How to set up a live photo wall at your wedding

The short answer: you need a screen (a TV or projector), a laptop or smart TV with a web browser, an internet connection at the venue and a QR code on every table. Create your event, print the QR code, open the live wall link on the laptop connected to the screen, press full screen and do a test upload. Guests scan the code, share photos from their phone browser, and each one appears on the wall within seconds.

That is the whole idea. The rest of this guide covers the details that make the difference on the night: which screen to use, where to put it, how to deal with venue Wi-Fi, what to decide about moderation, and what to do when something goes wrong. The steps use Relivv, but most of the advice applies to any live photo wall.

What you need

• A screen. A large TV, a projector with a screen or a light wall, or, for a small wedding, a laptop on a stand.
• A device with a web browser to drive the screen. A laptop connected by HDMI is the most reliable option. A smart TV’s own browser can work too.
• The right cable and adapter. Many laptops only have USB-C, and venue projectors often expect HDMI. Check before the day.
• An internet connection for the wall, and decent mobile signal or guest Wi-Fi for your guests.
• Power for the laptop, so it does not run out halfway through the party.
• Printed QR codes for the tables and, ideally, one larger sign.
• One person in charge of the screen: a friend, the venue coordinator or your planner. Not you.

There is nothing to install on the laptop and nothing for guests to download. Everything runs in the browser.

Step 1: create the event and set the date

Sign up, create an event, give it a name and set the wedding date. The date matters more than it looks: on Relivv, each plan’s active period and the time your uploads are kept are counted from the event date. You can find every limit on the pricing page.

While you are in the settings, add your logo or monogram, pick a theme colour and decide whether you want a welcome screen. The welcome screen greets guests before they see the album and can ask for their name, which then appears under their photos on the wall.

Step 2: print the QR codes

From the dashboard you can download the QR code on its own in high resolution, or as a ready-to-print template: a Table Card (A5 landscape), an Elegant Card (four per A4 sheet) or an A4 Poster. The templates include short scanning instructions in the language you set for your guest album, and you can choose an accent colour to match your stationery.

A few rules of thumb for printing:

• Put a code on every table rather than relying on one sign by the door. Guests share when they are sitting down with their phones out, not when they are arriving.
• Print on matt paper if you can. Glossy cards reflect light and can be harder for phone cameras to read under spotlights.
• Keep plenty of white space around the code and do not shrink it to fit a crowded design.
• Scan every printed card with two different phones before the wedding.

Step 3: choose and place the screen

TV or projector? A TV is bright and sharp, and it copes well with daylight, which makes it the safer choice for a lunchtime reception or a marquee with open sides. A projector gives you a much bigger picture for less money if the venue already has one, but it needs a dark-ish room and a clear path from projector to screen. If your reception moves from a bright dinner to a dark party, think about which part of the day the wall matters most for.

Where to put it. The best spot is somewhere guests pass and gather without having to stare at it: next to the bar, beside the dance floor or at the end of the dinner tables. Avoid placing it behind the top table, where it will appear in the background of every speech photo, and avoid direct sunlight on the screen.

Talk to your photographer. A bright screen can affect their exposure during the first dance or the speeches. Agree in advance where the screen goes and who will turn it down or switch it off for those moments.

Step 4: sort out the connection

A live wall needs a steady internet connection, and so do your guests’ phones. Ask the venue three questions: is there guest Wi-Fi, how many people can it handle, and does mobile signal reach the room where the reception is?

• If you can, connect the wall laptop to the venue network by cable rather than Wi-Fi.
• If the guest Wi-Fi has a password, print it next to the QR code.
• Keep a phone with a mobile hotspot as a backup for the wall laptop.

Relivv’s wall receives new photos over a live connection. If that connection drops for a moment, the wall keeps checking for new photos every 20 seconds and catches up on its own, so a short blip does not need anyone to touch it.

Step 5: open the wall and go full screen

On the laptop connected to the screen, open your dashboard and click through to the live wall. It also has its own link in the form relivv.me/s/your-event, so you can bookmark it or type it on a venue computer. Click Enter Full Screen.

