WedShare * Daily is brought to you by the creative force behind personal wedding website service WedShare.com and contributing bloggers passionate about each of their own areas of focus and expertise in wedding planning and the wedding industry.
Online planning resources
{ Wedding Tech } is our blog's niche, but our contributors also cover all things wedding: eco-friendly ideas, inspirational boards, real weddings, and more.
Have comments? See a photo or quote we have improperly credited? Found a product, service, or vendor you would like us to review and blog about? Let us know!
Here’s an interesting idea I came across that you may want to check out. Wedzines is a company that will create a professionally designed wedding magazine just for you and your special day. Part showcase, part wedding program, part photo album, it’s your very own “publication” to celebrate your wedding.
A lot of the content on your wedding website could be incorporated easily in print form. And I especially like the idea of this as a carry-along guide for a destination wedding, or if you have several guests coming from out of town: lots of great stuff on the location could be highlighted in the “editorial” for your guests to peruse and use as a guide, along with all the great photos and stories about you and your sweetheart.
An interesting idea. Check out Wedzines.com for more information, quotes, and to see samples. And if anyone has used the service, I’d be interested to hear how you liked the results.
Wedding videography can capture your day like no other medium, preserving the sights, sounds, and action for you to enjoy together or with family and friends anytime. And in my opinion, when it comes to a really standout wedding video, it’s all about the creativity and editing. To see what I mean, check out the following very cool cinematic piece put together by Casey at Mind|Castle Studios and Patrick at Stillmotion Photo & Cinema for the wedding of Joyce and Raymond:
I came across this impressive piece on the exceptional Junebug Weddings blog, and I think it’s the perfect example of this style. Cinematic editing takes all those great details and imagery–many of which you will have missed yourself in the whirlwind blur of your day–and puts it into a beautiful moving visual collage to be preserved forever.
Such an absolute enjoyable piece to watch, and the fact that these video gurus did all the editing on the day of, at the wedding location itself, is even more impressive. Bravo!
Looking to give your big day photos a special finishing touch? How about having them printed on canvas, just like a priceless piece of art?
Love & Canvas is a brand new service created by members of an experienced photo-to-canvas printing company. Its focus is exclusively on helping nearlywed and newlywed couples print their wedding and engagement photos on canvas. Love & Canvas’s high-quality printers can print sizes up to 63″ x 42″, and they offer both rolled and gallery-wrapped mounting options.
Putting your photos on canvas is easy: just upload, select your specifications, and order. You can select your choice of mounting options, including rolled canvas (the most economical: just your canvas rolled up to be mounted on your own) and gallery-wrapped, which includes mounting hardware and a specialized coated finish.
Mounting options include rolled (left) and gallery-wrapped (right) with coated finish
Looks like a fantastic idea for showcasing your most cherished memories. Check it out!
It’s hard to beat video when it comes to reliving past moments; the sights, sounds, and action can take you back like no other medium. For my own wedding, our videography company created a highlights “reel” that compressed the entire day–from each of us getting ready in the morning at our respective locations to the last dance–in an entertaining, engaging, extremely well-edited fifteen minutes. Something like this is perfect for showcasing your big day or to relive the moments without boring yourself or your poor family and friends to death.
On the other hand, there’s nothing quite like the traditional wedding album when it comes to sheer portability and convenience. Wouldn’t it be great to somehow combine the two, with all the living action of video and at the same time all the portable, hold in your hand, share-anywhere ease of an album?
My Video My Voice is giving it a shot with innovative digital wedding albums. It’s a video…it’s an album…it’s both! The product itself looks and feels like a book, but when you open it up, it sports a 2.4 inch screen, a speaker, and a touch-menu to display 45 minutes of video in five separate chapters, divided up as you see fit. My fifteen-minute highlight reel could be one chapter, for example, the wedding toasts could be another, and still another could highlight the ceremony or first dance.
"Beach Chic", one of the designs for My Video My Voice's digital video albums
The company offers various sizes from the 8.5-inch x 10.75-inch keepsake album to the 5 x 7-inch save-the-date card/invitation. Check out the website to see all the features and style options available.
Different sizes are available, from keepsake album to save-the-date or invitation
One of the first things to consider when embarking on the wedding planning adventure is your guest count. How many guests will you be accommodating? Some couples opt for an intimate affair for privacy reasons. Some for practical simplicity. But for many, trimming the guest list and deciding who’s in and who’s out comes down to the budget. One of the largest factors of your overall wedding cost is your guest count, and as the guest count grows, the cost can get away from you pretty fast.
Extended family, coworkers, or significant others of friends might all be necessarily trimmed from your list because of budget reasons…or practical reasons as well–like great-Aunt Edna whose health won’t allow her to make the trip, or your cousin studying abroad with a budget crunch of his own. While these folks previously might have had to settle for second-hand stories and photos after the fact, today’s wedding tech solution comes to the rescue by allowing as many people as you like from anywhere in the world share the moments of your special day…live, as it happens, right online!
