Wedding Tech Do’s and Don’ts
By Lindsey Romain - CTW Features | posted on March 23, 2012 at 7:00am
Thanks to technology, planning a wedding has never been easier! But before you go sending evites, here’s what you need to know about mixing technology with tradition
The virtual world is endless. Naturally, implementing virtual assistance into wedding planning is equally endless.How do curious brides and grooms-to-be decide what fun Internet wizardry to utilize on the big day and what’s better left alone? Here are some wedding tech dos and don’ts.
DO:
Use online services to help plan a wedding.
Websites like Google Wedding, The Knot and Wedding Wire are great places for wedding planning and inspiration, with ideas for themes and lists of vendors and registries, says Jeff Kear, founder of My Wedding Workbook, another online planning resource. Websites can hold more information than phone apps, so the majority of the planning and organization can take place there.
DON’T:
Send evites instead of invites.
Breaking tradition might be tempting, but print invitations really are the only way to go. “You want your guests to take your wedding as seriously as you do,” says Anna Post, co-author of “Emily Post’s Etiquette” (William Morrow, 2011).
Not everyone uses the Internet, so evites threaten to seclude older guests and relatives that are less tech-savvy. Also, the novelty of the printed invitation is something many guests will appreciate.
“A computer screen just doesn’t have the same gravitas,” Post says.
DON’T:
Use Twitter or Facebook to track RSVPs.
When it comes to the RSVP, avoid social media. “I do not recommend a situation when your wedding guest list is public,” Post says. “Who are you showing it to? All of the people who are not invited? It’s not even the traditional aspect – it could hurt someone’s feelings.”
Adds Kear: “If people are responding to you via Facebook, other Facebook friends might see messages and wonder why they weren’t invited, causing lots of unnecessary stress. It’s best to keep the RSVP process private so you can control it.”
DON’T:
Just use phone apps to help plan a wedding.
There are hundreds of apps available for use, ranging in price and in-depth features, but trying to fit every detail into a phone can be jarring and complicated. “Real planning requires a fair amount of data entry, and mobile phones are ill-fit for that,” Kear says.
DO:
Webcast your wedding.
Services like Ustream make it possible for long-distance or disabled invitees to sit in on a wedding from home.
“I think it can be a really cool way to keep the day focused on the people you love,” Post says.
Kear agrees. “Although there’s no substitute for being there in person, the people who can’t make it will still appreciate the gesture.”
DON’T:
Let a webcam dictate the ceremony.
Post recalls a story she heard about a grandmother watching a wedding via webcam and complaining about the sound the whole time. It’s wise to think ahead so that the technology doesn’t threaten the peaceful mood of the ceremony.
“If you’re using a webcam, it needs to be planned, and it needs to be pretty discreet,” says Post, who suggests having someone assist with taking the video and worrying about the technical difficulties so the wedding party doesn’t have to. “Definitely have your rent-a-geek on standby.”
