COIMBATORE: When the wedding industry in its entirety is bogged down by the pandemic outbreak, it is technology that came to the rescue of many couples, who had planned for a big fat wedding this summer. One such beneficiary is G Thamizhan from Coimbatore. For this 29-year-old, getting hitched in the absence of his family members and friends was unimaginable. A few days before his wedding, he managed to invite 500 guests to witness his 'special moment' online. Thanks to QR code-printed wedding invitations introduced by a city-based card designer.
"As marriages are confined to houses and small mandapams with a maximum of 50 guests, I had to come up with something new and effective to keep my business afloat. Then, I decided to promote live streaming of weddings by printing QR codes on the invite cards, which is sure to be the future," said card designer Marichamy, who is also an ITI graduate.
Initially, he had printed only a minimum number of such cards for weddings slotted on May 24. When the idea was received well by his clients, more projects started coming his way.
Explaining how the QR code works, Marichamy said, "When the OR code on the card is scanned using an electronic gadget, one will be able to view an e-Invite video on YouTube. On the weddingday, the same code will allow one to watch the function live. We also help the clients shoot the invite video and upload it. The card also provides bank account details of the couples to make gifting easier during the lockdown."
About the cost of invites, he explained, "As of now, 50 wedding cards are sold for `4,500. We also collect `2,000 as a working charge for QR code, which will be linked to a particular website. The expenditure is expected to decrease in the coming days."