How 27 Event Profs Used Tech to Plan a Beautiful Wedding

Technology has been a buzz word in the wedding industry for several years. I remember when I was working with Weddington Way back in 2012 when they were innovating the way women shopped for bridesmaid dresses. Soon after came The Bach, the first planning website for bachelorette parties. Using online registries and designing your own wedding website became the norm. Then, following the lead of Rent the Runway, the wedding fashion rental market exploded and we got Menguin, Vow To Be Chic and Borrowing Magnolia, among others.

In 2014, I hosted the first wedding technology conference, which was soon followed byÂ Wed Tech Summit. Clearly, the wedding industry was adapting technologies in all its spheres in front of our eyes and the millennial couples wereÂ no longer willing or even able to plan a wedding the way their parents did before.

Still, even though many recognized the usefulness of using technology to manage such a big project as a wedding, the word technologyÂ carried an anti-artistic connotation that to some meant automated, not personalized and even cheap. Basically, ugly.

Earlier this summer, I DO PR along with 27 wedding vendors decided to change that perception and to use technology to create a truly beautiful wedding. We called itÂ Married in Tech.

Married in Tech is the first shoot of its kind! To really play off our techie theme, we staged it in the capital of tech – San Francisco – at the newest venue that embodied the idea of tech + beauty, The Pearl.

We used wedding tech startups Menguin, Weddington Way, Happily Ever Borrowed and Borrowing MagnoliaÂ to dress our entire bridal party head to toe. We used 43layersÂ to create custom 3D printed place cards, wooden vow cards and cocktail stirrers. We used a social media-enabled photo booth by Giggle & Riot. We partnered with a San Francisco-based PodoÂ Labs to use the world’s first stick-on camera. We even got our Menguin tuxes delivered to us by Uber.

: Stationary by Wedding Paper Divas

: 3D printed vow cards by 43layers

: Beautiful couple dressed in all rentas: Menguin tuxes, Borrowing Magnolia gown and Happily Ever Borrowed accessories

: Taking a selfie with Podo Labs camera

: Place cards by 43lyaers

: Social media-enabled photo booth by Giggle & Riot

: Fashion tech companies dressed us!

: Cake with flutes and knife from Newlywish registry

: San Francisco’s newest venue The Pearl with design by amazae events

Check out the video from the shoot by the brilliant Alex Kohn of IQ Videography:

The Pearl from IQvideography on Vimeo.

The shoot wasÂ shown live on KTVUÂ Morning News and the photos and video were also featured in Bridal MusingsÂ story 21st Century LoveÂ and on the Bridechilla Podcast‘s 200th anniversary show called Borrow, Don’t Buy.Â It’s been an exciting project and I hope it serves as inspiration for event professionals to embrace technology and innovation in their work.

I couldn’t have done this without the amazingÂ photography by Augie ChangÂ and by the following event profs:

VenueÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The Pearl SF

Designer Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â amazÃ¡e events

Wedding DressÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Borrowing Magnolia

TuxesÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Menguin

Bridesmaids DressesÂ Weddington Way

AccessoriesÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Happily Ever Borrowed

PhotoboothÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Giggle and Riot

StationaryÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Wedding Paper Divas

Stick-on CameraÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â PodoLabs

3D DecorÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 43Layers

RegistryÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â NewlyWish

Brideâ€™s cupÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Bridechilla Podcast

MUAÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Professional Makeup Artistry

FlowersÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Nicole Ha Design

LightingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Got Light

RentalsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Blueprint StudiosÂ andÂ Hensley Event Resources

LinensÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Napa Valley Linens

CakeÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â StudioCake

Fine JewelryÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Yael Designs

VideographyÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â IQvideography

About Sasha Vasilyuk

Sasha Vasilyuk is the founder of I Do PR and an award-winning journalist who has covered travel, culture and business for Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, San Francisco Chronicle and others.