Wedding Tech Trends

How Tech is Influencing Weddings in 2020

Wedding Technology

"Technology will continue to make large impacts on weddings in 2020. One of the behind-the-scenes impacts is that event businesses are using smarter technology to streamline inventory management and online transactions. As vendor management software is getting more and more advanced, the end experience for clients is so much better. For example, just a few years ago, you saw brides and grooms always signing physical contracts and paying via check when they dealt with rental vendors, but now they are able to sign and pay online which speeds up their booking process. Mobile apps and social media also assist people who are getting married with picking a venue, finding vendors, setting up a registry, and creating a budget. New shopping features on Pinterest and Instagram are helping brides and grooms understand what their dream vision may cost, which is lessening the effect of the former stereotype of a ?Pinterest Bride? who saw things outside her budget, but was unaware of t heir unrealist ic expect at ions."

Karen Gordon, VP, Growt h, Goodshuffle Pro

"As in years past, we continue to see a strong trend towards technology adoption in the wedding industry, and we only see the trend getting stronger as our world, in general, becomes a more tech-savvy environment. Where wedding professionals were once only using technology for only certain aspects of their business, they are now leaning in towards adopting technology for every aspect of their business. Wedding pros are using technology to not only manage their business, lead management and booking process, they're also using technology to improve the entire planning process from start to finish."

Christ ina Farrow, President / Founder, Aisle Planner

"With the initial round of Generation Z couples entering the wedding market, we?re going to see a customer that is entirely tech-dependent. Wedding couples and their vendor teams will be switching from paper and pencil to the all-digital approach which streamlines their processes and makes the collaborative aspect of planning that much quicker and easier for all involved"

Sandy Hammer, Co- Founder and CMO, AllSeated

"While the industry as a whole has been slowing shifting, 2020 will be the year that the majority of wedding professionals will transition to going paperless. In the past, most wedding professionals accept payment by check, a faxed or scanned contract and communication styles that do not jive with the couples getting married today. A new decade means a higher set of expectations and and couples wanting more streamlined services and communication.

Nora Sheils & Elizabeth Sheils, Co- Founders, Rock Paper Coin

Top Wedding Tech Trends

Technology will be all the rage in 2020! It's making events grander and lives easier. As businesses automate things like billing and payments, inventory tracking, and more, they'll be able to better serve their clients one on one, which is just one way technology is able to actually increase person-to-person contact. They also will start being able to convey looks online easier with website inventory plugins, VR powered floor plans, and more. Some fun tech that will be involved in weddings, receptions, and activations are wearable tech like heart rate monitors (to see the adrenaline pumping during the ceremony!), drone wedding photography for incredible birds-eye views, VR and 360 video booths, digital guestbook apps, wedding cake projection mapping, and more. 2020 will be seeing lots of new and improved technology to further the theme of individuality across the wedding indust ry.

Karen Gordon, VP, Growt h, Goodshuffle Pro

Couples are expecting faster responses and thanks to the increased accuracy and speed of Chatbots, they are going to get just that. Expect more companies to embrace the use of them on their site- and happier customers as a result.

Sandy Hammer, Co-Founder and CMO, AllSeated

We predict that technology specific to our industry will continue to evolve. The emphasis will focus on automation, communication and collaboration to improve efficiencies within organizations and improve the client experience.

Christina Farrow, President/Founder, Aisle Planner

We expect to see tech brought into events to enhance the guest experience. Some examples I am excited about are 3d photo booths, projection mapping to completely transform a space with lighting alone, and silent drones to capture breat ht aking foot age.

Nora Sheils & Elizabeth Sheils, Co-Founders, Rock Paper Coin

We are seeing businesses in the wedding space engage technology more readily and proactively, investing in building their personal tech stack to better serve their back-office needs as well as improve the overall client experience. Couples are relying more and more on technology to find their vendor partners, plan their weddings and engage their guests..

Christ ina Farrow, President / Founder, Aisle Planner

Technology is being used to digitally and collaboratively design floorplans, manage guest lists, timelines, arrange seating charts, and design tabletops. In addition, the rise in the use of virtual reality for venue and layout tours continues to increase in popularity which is revolutionizing the way weddings are planned today as well as breaking open the destination wedding planning market which continues to be a quarter of the weddings in the market.

Sandy Hammer, Co-Founder and CMO, AllSeated

Event Industry Technology with Sandy Hammer

CO- FOUNDER AND CMO, ALLSEATED

What are some of your top tech predictions for 2020?

Virtual reality will continue to push into the industry allowing venues to provide walkthroughs virtually from anywhere in the world even without the use of VR Goggles as clients will be able to utilize their iPads and laptops to feel as though they are standing in a venue space.

Video streaming will allow guests who are unable to attend to view and be apart of the event in real-time as everything unfolds, no need to wait for the photos to come back from the photographer.

As safety and security continue to be a top priority for both event industry companies and their clients we will see an increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) in training employees. Fortune 500 companies like Walmart have already been using VR for several years to train and prepare their staff creating a successful environment for not only the customer but also employee retention and confidence.

Wearable tech will be popular among guests and couples as we all find it hard to part with our phones. Companies are creating beautiful, luxury bracelets and rings that can track fitness, deliver mobile alerts and even help with a guided meditation to help brides stay calm without the bulk of a watch or tracker. To make sure no one has a drained battery elegant clutches are donning the ability to charge your phone right where you would normally keep it. For the grooms and groomsmen, they can get away with still donning their favorite Apple watches but you can step up the style with an elevated watch band.