Before the guests arrive, go through the wall options:

• QR code on screen. The wall shows your QR code in a corner so people can scan it from their seats. You can drag it, make it bigger or smaller, or hide it.
• Side images and captions. You can hide the scrolling side strips or the guest names and captions if you prefer a cleaner look. Both are available on every plan.
• Timings. On Plus and Pro you can set how long photos, videos and text posts stay on screen, or let each video play to the end.
• Side animations. Every plan has the steady Linear style; Pro adds Starfield, Cascade and Polaroid.
• Sound. Videos start muted. Turn the sound on only if the laptop is connected to the venue speakers and you want speeches to be heard.

Finally, switch off sleep, screen saver and any power-saving mode on the laptop, and plug it in.

Step 6: decide how much moderation you want

Most weddings are relaxed about this, but it is worth deciding in advance, especially if there will be children in the room.

• Every plan: you can hide or delete any upload from your dashboard, and it disappears from the wall and the album.
• Plus: you can also choose which kinds of media guests may upload, for example photos and text posts but no videos.
• Pro: uploads can wait for approval before they appear, an automatic filter can block explicit or violent photos, and you can invite co-moderators. Each co-moderator gets their own link and PIN to approve photos from their phone, without access to your account, and you can remove them at any time.

If you use approval, make sure someone is actually approving during the reception. A wall that waits for a moderator who is on the dance floor will look empty.

Step 7: do a test run

Do one test a week or so before the wedding, at the venue if you can, and one on the day before guests arrive. Upload two or three photos from a phone that is not logged in to your account, and check that they appear on the screen. Until there are five photos, Relivv shows a small “warming up” hint on the wall; it disappears by itself once the wall has enough to show.

If you are using the free plan for the test, remember that it allows 100 uploads in total, so test with a handful rather than a whole camera roll.

On the day

Start it moving. A wall that already has photos on it invites people to join in. Upload a few getting-ready photos in the morning, and ask the person running the screen to add a couple when guests sit down.

Mention it once. One line from the MC or the DJ, such as “scan the code on your table and your photos will appear on the screen”, does more than any sign.

Speeches and first dance. If your photographer asked, dim the screen or switch input for these moments. If the wall is connected to speakers, mute it during the speeches themselves.

Late evening. Some of the best uploads arrive after dinner, when guests relax. Keep the wall running until the end.

Common problems and quick fixes

• The screen went dark. The laptop went to sleep. Plug it in and turn sleep off in the power settings before the event.
• New photos are not appearing. Check the laptop’s internet connection. If it comes back, the wall catches up automatically. If you use approval on Pro, check that uploads are not waiting for a moderator.
• Guests cannot scan the code. Usually lighting or glare. Move the card out of a spotlight, or let guests scan the QR code on the wall itself.
• A long video will not upload. Videos can be up to 5 GB, but a weak connection makes large files slow. Suggest the guest uploads it later on better Wi-Fi, using the same QR code or link.
• Uploads stop with a limit message. The event has used all the uploads on its plan. You can upgrade from the dashboard during the event and guests can carry on.

After the wedding

Every photo on the wall is also in your album. On Plus and Pro you can download everything as one ZIP of the original files; on Free you can download files one by one. Uploads are kept for 7 days on Free, 3 months on Plus and 1 year on Pro, so download a full copy soon and keep a backup. On the free plan we also email you two days before the photos are due to be deleted.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need special equipment for a live photo wall?

No. Any screen you can connect a laptop to will work, or a smart TV with a browser. There is no app or special hardware.

Can I run a live photo wall on the free plan?

Yes. Relivv includes the live wall on every plan. The free plan allows 100 uploads and is active for 24 hours from the event date, which can be enough for a small wedding or a trial run.

How quickly do photos appear on the wall?

Within seconds of the upload finishing and being processed. If the wall loses its connection, it checks again every 20 seconds.

What if someone uploads something inappropriate?

On any plan you can hide or delete it from your dashboard. On Pro you can require approval before anything is shown and switch on an automatic content filter.

For an overview of everything the wall can do, see our live photo wall page, and if you are still choosing a tool, our comparison of wedding photo sharing apps covers the main options.