The Problem
About two years ago, I attended my cousin’s wedding and was amazed at all of the components that go into making a wedding so memorable. In talking to my cousin, she mentioned how she wanted to encapsulate all of these memories in order to preserve her relationship with her husband and remind them why they got married in the first place. This discussion resonated with me and inspired me to think of a way that would help address this concern.
How can newlyweds preserve their favorite wedding memories to sustain healthy relationships with each other?
Success Statement
A wedding is such a powerful and emotional experience for a couple. Having an accessible, minimalistic solution that will preserve all the memories from that day, encourages them to look back and remember those feelings they had for each other, which can enhance their relationship for the future.
Target Audience
Couples married in the past 3 years
Research
I conducted my research through both surveys and interviews with individuals that were married in the past three years. The survey included questions regarding wedding keepsakes and the importance couples put on different parts of their wedding in order to document moments. However, I gained most of my key takeaways from my personal interviews with newlyweds. During these interviews, I was able to dive deeper into understanding their relationships after getting married and how that related to the items they kept from their wedding. I found it very interesting that the couples discussed how wedding keepsakes and other “extra stuff” often becomes a pain point in a new marriage. I also found that many couples regret not documenting the advice their family and friends gave them on their wedding day. They also wish they could have captured how guests experienced their wedding.
“A lot of times, marriages fail because couples don’t know how to share stuff. We had to figure out what worked for us as a couple and that was a bit of a challenge.”
Brea Frey, Age 22, Married almost 3 years
These results from my research lead me to two key takeaways. First, new couples look to minimize their belongings after getting married. The minimalism movement is popular among millennials. People find joy in owning less and only keeping items they really need. With wedding keepsakes, couples look to keep as little as possible to save space and minimize. Photo books are often kept, but rarely looked at after the first year of marriage. In addition, couples wish they could have documented the advice that their family and friends shared with them on their wedding day. They also wish they could have understood how guests at their wedding enjoyed the celebration since they only got to experience it from their perspective as the guests of honor.
“I wish I could have documented the advice my family gave me on my wedding day as well as the experiences everyone else had at my wedding.”
Sara Bynum, Age 30, Married 2.5 years
Design Solution
My solution to these findings is a wedding magazine company that creates personalized pieces that not only highlight photographs from the day, but also capture advice, guest experiences, vows, letters to each other and more! WedMag would collect and develop inclusive keepsakes that couples can keep on their coffee table and cherish often. Newlyweds could share these magazines with others by ordering extra copies or sharing a digital link. Each magazine could be personalized to fit that couple’s wedding aesthetic. Level of personalization and number of pages would influence the price. In order to personalize their magazine couples could use the features on the WedMag website. Please follow the links below to view the entire WedMag examples as well as the WedMag website prototype.
Engage with the WedMag website prototype