MarryMeLive is a new and growing wedding webcasting company that helps couples share their wedding globally, by providing an end-to-end service to broadcast your big day live over the Internet. Depending on your wedding location, the company can come to your wedding site and handle everything for you–from the camera setup to the network connection to the end viewers’ private viewing pages. Or, if you’re outside their service area, they can rent you the whole setup–camera, tripod, computer, software, etc.–and ship it to your site, all ready to be interfaced with their online service. For the DIY couple, MarryMeLive can guide you through the steps of using your own laptop and webcam or digital camcorder with their service. In all cases, you get full technical support and a great way to share the day with any number of viewers.
Friends and family unable to attend your wedding can now watch your ceremony and even reception live at home on their computer, by accessing a private login page. Your virtual guests can even chat online with each other while viewing and sign an online guestbook.
This is a really practical, affordable, and fun way to share your big day with as many people as you like…right as it happens. I urge everyone to check it out. Visit MarryMeLive.com for more information, and for the latest scoop follow them on Twitter and Facebook as well.
As anyone who knows me can tell you, I love stories. I love telling them, listening to them, and sharing them. Stories are everywhere, too: whether around a campfire, in a book, on the movie screen, with friends over dinner…even at work in the neighboring cubicle, borne on all-too-audible gossipy whispers.
The love of a good story is something we all share. We also share the fact that each of our lives are incredible stories themselves, and we share the media on which those stories are told. Your family and childhood photos tell a story, as do your doodles, journals, and diaries over the years (well okay, some of us write down more than others). The snapshots you take throughout your relationship and engagement tell a story. Your wedding website is a great storyteller, along with–of course–your wedding photo album, both with which you can share the story of your big day.
A growing trend in photo albums is the so-called coffee-table book, essentially a hardcover or softcover bookstore-quality bound version of your photo album, the latest of which incorporate high-quality graphics design so that your imagery is laid out less like plain columns of photos and more like magazine pictorials. I’m a big fan of this photojournalistic approach, as the emphasis is on–you got it–the story behind the photos. Pepper the spreads with commentary, quotes, and captions, and the story of your engagement and wedding really come to life.
Your photographer may have an option like this available for you. And there are now services on the web enabling you to design and produce your very own quality photo books. In most cases, you download the software editor that they offer, select your photos and arrange your pages as you like, then submit the final version to the service for production. What a great way to tell the story of you, as a keepsake for years to come!
Include engagement and childhood photos, even photos submitted by your guests, and make it an all-inclusive storybook. Rates and turnaround time for these services are extremely reasonable, and you can produce as many copies as you’d like: give a copy as a gift to your parents, for example. Check out these samples from a few of my top picks:
As a bride-to-be with no experience in hiring photographers (except for the one I chose for my senior high school picture), the task of finding one to capture one of the most important days of my life seemed impossible. There are so many photographers out there, where would we begin?
At the advice of my boss, I treated this task just as I would for a project. I researched, documented and reviewed before making this decision.
Research
1. I used the internet to search for local photographers in wedding websites such as theknot.com, weddingchannel.com, etc. I also went to bridal events and expos to talk to photographers and view their albums. And there’s nothing like word-of-mouth. If you know anyone who’s gotten married recently, or know someone who knows someone - get their opinion!
2. I went directly to some of the photographer’s websites to view their style and quality of photography.
3. For those that had pictures and styles I liked, I searched reviews for them on wedding websites like weddingwire.com and searched their company name on Google to find anything else about them.
Spreadsheet
1. On the spreadsheet, we had 7 columns: Company Name, Contact Info, Pricing for package of 8 hrs & 2 photographers, Additional stuff package includes, Initial Review, Post-Interview Comments, Rating.
2. For each of the photography companies that we were mildly interested in, we completed our spreadsheet, making sure to be completely honest in the Initial Review column where we described what we think of the photos we had seen online or if we met them at a bridal event/expo - what our first impressions were. Based on our first impressions, we started contacting photographers.
Interviews
1. Initial contact was always made by email - verifying pricing and experience taking photos at our venues.
2. If the price was around our range, and they had experience with our venues, then we made phone calls - to get a sense of the photographer’s personality. Sometimes you can tell if they really care about what you want for your wedding or if they really want you to spend as much money as they can get from you (sometimes it’s really obvious, it’s almost like talking to someone trying to sell you a car…). All this info was added onto our spreadsheet under Post-Interview Comments.
3. For those with more easy-going personalities that clicked with us, we went for face-to-face interviews to view pictures they’ve done at our venues, talk about photography styles, and of course the details of our wedding. By then we went on to rate those that we met with.
Decision
Using our spreadsheet, comparing the ratings of those that we interviewed face-to-face, prices and what the packages included - we made our decision.
FYI for those in the Seattle area, we went with Jen and Jody Photography (www.jenandjody.com). They met all our requirements and more. They also are such great people, we already know we’re going to enjoy working with them!
