ON MAY 2, when Jenny Chen and Kenny Song got married beside a lily pad-dotted pond at a Napa Valley vineyard, the event certainly honored the adage “something old, something new.” Forty-four guests hobnobbed in real life at cocktail hour, but all were vaccinated or just-tested. And when signing the marriage license, the couple, both resident physicians, broadcast the act to folks as far away as Taiwan from the venue’s WiFi-enabled wine cave.
Ms. Chen and Mr. Song’s virtual guests watched the stream by pulling up the couple’s page on the wedding-planning site Zola, the same site they’d used to access the gift registry and invitations. Welcome to the summer of the hybrid wedding—a blending of traditional nuptials with high-tech strategies perfected for remote events during the pandemic.
“ You can virtually ‘walk’ 360 degrees around the dress, appraising it from every angle, right there in your living room ”
When Covid-19 handed the wedding industry lemons, it made lemon-drop martinis, and fast—finding ways to let couples choose tasty cakes, scrutinize dresses and welcome guests remotely. Now, as we move past the days of Zoom-only nuptials, wedding planners say many of these convenient and efficient virtual strategies remain popular with their clients.
“After this, there is no going back to how we used to do it,” said Jung Lee, an event planner and founder of virtual wedding registry site Slowdance. In fact, 90% of its interactions with clients now start online, she added, up from only 30% pre-pandemic. “From a time efficiency standpoint, it really works,” she said. In a recent survey, Zola found that 49% of wedding vendors believe wedding streaming to faraway guests will continue through 2022 and beyond.
Engaged couples are also enjoying more freedom when it comes to expressing a desire for non-toaster gifts. Rather than signing up only at Bloomingdale’s, they are increasingly opting for flexible online registries that let them specify items from any retailer that has a webpage. At Zola and the Knot, guests have the option of donating GoFundMe-style to the honeymoon or a down payment on a home.
Slowdance will even “hold” registry purchases, shipping the gifts only when a couple is settled at home post-matrimony. The hold service also lets newlyweds swap an item for something preferable—helpful when your aunt buys you a lone Champagne coupe you’ll never use. Beatrice Volkmar, an accessories buyer who will host around 200 live guests and 50 virtual ones at her June wedding, opted for Slowdance’s hold service “so you don’t get bombarded with packages and you can get everything you [actually] want,” Ms. Volkmar said.
Meanwhile, David’s Bridal, the country’s largest chain of wedding-dress stores, has whirled on its bejeweled heel, increasing its focus on virtual assistance. You can now make a Zoom appointment with the chain’s stylists and let up to 100 dearly beloved friends and family help you say “yaaas” to the dress. Its website also offers 24/7 help from live agents, should groomzillas jolt awake at 3 a.m., panicked that their bow ties don’t quite match their cummerbunds. You can even use your mobile phone’s camera to see an array of 86 David’s Bridal gowns on models—and “walk” 360 degrees around them, appraising the dress from every angle, right there in your living room.
Even cake strategizing is going remote. Last April, the owner of bakery Creative Cake Design by Tammy Hodge in Wilmington, N.C., began charging $100 to overnight squares of four cake flavors and six fillings to clients’ doors in advance of a Google Meet tasting. Ms. Hodge has done 83 virtual tastings, including one with Johanna Morgan, a medical technology salesperson. “It came via FedEx, ” said Ms. Morgan, who will marry this October. “The lady handed me the box and I jumped for joy—I knew exactly what it was.” The winner? An almond cake with a coffee-infused filling. And she made the pivotal decision “in the comfort of our home, and in comfy clothes.” Nothing borrowed, no one blue.
Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
The Link LonkMay 25, 2021 at 02:11AM
https://www.wsj.com/articles/weddings-are-back-new-apps-and-websites-make-planning-easy-11621883488
Weddings Are Back: New Apps and Websites Make Planning Easy - The Wall Street Journal
https://news.google.com/search?q=easy&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment