Find your dress style, keep your guests happy and even relive your big day afterwards with the latest virtual reality tech
Technology, eh? What would we do without it? There’s even a whole host of gadgets and apps out there designed to assist prospective brides and grooms with the planning (and the celebrating!) of weddings. We’ve scoped out the best techno treats on the market to give you the heads-up on what’s hot in the App Store and beyond:
LookLook’s Gif Booth
Booking a photobooth to entertain your guests has become an absolute wedding must-have. And while a strip of funny pics will certainly make you laugh, how about a GIF to instantly upload to your social media? The brains at LookLook Photobooths have developed the GIFGIF booth that takes a quick burst of pictures and merges them into a short, quirky video. This is then sent to participants via text message to share on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
Digital DJing
If you’re keen on being the master of your own playlist on the day, booking a band or a DJ might not be up your street. Cast your eyes and ears over Soundrobin. The app, which is linked to Spotify, allows you to build your own completely unique playlist for the wedding reception – and, with access to more than 20 million tunes, you’ll be spoiled for choice. If you’re pushed for time, save yourself the hassle and ask your mates to line up the biggest and best beats for you.
A charging table
Smartphones these days, as useful as they are, are likely to burn out thanks to all those fancy apps we can’t do without. Imagine the horror of a 10% battery warning flashing up on your guests’ screens just before the first dance: there would be a riot. So why not corner off an area in your venue and pack it full of phone chargers for a battery boost? A quick 20-minute blast will ensure not one moment of the action is missed.
‘Appy dress shopping
In a tizz about which style of wedding dress to go for? Thanks to the creative technology at Wedding Reality, you can virtually ‘try on’ more than 300 different styles. Simply upload an image of yourself then create your dream dress by choosing the shape, neckline, material and details to suit your body. You’ll have complete control over the fabric, style and colour of the dress, so you can tell straight away if a ballgown works on your frame, and if you’ll suit that blush hue you’ve had your eye on.
Streaming your wedding worldwide
Having family all over the globe can be a great excuse to travel, but it also means that some important people might miss out on celebrating with you on your wedding day. With Periscope, you can live-stream the event for family members who can’t make it. Enlist a member of the bridal party to begin the stream, allowing you enjoy the day. As Stewart Russell of Periscope says, “Having someone to act as your broadcaster on the wedding day, to capture getting ready and the toasts and so on, means you can really enjoy the celebration while still sharing it with faraway family.” Just don’t forget to remind everyone of your timings: “Let people know in advance when you’re going live – and from which account – so they can be ready to tune into your biggest moments,” he recommends.
Paperless stationery
“Couples around the world are communicating in ways that are savvier, greener and all-round more efficient because of digital stationery,” claims Alex Kelsey at Greenvelope, an innovative paperless stationery company. “But the best part of going paperless is that guests can still have the experience of opening a formal wedding invitation.” If you’re looking to save paper but still love stunning stationery, going digital could be for you. Simply choose your design, compile your guest list and then send over your beautiful invitations. Even though these will be fully digital, they’ll offer all the texture, foil, artistry and beauty of traditional designs.
Virtual reality wedding videos
A wedding video is great – but what if you could relive your day from every angle? Masters of virtual reality in the wedding world, the team at 360° Wedding Story will record your day on their state-of-the-art cameras, catching all the action from multiple points of view, so you can celebrate the whole thing again and see all the bits you missed. And, with the help of a virtual-reality headset, you’ll be fully immersed. “Viewing the 360° footage of your wedding day can be immensely powerful and can trigger far more emotive responses than traditional films,” says the company’s Marc Forrester. Ceremony footage is also available on the night for reception guests. So cool!