Digital Age weddings: From audio guest books to social media creators,
the new trends for a plugged-in Big Day
Saoirse Hanley
Clever technology offers couples new ways of capturing all of the
special moments on their wedding day
The very first officially documented marriage took place in 2350BC in
Mesopotamia, now Iraq. Chances are that particular union had very little
pomp and ceremony, and there certainly wasn’t any way for the brides and
grooms of the Bronze Age to digitally store their guests’ loving messages.
But as wedding trends come and go, more and more couples are embracing
high-tech ways of marking their special day, and it’s becoming
commonplace to find unusual gadgets beside the prosecco station.
Some couples are embracing tradition by mixing old-school decor with
new-age tech. Take the audio guestbook, for example. When guests want to
leave a message for the happy couple, usually they’d have to make a note
in a book — now all they have to do is speak into a phone. To Have & To
Hear (tohaveandtohear.co.uk) is a Belfast company that sends out
vintage-style phones — which can either be plugged in or
battery-operated — where guests lift the handset to record their
messages. The messages are then saved onto a USB and sent back to the
newlyweds to listen back to when the confetti has all been swept up.
The result is presumably a heartwarming mix tape of joyful well wishes,
slightly-slurred speeches and hilarious in-jokes that only the brides
and grooms can understand. The business was set up by two musicians, who
valued sound so much in their lives and their own wedding, they decided
to bring it to the masses. Phone rental costs approximately €290.
To Have & To Hear vintage phone wedding message recording service.
For the couples who prefer a visual souvenir, fear not, Guestpix
(guestpix.com) fills that niche. The idea is simple: you set up a
welcome page, the company generates either a URL to send to guests or a
QR code to print and display, and family and friends can take photos
that upload directly to one photo album. Starting at €12, it’s a
cost-effective measure, too.
At the very least, a shared online album spares the guests from needing
to individually send their photos on — and spares the wedded pair from
having to chase them after their Big Day.
While it’s nice to have your loved ones capturing every angle of the big
day, some digital-age brides and grooms are opting to instead have a
third party on hand for behind the scenes. No, not the photographer they
hired, but rather a content creator who operates in tandem with them.
The Wedding Content Company (theweddingcontentcompany.com) set up by
Irish creator Áine Leech, makes sure to capture hours of wedding footage
and scenes before transforming them into Instagram-ready videos. Prices
typically range from €500 for engagement parties to €1,500 for full days
at a wedding, depending how many hours a couple would like.
Leech launched her business in the summer of 2023, having herself worked
in social media for over six years. “I had heard of people (influencers
and otherwise) trying to capture their own content on their wedding day,
which of course is added stress, or trying to teach a bridesmaid how to
do it,” she says. “It was really a match made in heaven. I love to get
to be a part of a couple’s big day and capture the fun,
behind-the-scenes moments really makes for a dream job.”
Creators like Leech are quietly on hand with a phone to capture things
like first looks, crowds gathering for the ceremony, a bridal party
putting finishing touches to the bride, and every errant tear that a
party’s crier thought nobody could see. The clips are then packaged into
videos that are the required shape and length to post to social media.
It’s a great way to have some polished content for the most social
media-savvy couple.7
The Wedding Content Company's Áine Leech shooting footage for social
media. Photo: Lucy Nuzum Wedding Photography
“The beauty of being a wedding content creator is that you really blend
in with guests as you’re not carrying around equipment as such. Given
that, you get to meet so many people and capture them at their most
comfortable,” Leech says.
If the wedding is more Oscars after party than love celebration — or the
newlyweds are particularly glamorous — a 360 degree rotating photo booth
can transform guests into celebrities for the night. Red carpets in
recent years have had one uniting feature: a revolving camera that
captures a 360 view of participants, with resulting slow-motion footage
that would make aunt Diane look like Cameron Diaz.
It’s a natural extension of traditional photo booths, which have been
staples of the wedding scene for years. The 360 version is just an
upgraded way for guests to take home their own snippets from the day.
