Weddingbee Blog

No, not the romantic kind.

I’m talking about the hook-ups that save money and time. Throughout planning, Mr. Eggplant and I have been utilizing the entire talent pool of our family and friends. Two of our friends are singing and playing piano for the ceremony, another friend has built our website, and yet another is helping us create something akin to a wedding music video for our reception. We are thanking them with thoughtful gifts and a generous gift card to stores of their liking.

Brother Eggplant has also contributed to his big sister’s wedding. I’m fairly proficient with computers, but my little brother truly takes the cake when it comes to tech stuff. He’s a programmer by profession and full of tons of useful, nerdy knowledge. I’m so proud to be a big sis of such a bright yet humble brother.

Yesterday, I asked Brother Eggplant if it’s possible to code an online RSVP system for our wedding guests. Most of our guests sit in front of a computer all day, everyday so it’s more convenient for people to RSVP via the internet rather than taking a trip to the post office. Ever since online bill pay, I can’t even remember the last time I visited a mailbox. Well, one day after I asked Brother Eggplant about the online system, he sends me a mock-up of our RSVP page! That boy is quick.

Inside of our snail mailed invitations, the RSVP card will say something to the effect of:

The pleasure of your reply is requested by September __th
We have reserved __ seats for you
Please RSVP through our website at
http://www.[the eggplants’ website].com/rsvp
Your invitation code is __________

Our RSVP system will be password protected and everyone will receive a different RSVP code in their invitation. Once they visit the RSVP section of our page, they will see a field, asking for their invite code:

On the next page, the invite code will cause their names populate in the Guest Name field. Here, they can let us know if they will be coming and what they want to eat. If they are out-of-town guests, their invite code will populate a field asking them where they are staying and when they are arriving (so I know where to send the OOT packages, should I decide to make some).

After they complete the form and select Submit, their names will be entered into a MySQL database, which we can then gather information from.

This is just an initial, rough mock-up so it needs some tweaking, but you get the idea.

An online RSVP system is definitely not traditional and less formal, but I really like the convenience. Plus, our website was a labor of love, so now we’ll actually get some utility out of it. We’re also saving $50 on stamps. The site includes a link to our registry, should guests decide to take a peek. I had no plans to include registry information in our mailed invitation cards (I agree with the etiquette police on this one), but I also didn’t want to answer 200 inquiries about where we’re registered. Sending guests to our website was a good alternative.

Are any of you forgoing the traditional for tech-savvy options? What have been your family (or friend) hook-ups?