10 Simple Ways To Use Technology To Enrich Your Wedding Experience
Reading this on your phone, even as you skim through ideas for your big day - that's how much technology is a part of your life. Here are all the ways in which you can use it to simplify your life, while planning your wedding day.
Skip, skim, swipe right. That's the world we live in. You tinder your dates, go through Shaadi.com or skim through Instagram and Pinterest to check out those wow decor ideas, stunning bridal jewellery and lehengas and OMG Mehndi designs. So, what better way to do upscale your own wedding than to bring it to your device and add other technical aspects to it. These tools help you plan things better, organise it more smoothly and add that extra jazz to your day.
Planning your wedding better:
Here are the tools you need to invest in for a smoother wedding planning experience:
1. Wedding planning tools
First things first. Planning a wedding is a tightrope where you need to maximise your wedding budget, with your ideas for perfection, getting the most out of all the vendors. And connecting with each and every one of them on your own is a very time-consuming process. This where a wedding planning tool, a wedding planning website or a wedding planning app comes into play. Add your budget, fine tune the amount you're willing to pay for each of the subheads, connect with the right vendors, keep on a checklist and keep notes - all on your device.
Consider some of the tools that are available on WeddingWire and see the difference they make to your planning process.
2. Seek inspirations
Whether you wish for a pastel lehenga or a blood red lehenga for your special day, it's important to keep an eye on the latest trends in the market. The best way to do that is to become good friends with your Instagram and Pinterest. Keep a track on the latest bridal lehenga designs, mehndi designs, floral jewellery, bridal kalire, wedding decor and wedding photo trends.
Follow the timelines of famous Indian wedding photographers, the biggest designers and your favourite stars. Then, see hacks on how to get them well within your wedding budget.
Communicate smoothly and seamlessly:
3. Set up a Wedding Website
You don't need to spill your details again and again to friends, relatives and everyone's who is curious about your wedding story.
Lay it all out on the new order of a communication - a personalised wedding website. This helps you both share your love story and provide important wedding information to your wedding guests. Your guests will appreciate having a website to refer to, and will love viewing your story again and again—even after the big day!
The expert touch would be to add a wedding hashtag and allow your website to read your social feeds. This would keep it updated and act as a repository for photos that everyone would click during different wedding functions.
And if you end up live streaming your wedding day, this is where everyone can go to, to access that feed.
4. Release a save-the-date video/wedding teaser:
You're getting married and you want everyone to know! Take the classy way (and save on the costs), by putting together a save-the-date picture or video. You can do it yourself, get a wedding photographer or a wedding videographer to put it together. This one visual can also be used as a digital invite and save immensely on the cost of invitations. If you believe in a physical invitation, this can be the much-needed stand-in till the time the cards come.
5. Invest in digital invitations:
E-wedding cards, digital invitations, even Whatsapp wedding invitations are all the rage. Whether you choose DIY wedding invitations or investing in an e-card vendor, you're bound to save a fortune in printing costs. You can use these invitations to be the first communication out, a follow-up or even a reminder near the big day.
6. Set up a wedding hashtag:
Use Facebook and Instagram and ask your guests to hashtag every pic they upload from your wedding! Create a wedding hashtag that combines your name with your spouse’s in a cute and unique way—you can also include your wedding date and/or location. Keep it creative and easy to remember.
7. Set up a wedding registry:
Yes, you only want your wedding guests to shower you with their blessings for your wedding. However, these blessings often come in a tangible form, which is cash or as wedding gifts. Instead of getting saddled with identical gifts or things that won't help you, let your guests know about the things you really need for your life ahead.
How? Set up an online wedding registry, which lists the kind of things you would appreciate as your wedding gifts. This also helps your friends and family combine on big-ticket items and plan your gifts better.
Technology inputs for your big day
8. Cover your event - 360
Talk to your wedding photographer and videographers on the best possible way to cover everything around your event. While earlier, this would have meant getting a large team of professionals around your wedding venue, you can now choose to do it, with a select few. Ask them for drones, a wedding photo booth and planned shoots (a getting ready shoot, portraits, candid and regular coverage).
The photobooth is a simple, yet an innovative way to cover your wedding, engage your wedding guests and get some great shots. Have a photo booth complete with masks and wedding props, and let your guest go crazy. You will have a wonderful collection of fun-filled wedding memories.
As an extension, give out a few selfie sticks, so that your guests can get some good, flattering shots of themselves.
9. Do a little for everyone who couldn't come
Have near and dear ones that can't make it for your special days? Don’t be disheartened.
You can live stream from the ground so that they can watch the wedding ceremony from afar. And after you're done, share select footage and pictures on your wedding website. You can also pen the experience and submit it to a wedding blog.
10. Star in your own films
Apart from the conventional wedding films and wedding videos, you can have a lot of fun with the footage for your big day. Discuss with your wedding videographer and set aside time for yourself, your family and friends to film their own bits. This can be heartfelt asides to your wedding story, or even a lip dub video, like the one above.
You can play these videos at the wedding reception for your guests. Just add some adorable pictures, write down some beautiful memories, and include some cute clips you have.
Being techno-savvy at your own wedding keeps you on track, lessens your headaches, spends and gives you the time you need for yourself, your loved ones and your day. It also ensures that everyone is talking about it, in the way you would want. We hope that these methods help you create the right notes.
Have other ideas? Share them with us in the comments below.