Often, the video is put to music and sent directly to the guest’s email.
Rental of a 360 photo booth can cost anywhere between €400 and €4,500,
depending on location and duration of the hire.
A 360 photo booth isn’t the only way to capture a range of angles, as
drone videography is becoming more mainstream in holy matrimony. Top
Drone (topdrone.ie) is an Irish company that specialises in drone
footage and they’re available for wedding hire, managing to get dramatic
aerial shots of a bride’s walk up the aisle or guests finding their seats.
The Donegal-based company offers packages for just a few hours to a
whole day, and works closely with the couple to make a plan of action
that suits them best. With a focus on aerial filming and photography,
they won’t be able to capture everything, but working together with your
photographer (or content creator) they can get all the moments that
matter. Hire costs between €125 and €875.
“Drones provide a unique vantage point that traditional photography and
videography cannot achieve,” a representative says.
“If the wedding is set in a picturesque location, the drone can capture
breathtaking shots of the surrounding landscapes, such as mountains,
beaches, or gardens. Plus, it allows for creative and dynamic shots that
were previously difficult or impossible to achieve unless you were very
rich, famous and could hire a helicopter!”
When it comes to embracing technology for the big day, it’s not all
about gadgets and TikTok, though. Something that grew during the
pandemic but still has a place in 2024 is wedding live streaming. When a
guest is struck down with Covid, say, and can’t make the wedding, or
they’re away, or for whatever reason won’t be taking a seat at the pew
nor the table, a service allows you to stream the wedding online.
Wedding Moments (weddingmoments.ie), a Sligo company who offer
traditional photography too, have a livestream service that promises
“discreet” filming of the ceremony. It’s available as an add-on (€495)
once you’ve booked them for videography. You can extend it to cover
speeches and the first dance, too, and a recording becomes available
shortly after. You won’t need to worry about a random online audience
either as the video comes with password protection.
The boom in wedding tech follows trends like wedding websites and
hashtags. The former lets couples have an online base for any manner of
pertinent wedding information, be it a gift wish list, dress code or
even a portal to RSVP. The latter means any Instagram posted can easily
be found with one uniting tag to the post.
In a charming mix of old and new, a burgeoning wedding trend in 2024
looks set to be the ‘wedding newspaper’. Using a digital template, those
planning a wedding can put together a publication that guests are sent
before the big day. The paper can include information about the couple,
a running order for the day ahead, details of the wedding party — maybe
even a word search. It’s a personal way of both saving the date, as well
as a keepsake for those in attendance.
But there’s hope for the tech-phobic lovers, too, as many are still
opting for “plugged out” weddings, which see guests encouraged to keep
their phones out of their hands — at least for the ceremony.
Ironically, one of the big wedding trends in recent years neglects the
digital age entirely, with more and more couples choosing photographers
who shoot on film. The nostalgia factor is one draw, as well as the fact
it negates all of the more modern technology and keeps a tradition afloat.
But best of all, in the age of instant gratification, film development
takes time. So while the digital guestbook users can access their
content immediately, film photos from the day can only be accessed long
after the honeymoon is over. And if there’s one thing that can cure
holiday blues, it’s finally getting to look back at the day you said “I
do”.
https://www.independent.ie/life/digital-age-weddings-from-audio-guest-books-to-social-media-creators-the-new-trends-for-a-plugged-in-big-day/a627386281.html?hConversionEventId=AQEAAZQF2gAmdjYwMDAwMDE4ZC05NmZiLWNjZDAtOTQ4Yy1hNjg5ZDIyYzA0NTfaACRhOTI2NDIyNS1mODZkLTQ3MGMtMDAwMC0wMjFlZjNhMGJjZjTaACQ5ZGNjNmU4NC1iZThhLTQxMGEtOTYzMy0wY2UxOTExYWFlMTjHhYj9XLUMD8eW_L0eMCgnrE1YSbBxxF6bYd2rM5MFVQ&utm_campaign=IN:Daily&utm_content=zone_name&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=independent&utm_term=0-0
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