Innovative Opportunity For Long-Distance Wedding Greetings

Published in DIalogue the publication of the Association of Bridal Consultants

By Gerard J. Monaghan, Dialogue's Editor-In-Chief, June/July, 2008

Cheryl Kneemeyer had been looking forward to having her grandparents, Ruth and Lou, attend her wedding in August, 2007. While Cheryl was growing up, Ruth had taught Cheryl how to sew dresses for her doll, and Cheryl used to be her grandfather’s helper as he’d make his rounds maintaining rental property.

When a last-minute health crisis prevented both Ruth and Lou from travelling to Illinois to attend the wedding, tears were shed by both Cheryl and her grandparents.

Unbeknownst to the newlyweds, Cheryl’s grandparents had recorded several long, emotional messages from their home in Massachusetts using a service called LifeOnRecord.  LifeOnRecord put the recordings onto a keepsake CD along with messages from other wedding guests. 

“The CD makes me cry every time I listen to it”, said Kneemeyer.  “Some people told funny stories about when they first met me or my husband, or talked about our bright future, but the recordings from my grandparents are the most special”.

“My grandparents told me how proud they were of me, how wonderful it was that I had met my soul mate , and that my husband and I reminded them of how they acted when they were younger”, continued Kneemeyer .  “They called several times before the wedding, and again on our wedding day. They said that although they couldn’t be there in person, they wanted us to know that they loved us very much”.

LifeOnRecord's idea is straightforward.  A wedding couple signs up online at www.LifeOnRecord.com and are provided with a toll-free number to give to their family and friends.  The phone number is included in the wedding invitations and guests are invited to call, even if they can’t attend the wedding. All the messages are compiled together onto a keepsake CD.  Some wedding couples also include the phone number as place cards at the wedding reception as a reminder for people to call. 

“My main goal was to create a service that was simple, yet versatile and affordable”, says Alaa El Ghatit, the owner of LifeOnRecord and an ABC corporate member.  “Everyone knows how to use a telephone, so for guests it’s very easy to use.  People can think about what they want to say to the wedding couple and call at their convenience from their homes without the pressure of other people watching”.

El Ghatit continued, “Wedding couples can wait to receive the CD after their wedding, or they can play and manage their recordings over the internet, and download them to their computers and MP3 players.  There are even some videographers who include LifeOnRecord in their packages and incorporate the recordings into wedding videos or slide montages”.

Kneemeyer had close to 200 people phone-in and spent $80 on the complete service including 3 sets of CDs.  “With all the money you spend on a wedding, LifeOnRecord is the one service where you don’t have to spend a lot and what you receive in the end is priceless”, Kneemeyer said.

LifeOnRecord can be ordered online at www.LifeOnRecord.com or by calling 800.868.1606.