Ask Slashdot: Techie Wedding Invitation Ideas?

Qa32 writes "I am getting married in a few months and being a hardcore techie I wanted to come up with some novel way of making my wedding invite that will truly have even my mom say, 'wow, that was cool.' Has anyone out there done anything similar, or have you thought of something similar you'd like to share? I already have a few: have QR codes, have some basic embedded circuit/plate with wire leads that maybe plays a song when you connect a battery, have a way to turn up a display LCD, etc."

Comments

Expect a knock on the door...

[lewko]

If you send your wire-laden invitation to anyone's workplace and they have mailscanning, the building will likely be evacuated, your invitation destroyed and someone will be pissed off at you for not inviting them to your wedding.

Keep It Simple

[excelblue]

It's a wedding. Those are supposed to be big, formal events.

Sure, you can have a bit of fun, but you got to keep in mind that not everyone is necessarily a geek. The QR code by itself, coupled with an otherwise elegant card, will more than suffice and drive across the point that you're geeky.

Re:Keep It Simple

[mikael_j]

Why are they supposed to be "big, formal events"?

Re:Keep It Simple

[Inda]

Mine was a tiny event. Very close friends, only family that talk to us. No grandparents, no uncles, no one who just likes a free day out.

35 people witnessing _our_ day was perfect.

Married at 12:00pm. All done by 4:00pm. The evening to ourselves. No one drunk. No one arguing. No tiredness. No excess. No shite music. No debt to pay off over the next ten years.

I'd recommend that type of wedding to everyone.

It's our 15th year of being together

Re:Keep It Simple

[Joce640k]

No debt to pay off over the next ten years. I'd recommend that type of wedding to everyone.

Edited to emphasize the important bit.

Re:Keep It Simple

[MightyYar]

I'm male, and a geek, but I'm also married. I personally think that marriage is silly, and the whole wedding business even more so.

That said, the idea that a woman who dreams of a big wedding is a "bimbo" is just hilarious. It's what little girls do when they role-play. A woman who has a different opinion than you (or me) is not a "bimbo". I have no doubt that there are plenty of women who do not dream of grand weddings, but it's not a character flaw if they do.

Another broken marriage...

[Anonymous Coward]

I am married and I can tell you that it is almost impossible to continue with beeing geek after a marriage. When you get a wife that needs attention and maybe some kids after some time and you are becoming responsible for maintaining them, it is very little time left.

A big love for geek things will be in contradiction to marriage in one way or another. My tips is to drop the geek things already now or reconsider if you should marry at all.

Re:Well, looks like you did one thing right....

[Ihmhi]

Just because CmdrTaco left doesn't mean that he doesn't still have access to the Geeknet Orbital Ion Cannon...

Christ , for a wedding you need to make an effort

[Viol8]

If you're getting married and want your friends and family to come I don't think its asking too much to use a phone, get a pen out or even get proper invitations created that you send by snailmail. Doing it online is all very well but just like email xmas cards , it really sends out a kind of "meh , whatever" message - that you couldn't really be bothered to make much effort and 1 minute in front of a PC is all your F & F are worth.

Re:Christ , for a wedding you need to make an effo

[d3ac0n]

So what's wrong with options?

I agree that sending out cards is certainly appropriate and proper, as is including rsvp cards. HOWEVER: Also including a URL, email address, or social media method of response is certainly appropriate. That allows your guests the maximum number of response paths, and lets them choose which one they are most comfortable with using. It shows thoughtfulness for your guests, and puts the onus for the extra labor on yourself, thus showing that your guests are worth the effort.

Also, to the original question writer, if you are the guy, remember that if you want to do something special and cool for the invitations:

A) Respect your fiance's wishes. If she doesn't like the idea, DROP IT.
B) If she does like the idea, OWN IT. Ensure that you take complete responsibility for compiling the guest list, gathering the snail mail addresses, packaging and sending the invitations, and collecting and collating the responses. Don't shut her out, of course, but take the lead in getting your cool idea done. Trust me, she has more than enough to do to get ready for the wedding, taking one of the most tedious and boring jobs off her plate will be greatly appreciated.

If you are the girl, well then I guess the same general rules apply, but be aware that you will be making lots more work for yourself, unless your man is majorly into handling some other aspect of the wedding, or you guys are taking a more egalitarian approach to the wedding than most western folks do.

Regardless, Congratulations and I wish you both all the best in your future life together. Also, always remember; True Love isn't something we are "in" as though it were a trap to fall into. True Love is a conscious choice we make every day to set our partner's needs ahead of our wants. As long as both partners do that every day, a solid marriage follows. Good luck you two!