A Quick Response code can make for an interactive experience. It is overall simple to use and is an effective cost saver when it comes to your wedding invitations and stationery.

If you’re already aware about it, you may be wondering, “How do I exactly use it for my wedding invitations?” 

Let’s dive deep into it and some tips for using QR codes on your wedding invitations.

Key Takeaways

• QR code refers to an array of black and white squares or pixels set in a grid that stores data and can be read by a QR Code scanner. And yes, your smartphone can read it too.

• Using a QR code in your wedding invitations is an efficient way to direct your guests to your wedding website. In one single click, your guests can access all the details, accommodations, your engagement story and pictures, registry and much more.

• You can make your  QR code using various free online tools and websites.

• It adds to enhanced and interactive guest experience.

• Keep in mind that building QR codes is easy but you need to test and check it before you hit print for your entire suite.

What is a QR Code?

Simply put a QR code is nothing but a type of barcode that can be read through your smartphone's camera. It leads you to an information page such as a website, a video, a payment link, contact information etc.

When you open your phone's camera and bring it in front of the QR code, the camera can scan the QR code and you see a link appear almost instantly.

Now all you need to do is tap the link and you can directly access the information without having to go through the hassle of typing a long link or web address or even a phone number.

What are the advantages of using a QR Code on Your Wedding Invitations and Stationery?

• Putting a QR code is an effective way to save money and paper.
  If you put a QR code on your RSVP card then you would not just save on the costs for the RSVP envelope but also on stamps and return address printing on the RSVP envelopes.

• It makes the Online RSVP process easy, simple and fast.
  A QR Code can automatically direct your guests to your wedding website without having to make them type anything at all. Who likes to type in a whole URL to a website? Won’t you yourself prefer to simply scan a QR code which instantly pops up the link on your screen?

• RSVPs come in time.
  The likelihood of people responding to you via online RSVP increases since there is no scope for the guests to make errors and typos in the URLs and you can also expect most people to respond in time.

How to generate your QR code and link your Wedding Website?

Generating a QR code is not rocket science. It’s as easy as ABC.

Head to a QR code generating website and input the address of your wedding website in the URL field. Set the colors, style, shape and voila! Hit downlaod to integrate it into your wedding invitation design using a design software.

There are tons of free QR code generators available online such as QRCode Monkey , QR-Code-Generator, Flowcode. You can also add a QR code using Adobe Express and even Google Chrome.

Where to put Your QR code into Wedding Invitations?

Now that you have your QR Code ready, let’s find out where you can integrate it your wedding invitation suite.

• You can put the QR Code on the back of the Ceremony Card.

• You can put it on the Reply Card.

• The Details Card and Reply Card can be combined into one and the QR code can go here. I feel this is the best option since putting some details about your wedding weekend and then directing your guests to your wedding website through the QR Code makes more sense. You can say something like, “ For the most up-to-date information on travel and accommodations, scan the QR code…”.

How to collect RSVPs using QR Codes?

For collecting RSVPs using QR codes, firstly you need a wedding webiste and a guest list manager. Let me share with you the fastest way to do this. You can use website hosting services such as The Knot, Zola,  Appy Couple  which provide free wedding website and tools where you can collect RSVPs along with other useful features. On your wedding website you can make “RSVP” as a navigation tab.  You simply have to put in the link to the “RSVP” web page if you want your guests to directly get to RSVP first. If you put the link to your home page of the wedding website on your QR code, then  scanning the code will take them to the Home page and from there your guests can access the “RSVP” tab. This is referred to as Online RSVP.

Things to keep in mind while generating a QR code: QR Code Printing Guidelines & Best Practices

If you’re considering to add a QR code to your wedding invitations, below are some tips to ensure a harmonious integration:

• Consider putting a simple instruction line so that those who are not aware of the QR code technology can scan and access it too with ease. You can say, “For more details on our weeding weekend and to RSVP, scan this code using your smartphone’s camera.”
  

• If you feel like skipping the instruction line, then put your wedding website URL along with the QR code. For instance it  can say, “For more information and to RSVP, visit our website at .. “ and just add the QR Code. I can assure you that most guests would know scan the code. For the elderlies or those who can’t scan or are unaware of QR codes, you do have the website URL.

• If you are planning to print  the QR code on the back side off your ceremony card, your guest are required to flip around check out the QR Code. And for this you have to ask them to “turn over for more details.” Because if you don’t put this line, many of your guests won’t even care to look at the back side of the card because guests usually don’t expect any information or printing on the back side of invitation inserts.
  

• One more thing that you have to keep in mind is your paper and printing method used. Not all printing methods allow for printing on both sides. For example, if you have plans for letterpress prints on handmade cotton paper then it is definitely not a good idea to have your QR code on the back side since the impressions of the print would ruin the front print. However, if you are keen to use the back side for QR code printing, I would suggest you to go for heavy cardstock (which is at least 110-130 lb). The better option would be to use double thick cardstock. Anyways, the best thing would be to first try and test your printing method and the exact paper that you are using to check for any impressions.

• Have you noticed QR codes around you such as to sho menus for ordering food, for accessing social media platforms or to make payments? What is the color? You would have noticed that most QR codes are in standard black & white. This is so that the camera of your phone can easily scan the code in one go so that the link pops up immediately.
  
  But obviously for wedding invitations a black and white QR code is not the best option. You should definitely customize the QR code color and background color to match your invitation and wedding aesthetics and colors. So when you are doing a colored QR, don’t go for light or pastel shades on light backgrounds such as white or ivory. A QR Code should be printed as a dark color on a light background color. USe a darker shade of one of your wedding colors.

• When choosing the style of the QR code generator (you would see lots of different styles on QR code generating websites) make sure that the QR code blends harmoniously  with the design of your wedding invitations so that the overall aesthetics are maintained. The frames and shapes of the elements should be cohesive with the overall design and should look infused with the illustrations and design of your wedding invite.

• The physical size of the QR code on your wedding invitations should be around 2cms by 2cms so that they are easily scannable in short distances.

• Test. Test. Test. You need to have a sample print first to check if the QR code is working fine. Test it with at least  three different devices by changing distances. Consider how a guest would scan it.

Conclusion

QR codes make your traditional invitations modern- The Modern Traditional. They make your wedding invitations more interactive and elevate your wedding planning process by engaging and encouraging your guests  to take swift action to check your wedding website and RSVP online without any procrastination.

Would you want to charm your guests elevate their experience with QR codes?

Do you want
artful invitations?

Hi, I’m Kriti Basra. I’m determined
to make fine-art invitations
for couples. My only question is,
will they be yours?

Kriti is an illustrator, calligrapher and designer based in Gurugram, India who serves couples worldwide. She creates fine art + romantic wedding stationery for Indian and South Asian Weddings.

Do you want
artful invitations?

Hi, I’m Kriti Basra. I’m determined
to make fine-art invitations
for couples. My only question is,
will they be yours?