A WhatsApp group or a QR code gallery?
A WhatsApp group is free and most guests already use it, but photos arrive between messages and everyone has to join the group first. A QR code gallery keeps every guest's photos in one place at full size, and nobody installs or joins anything.
Updated
| Topic | Our gallery | A WhatsApp group |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free for our first weddings | Free |
| What guests need | A phone with a camera and a browser | WhatsApp, and to join the group by an invite, its link or its QR code |
| Photo quality | Full size, as taken | Standard or HD, as each sender chooses |
| Finding them later | One gallery, with the most loved photos and each guest's own | In the chat's media, mixed with everything else sent to the group |
| Who sees them | People with the gallery's link | Everyone in the group |
| Checking photos | Every photo checked for explicit images before it appears | Photos appear as soon as they're sent |
| Prints | Save any photo at full size, and print it wherever you like | Save each photo, then print it somewhere else |
When each is the better choice
A WhatsApp group
- It's free, and everyone's already on it.
- A small wedding where a chat suits everyone, and the messages are half the fun.
Our gallery
- A bigger wedding, or guests who aren't all on WhatsApp.
- You want every photo at full size, in one place.
- You want a say over when guests post on social media.
The short version
For a small wedding, a WhatsApp group can be all you need. As the guest list grows, photos get buried in the chat, quality depends on each sender’s choice, and the couple saves them from the chat. A gallery made for the day keeps them together, at full size, and adds the morning after: the most loved photos and a reel for every guest who shared.
Questions
- Can't guests just send photos in HD?
- They can, and WhatsApp says HD looks sharper. A gallery keeps each photo exactly as it was taken, whoever sends it.
- Can we use both?
- Yes. Guests can still send a favourite to the group from the gallery, as private messages are always open.
Sources
- WhatsApp Help Center, How to send media, contacts, or location (Android), checked 20 October 2026
- WhatsApp Help Center, How to edit photos and videos (Android: standard and HD quality), checked 20 October 2026