Tech For Couples

"As much as couples have wanted ?instagrammable? moments on their Big Day, we?re now seeing a move towards encouraging guests to be in the moment, instead of on their phones. The industry is also pushing back, especially since the open letter from wedding photographers to amateur phone photographers went viral earlier in 2019. While phones will still, of course, be present at weddings, expect a marked decline in guests?time spent on them.

With the majority of planning taking place online either on a desktop/laptop with mobile quickly becoming the favorite way to search wedding professionals need to have a positive and updated social presence on each platform. Also, wedding professionals need to ensure that their site is mobile friendly.

Both Instagram and Pinterest will continue to lead the way with inspiration for engaged couples eager to search the platforms and follow certain hashtags to stay in the know. The social media channels will also play a bigger role is assisting the consumer with the selection of their wedding day team. With that in mind, event professionals will make it a priority to circulate their work on key hashtags in an effort to be more readily discovered by prospective clients."

Sandy Hammer, Co- Founder and CMO, AllSeat ed

"Social media will impact weddings in a number of ways in 2020. We?ll be seeing lots of unique and creative wedding hashtags as well as more ?unplugged? ceremonies, which will make photographers?jobs easier. We will also see couples sharing their experience with more people in a number of ways, including live streaming, live updates, and a collection of photos through the use of their hashtag. People will also be using social media to find and vet vendors, which means decor and rental companies will have to take this into account when creating their social media presences. With Pinterest becoming so popular, there will be a rise in creativity and the desire of ?Pinterest perfection?. Because Pinterest and Instagram have shopping features, we predict that "Pinterest brides and grooms" won't be such a problem for events professionals. Rather than just seeing Pinterest-perfect weddings and receptions that are out of their budgets and blindly requesting them, these couples should now be better educated on how much things realistically cost.

In 2020, wedding professionals will be using technology in a multitude of ways. Drone wedding photography and hologram/ GIF photo booths will be huge. On the planning side, wedding professionals will be conducting outreach on social media and also utilizing simple, easy-to-use, effective websites. Transparency has become the way of the world, so it is important that vendors use technology to be transparent about their pricing, policies, and services. Younger generations expect to find out all the information that they need at the click of a button from their phones, and are likely to abandon and vendors who make that difficult. These companies should use positive reviews received to boost credibility online and increase their market reach as well. 2020 will also see a rise in apps used to reach wedding planners through messaging, etc. and an increased Pinterest and Instagram presence. This digital age has brought with it a deeper sense of community, which is emphasized through social media and the Internet. By playing into these communal feelings, wedding professionals can invoke trust in their clients and increase their transparency and authenticity."

Karen Gordon, VP, Growth, Goodshuffle Pro

Wedding Business Tech with Rob Farrow

FOUNDER OF AISLE PLANNER

Is there anything that was huge in 2019 that you're seeing a decline in for 2020?

In 2019 there was a lot of emphasis on marketplaces and customer acquisition. We're not anticipating that will decline dramatically, but we do anticipate it will become a part of a larger story that includes more targeted marketing.

What is social media's impact looking like for 2020 in weddings?

Social media will continue to be a powerful part of the wedding industry, and even more so moving forward. How could it not? Collectively, it has a big impact on every aspect of weddings, from design and inspiration to business best pract ices and more.

How are wedding professionals using technology in 2020?

The improved client experience enabled by technology is what clients have come to expect. Wedding pros who have invested in technology for their businesses have already seen positive effects. It's hard to imagine any true "professional" not engaging tech to manage their back- office and client relat ions.

Tech Trends in the Wedding Industry

WITH NORA SHEILS & ELIZABETH SHEILS, CO- FOUNDERS, ROCK PAPER COIN

How is technology impacting weddings planned for 2020?

Technology has a huge influence on every industry, and weddings are no different. Throughout the years much has changed when it comes to wedding planning trends but one thing has remained the same...it is as exciting as it can be stressful! Enter wedding technology to simplify the process. From streamlining the booking process, to managing vendors, timelines and due dates, sharing documents on a cloud, there are a variety of applications to ease the stress and allow couples more time to enjoy this special time.

What are some of your top tech predictions for 2020?

Planning-wise, we predict more usage of virtual reality. Needs for a mock up or walk through will decrease when couples can view an incredibly realistic image of their event space and design scheme virtually. With a rise in destination weddings and couples planning from a distance, this will really make an impact.

Is there anything that was huge in 2019 that you're seeing a decline in for 2020?

Out with the old, in with the new. Wedding trends quickly come and go, and there are some we can?t wait to go away fast enough! We loved utilizing neon signage in 2018 and 2019, but it has been so overdone that I expect a decline. Same with plexiglass signage - fun while it lasted, but it?s getting a little tired.

How are wedding professionals using technology in 2020?

Not enough professionals are currently utilizing technology to run their business and we expect that to change drastically in 2020! The industry is comprised mostly of creative artists, running small to medium sized businesses. While incredibly skilled, many do not spend time on the business side of things and use fragmented or outdated services to get the job done. 2020 brings with it more resources and user friendly options to help streamline business workflows and allow more time for creativity rather than the nitty gritty paperwork.