by Mark Jeffries, Special to Maverick Magazine
There’s no debating the fact that technology has changed the face of many of society’s most long-standing institutions and practices. Dating, for example, has moved online, with more people meeting for the first time on websites like eharmony.
com and match.com. Education has also changed dramatically, as students from grade school to college are taking classes online and using computers for everyday research and studying. Few things, however, have changed as much as weddings. While brides still toss the bouquet, fathers still walk their daughters down the aisle and couples still say “I do,” almost everything else related to weddings
has become increasingly high-tech over the past decade.
The changes for brides and grooms start during the planning phase. Websites like marthastewartwedding.com, theknot.com and stylemepretty.com are helping couples research every aspect of their big day with just the click of a mouse. Pinterest.com is an increasingly popular social media platform that allows members to collect an amazing range of wedding ideas using the site’s online bulletin boards.
Of course, nearly every vendor that a couple needs to hire when planning their nuptials has its own website. The days of having to hop in the car to go and sit with prospective photographers, caterers and limousine drivers are a thing of the past. While couples eventually meet with each of these vendors face-to-face before  making their final decision, technology eliminates a lot of running around – and stress – during the early stages of wedding planning. Even the traditional gift registry has gone online, which makes things simple for couples and even easier for out-of-town friends and family looking to purchase wedding gifts.
The excitement of the days and months leading up to a wedding used to be something that only a couple’s closest friends and family experienced first-hand. Social media has drastically changed this, with the increased popularity of Facebook pages, blogs and websites devoted exclusively to the wedding ramp-up. Many couples use social media to share pictures and stories from their engagement party, bachelor/bachelorette party, wedding day and honeymoon. Because social media is a two-way form of communication, not only can couples share their wedding experience with their network of friends and family, but everyone else can share their thoughts, ideas and encouragement with the bride- and groom-to-be.
One thing that amazes people who were married before digital photography and the Internet became popular is how technology has significantly compressed the wedding picture/video timeline. Couples traditionally waited weeks, and sometimes months, to view photos from their wedding, and sometimes even longer to get an edited video highlights reel. Now, thanks to digital cameras and the digital editing process, wedding photos and video are often available for viewing in days – sometimes even before a couple returns from their honeymoon. Many photography studios also post the photo proofs on their websites, enabling friends and family of the couple to order prints right over the Internet.
Frontier Communications’ High Speed Internet is a great way to access all of these innovative wedding-related tools. With Frontier Communications’ High Speed Internet, it’s a simple process of connecting, surfing, and clicking your way into wedded bliss. So before you say “I do” to your soulmate, be sure to think of Frontier Communications and all the great ways that today’s technology can make the “first day of the rest of your life” a memorable one.
For new service, please call our local Show Low office at 928-537-6610. Mark Jeffries is the general manager for Frontier Communications’ White Mountains market.