You Are Cordially Invited…to Scan This QR Code

Bet You Can't Guess Where This Will Take You!

By now just about everyone has seen those funky little white squares with random patterns of black speckles and dots.  They’re on web sites, on coupons, in ads and on packages.  They’re called quick response, or QR, codes.  Because nearly any kind of data or information, including links to websites and even online maps, can be encoded on them and most any recently-made smartphone with a camera and the proper app can decode them; they’re taking the world by storm.  What’s even cooler is that with a quick search for “QR Code generator” you can find a plethora of free tools to make your own QR codes that can be imported into anything you can drop a picture into!

Some folks who are a little more on the nerdy side – um, I mean prone to adopting technology early – have been using QR codes on their business cards to make entering their contact info and other details into smartphones easy.  But did you ever consider using a QR code on a party or wedding invitation?  If you did, then you’re geekier than us and we’d like to hear your ideas!  If you didn’t, don’t worry, because your friends here at 123Print did.  Here’s a few ideas:

Registry Information – QR Code Style

This one is kind of an etiquette call – some experts say don’t include registry info in wedding invitations, others say do it because it makes it easier for the guests and still other say to include it on a separate business card-size enclosure.  No matter how you decide to handle publicizing your registry, most retailers that do them provide access to them through the web.  Encode the address of your registry as a QR code so that guests can bring the list up on their phone when they’re in the store!  Some stores actually provide a pre-made QR code to make it even easier.

End Argeuments Over Asking for Directions with a QR Code

Unless everyone coming to your wedding is local and you’re not going to have to travel between the ceremony and the reception; chances are a map or two will end up coming into play.  You could certainly print out little maps and fold them into you invitations or put the maps on a website and direct guests to it.  But even better you could provide them with a QR code with the map encoded on it that they can open on their phone and have with them in their car.  Depending on their phone, the map may even sync with GPS and tell them how to get there.  Not all QR code generators work with maps and not all map services generate QR codes, but a search for “QR Code from Map” will provide the latest solutions.  If all else fails, create your map with an online map service, copy its URL and encode it to a QR code.

Make Sure Everyone Has Your Wedding Website in Their Pocket with a QR Code

As complicated as weddings can be these days having a wedding website or wedding blog is a great idea!  Unless you actually buy a domain that’s easy to remember; they can sometimes have really long and complicated URLs.  If you’ve ever tired to remember, and enter into a smartphone, a complicated URL you’ll know where we’re going with this!  So encode the URL of your wedding site or blog in a QR code and include it where you mention your site in your invitation.  This way guests can scan the code, save the site on their phone and have all the info about your wedding in their pocket everywhere they go!

But I Don’t Want That Ugly Thing on My Wedding Invitation

Unless you’re really stoked on technology chances are you think QR codes are ugly.  Yeah, they are.  No, emblazoning them on the front of your pretty wedding invitation probably won’t win you any design contests.  The simple solution is to use the back side of your invitation or a separate, smaller business card-size card to put any additional information – such as directions, your wedding website or registry information – on.  Just put the appropriate QR code next to the text and you can take full advantage of this technology and still have a traditional-looking wedding invitation.