02 Nov Something New

From Tradition to Technology.

Many grooms and brides-to-be will be finalising wedding details for the upcoming summer season, the busiest wedding season of the year. Along with traditional aspects of planning a wedding, technology is demanding more attention and begs the question ‘How are we going to approach technology at our wedding?’

Many of you may have already attended a ceremony where this question was easily answered with a simple ‘The bride and groom ask you to refrain from taking pictures on your phones during this ceremony’. However, if you are open to ‘something new’ you could embrace a modern, digital spin on tradition and really make the most out of capturing your wedding.

So if you’re stuck on how to tastefully and strategically approach technology and social media at your wedding here are a few winning ideas:

E-Invitation
Instead of using the traditional letter and envelope to invite guests to your special day, an electronic invite can be sent instead. You can find templates online, or have a professional graphic designer such as TGM create your invite for you. Not only is this a fast and effective way to reach people from all over the globe, a ‘RSVP’ button could save guests the hassle of filling out and sending a response card which could be sitting on a desk for weeks and never make it to the post office. These are also a great option for those environmentally conscious couples that want to dial down their paper waste trail.

Wedding Website
Again you may be able to source an online template or have a professional web-designer customise and create a website dedicated to your wedding. TGM offers website builds from $1400. Websites are a great way for people to access information and for you to update any last minute changes in details. A website can also include registrars for gifts, a live countdown, or current guest list for all to view.

Live Streaming
Live streaming is an increasingly common practice, especially to cater to those overseas guests who are unable to make the ceremony in person. The link to the live-stream can be used in tangent to the wedding website.

Online Music Playlists
Embracing technology can also be economical – helping to save money on DJ’s and bands. Plenty of music sites offer wedding playlists, or you can create your own to customise the music on the dance floor. Tip: Ask your guests on the invitations to RSVP one song they’d like to hear at the wedding and create a playlist based on crowdsourcing, ensuring everyone will hit the dance floor.

Drones
Videographers help capture and commemorate your special day and now with Drones, they may be able to capture even more. Drones can be used to take Birdseye views of the ceremony creating a special angle of your wedding. You can check with your videographer to see if this option is available although it may be unlikely as it is not yet common practice. Our in-house photographer Mark Dwyer has a large portfolio of aerial-drone photography, take a look here

#Hashtag Weddings
Creating a social media Hashtag is a great way to collate your guests’ pictures during the day. There are plenty of online wedding Hashtag generators for you to chose from if you need help coming up with something original and it’s become a popular practice to frame your Hashtag and place it at the reception for guests to see. The Hashtag is a great way to capture intimate moments from your guests and see how they experienced your wedding – it’s essentially the new disposable camera. Tip: Provide a few Selfie Sticks to make group Selfies easier for your guests.

Technology Etiquette:
With any form of new adaptation there are certain guidelines you can make to ensure everyone is happy.

• Feel free to set boundaries, for example no pictures of the bride in her dress at any point before the wedding are to be posted on social media.

• Ask guests to tuck their phones away until after the ceremony to ensure phones are not ringing or interfering with the view of the professional photographers or videographers.

• Remember, not all of your guests will be online or social media savvy, so if you have any Great Aunts who might not have a Facebook page, ensure that all announcements are received by all age groups and levels of tech-savvy.

• Don’t forget to be in the moment. Chances are the people who you want to share this moment with will already be at the wedding with you, so be sure to enjoy the day and feel at ease knowing your wedding and the memories created on the day will be captured and enjoyed for years to come.