I think I just found my new favorite hashtag. #sharethehonestlove is a social media campaign launched by Laura Caudery who wished she had spent her wedding day focusing on the emotional significance of the day, rather than the practical arrangements. Her campaign encourages newly weds-to-be to enjoy every moment of their important day and not to get too caught up on superficial elements, like guest lists, color schemes and parking arrangements.

Laura realized none of this really mattered when her husband passed away just over a year after their wedding and she became a 32-year-old widow (read her heartbreaking story towards the end of this article here). She looked back at her wedding photos and noticed that only a small selection showed the true emotions of the day. Laura shared these photos (example above) with the hashtag #sharethehonestlove, encouraging other couples to share their most honest wedding photos. The response has been overwhelming (see examples below).

Laura, who organizes weddings for her day job, says: “I wish brides and grooms to-be could see more honest and real photos like this on blogs and in magazines; it would remind them of what’s most important. Whilst I think our Instagram and Facebook pages are filled with the prettiest of weddings, I’m going to make sure I share a lot more photos like this too. I love the wedding industry but I think sometimes the message gets a little lost. Let’s all remember and celebrate what a wedding day is really about: let’s #sharethehonestlove.”

I think this story is a reminder of the superficial nature of social media and the media. That we often strive to present not just weddings, but many elements of our lives, as perfect. I’m just as guilty of this as any other person – I have my own personal blog about Chicago life and tend to write only about upbeat, happy stuff. It’s human nature to want to appear in a positive light, but I am increasingly recognizing the importance of being honest, whilst increasingly lacking tolerance for things I see on social media that project an overtly perfect existence.

I’m realizing it is possible to be honest and not lose any self respect. In fact, honesty can bring people a lot of credit. Some of my favorite blogs and press articles are those that are truthful or brave. I follow the travel blog Waegook Tom because of this very reason. If he doesn’t like a destination/hotel/attraction, he’ll say it (check out his list of ‘Six satisfactory cities’), and I appreciate his balanced reviews.

Honesty can really resonate and build trust with an audience and we must keep this in mind at all times – not just as marketing managers for businesses and brands, but on a personal front too.