Fun fact: when I was younger I wanted to become a bridal dress designer. I still have sketches of big poofy gowns from when I was little. This obsession lasted until I started high school, and ever since then I have focused more on technology, computer mediated communication and information sciences. Also a lot of fun, just a little less glamorous is all.
Weddings and technology don’t have a lot in common, and yet it can be so fun to incorporate technology into a wedding. The easiest way to incorporate technology is by creating a special hashtag for the wedding. This way you can curate all of your guests’ pictures on social media.
This weekend I am actually leaving for France to attend my cousin’s wedding. She and her soon-to-be husband have a website, special social media account and a hashtag. Yes, I am thrilled. And yes, I will also be spamming the hashtag with selfies if I have one too many.
Before I travel to France to attend the wedding, let me give all of you soon-to-be wedded people some ideas on how to incorporate technology into your wedding day!
Snapchat filters
Yaas! You can create your own Snapchat filter. Go to Snapchat to submit and purchase your design. You also have to provide a time and a geo location for your filter to be activated (basically, your wedding day and venue). Be sure to ask your guests to save their photo’s and video’s to their Snapchat memories, so they can share them with you during brunch the next day. You could also collect and save all these moments and turn them into a fun aftermovie.
3D printing
Would you say yes to a 3D printed wedding dress? If not, you could incorporate some 3D printed center pieces or decorations at your wedding instead. You can custom design any object, such as cake toppers, seat cards, napkin holders, thank you’s etc. etc. (be creative!) and get it printed in 3D. It is even possible to rent a 3D printer to create stuff on the spot. Maybe a 3D printer can replace the ol’ cotton candy machine at your wedding.
Cameras & live-stream
Yes, I realize using a camera on your wedding day is not innovative, but think outside the box. You could use a camera on a drone, a GoPro or a 360 camera to capture your wedding. Using multiple GoPro cameras during your wedding day will capture all of the different points of view on your wedding day: the one from your guests, your ring bearer, or even the priest.
You can also live-stream the whole day on Periscope or Facebook. Anyone who was not able to make it to your wedding can tune in on your special day. It is possible to split up the day into different portions, such as the ceremony, dinner and party and live-stream them separately. Use Facebook if you are not keen on the whole world joining in on your wedding. Facebook’s live video lets you stream video only to your friends.
Wearables
You can incorporate wearables on your wedding day in different ways. Instead of buying a ring, you could give each other a Ringly, so you can always stay connected. No, just kidding.
There are many wearables on the market that monitor your heart rate. How cool would it be to track your heart rate on your wedding day? I am sure you can tell at what point exactly the nerves started kicking in. Once you have the graphs, you can make jewelry out of the heart rate of the exact moment you said “I do”.
The only downside to having a wearable is the fact that you will have to match it with your wedding dress. Thankfully, most wearables have tons of wristband options.
Did you use any of the above options at your wedding? Or would you be willing to try them? I am not sure about the live-stream, but I would sure love to use a drone and GoPro!