#52Women52Weeks: WedTechnologist, Carolyn Gerin, brings futuristic personality to one size fits all weddings

Carolyn Gerin is the co-founder and CCO of the WedTech Summit—a wedding conference oriented towards both big brand & startups, and the technology that drives the $300B industry. She's the author and creator of AntiBride.com.

1. How did you get involved in wedding tech?

I have been involved tangentially in the wedding industry since 2002 with the publishing of the 3-book Anti-Bride series. I also then served as Senior Editor of Destination I Do Magazine. I live in SF, had an agency, worked in startup land, developed a few apps, plus a wedding daily deals site.

Weddings are no different than any other industry that needs solutions to challenges, and I wondered why the tech side of it was not being addressed . I met my co-founder, Michael Cole, at BlogHer Pro, (also from the tech sector) and we decided to bring wed + tech together in a conference and community. It’s a $330B industry and there’s a ton of tech supporting every vertical. Our aim: to bring the community of developers, SAAS platforms and B2B solution providers together to coalesce the space. We did, and just had our 3rd conference in Maui. 

2. How has technology most disrupted the wedding industry?

Engaged couples build the event, sequence of activities, registry, apparel, food/drink, and honeymoon in bespoke ways—many times via a SAAS platform. Now there are tools that bring the world of fab to their door: Appy Couple, Wedspire, Pinterest, Wedding Spot.

On the B2B side: Wedpros don’t need to sweat the details as much with SAAS platforms such as Aisle Planner, Honeybook and All Seated. On the B2C side: Purchase power is in the hands of the engaged couple. Marriage 'mission control' starts with setting up your registry with Honeyfund, designing your virtual dress with Wedding Reality, and finding that perfect tux with Menguin.com. 

3. Currently what most excites you in the WedTech space? What can we expect to see in the future?

Wearables are as hot as hades. Look for fabric that heats up, cools down, and can actually move an image (or color) through the fabric via light and photography. Imagine a dress that displays a sunrise moving to sunset across its surface. WedTech friends and designers Anouk Wipprecht and Cyrina Hadad are engineering garments like this right now.

Couples can document your big day with Go Pro, drones, or social storytelling with Tint—where your wedding feed and all photos get a hashtag and a waterfall display at your soiree. 

Transforming spaces with AR/VR is also super sci-fi and cool. You can transform a space with lightscapes, vintage projected photography and experiential elements that are surprising and transformative are happening— you’ll see them in more celebrations to come. 

WedTech future looks like a entertainment property as well. At WedTech Maui, we incubated an entertainment concept and partnership at the Hawaii Tourism Authority Global Tourism Conference in Honolulu. WedTech is a community that exists for this reason: Synergy and inspir-action — collaborations, concepts and startups are the result.

4. Your website and The Anti-Bride books offers tips on “how to tie the knot outside of the box.” What’s your definition of an anti-bride and what is an 'out-of-the-box' wedding?

Anti-Bride grew out of my contrarian design school (fueled by punk rock) sensibility. I am way more Vivian Westwood than Vera Wang and knew there were others were like me. Since my fiancee and I are both designers, we didn’t want to have an off-the-shelf experience/look to our events. We had a ‘wedding tour’ and had 3 cocktail parties in 3 cities: SF>DC>Paris.

The 3 book Anti-Bride voice is in the alterna-bridal pop cultural space in 2002. It’s been the longest selling bridal title in the history of Chronicle Books — spanning 12 years — and inspiring countless blogs in its wake. Celebrating the rich diversity of brides, budgets, and styles with an eye on the alternative, Anti-Bride introduced the notion that a one-size-fits-all wedding is a thing of the past, while innovation and personal style is the future. Anti-Bride is about thinking for yourself. Period. 

5. What advice do you have to WedTech startups looking to break into the industry?

Identify a problem, solve a problem, make the GUI/UI/UX elegant and simple, and easy to use for B2B or B2C. There are dozens of verticals from booze, to food, to dresses, event planning to venues. Pick one and dominate it. You’ll be the hero of the space. 

Connect with Carolyn Gerin HERE

Meet a new woman in business every Thursday in the #52Women52Weeks series!

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