In an effort to stand out and do something different for their wedding, couples are getting very creative, and it’s really fun to see what they’re coming up with these days. I’ve seen nearlyweds take the time to make some of the cutest save-the-dates and wedding invitations ever, and one growing trend in this area is the stop-motion video. These take hours of work, but with a little planning and lots of patience the results can be something that’s surely unforgettable, totally personal and as unique as you can get.
All you really need is access to a digital camera, a computer with enough space to load your photos on, and a video editing software to create your stop motion video. You can use a tripod to set your camera in place for a better quality video, and just shoot away or have someone take the pictures for you. Remember, have a basic plan on how you want your save-the-date or invitation to progress, sketched out beforehand; it’ll make things so much easier for you. There are lots of articles and how-to videos out there that can help you make these cute stop motion videos. Just do a search for the keywords “how to make a stop motion video” to get some great tutorials.
There’s a number of free and shareware video editing software for Windows and Mac, such as Windows Movie Maker and JPGVideo freeware for PC, or iMovie for Mac. Give them a try!
Making a stop motion save-the-date or wedding invitation video is a great way to be eco-friendly as well. Just post your creation on your personal wedding website, blog or favorite video sharing site such as YouTube or Vimeo instead of printing and mailing them the traditional way.
The following fun and clever stop motion wedding videos are some of my absolute favorites. Enjoy!
Once upon a time, when I was married–oh, many ages ago back in the early 2000’s–it was but the dawn of the digital photography age. Like the 1950’s, when steam locomotives still shared the railways with their young upstart diesel counterparts, it was a time of technological transition. A number of our guests flashed newfangled, expensive, digital cameras at the event, but many more had brought along their good old, trusty film cameras. On each table of our reception we’d also placed disposable film cameras for guests to use and leave, to provide us with wonderful candids from all their different perspectives. Great idea, right? Appropriate?
Come on, you’re saying. Lots of people do that. Disposable cameras on the table are practically a wedding tradition; what’s the big deal? Correction: everyone used to do that, and it used to be a tradition, just as we used to use film cameras. Step out of the dark ages and into the new! If you haven’t already heard about Canditto, then here’s a bit of wedding tech you’re going to love. And unlike the stack of often unidentifiable, often blurry, 4 x 5’s from those disposables at my own wedding (many of which suspiciously seemed to have been taken by my 12- and 8- year old kid sisters), the candids you’ll add to your collection will be high-resolution, digital photos from a real variety of perspectives.
I recently learned about Canditto via a fellow blogger and self-proclaimed gadget geek, and I was immediately sold. In a nutshell, it’s a little self-serve kiosk device that you set up at your reception where guests can slip in their camera memory cards and, presto! You’ve got their high-res, digital, photos immediately. The device is super-easy to use, with patented elements that make it straightforward for even the tech-phobic or intoxicated guest. Yes, I said intoxicated…the creators of Canditto actually tested the product at events with over 400 drunk revelers. Basically, it’s got three big indicators for the copy steps: “Inset Media Card”, “Processing…Please Wait”, and “Copy Complete, Please Remove Media Card”. It’s easy, simple, and it works.
Makes it easy for guests to share their photos immediately
If you think about it, the idea just makes sense. Practically everyone has a digital camera these days, and even the least expensive ones have a resolution and image quality leaps and bounds above those cheap plastic throwaways. Which images would you prefer to have? Plus, it’s immediate: you have the imagery right after the wedding, you don’t have to wait for processing, and you don’t have to bug and prod your family and friends to upload their shots to Facebook or give you a burned CD. There’s no issue with cameras walking out on their own (even if you tell guests outright to leave the cameras on the table–kinda tacky–you will still manage to lose some). And in my experience, the disposables are often used as an afterthought by guests…the real shots are taken with their own cameras, the ones they carry around with them throughout the ceremony and reception and even bring out onto the dance floor. Those are the shots you want.
Renting and using Canditto
The way Canditto works is that you rent the gadget (they’re not for sale), receive it in the mail, use it at your event, and then ship it back. All the shipping is free, and the photos are stored in two flash drives (one for backup) that you keep. The cost is around twice what you’d spend to purchase the disposables and then process the pictures, but it’s still pretty low, and–just as I wrote in “e-Plan Your Wedding” regarding hiring your photographer–if there’s one area of your budget that you want to splurge on, it’s the photography. This included. These are images you’ll have for life, the most long-lasting mementos of your big day. When comparing the disposable and digital options, to which would you entrust your precious moments?
Photo credits: Product imagery of disposable wedding cameras from beaucoup.com. Product imagery of Canditto device and screenshot of steps for Canditto use from canditto.com
An interesting idea. Check out Wedzines.com for more information, quotes, and to see samples. And if anyone has used the service, I’d be interested to hear how you liked the results.![[del.icio.us]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[LinkedIn]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[MySpace]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Reddit]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[Sphere]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/sphere.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Webride]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/webride.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://daily.wedshare.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=880b1b80-8c71-46b7-bc88-db09b16288e3)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=63f9259e-e6a1-4f97-9e90-4ba43e7608ed)
