplifies their personalities. They made a stop motion video of their photos moving across a table to create a captivating and engaging experience for their guests. If you can make your video as fun for the guests as it is for you, you’re on the right track!

Now you know how to make a wedding slideshow!

With these tips, you’re all set to create a fun and engaging wedding slideshow to wow your guests.
Have other photos on your mind? Check out our guide to choosing a wedding photographer.