How a wedding QR code works
A wedding QR code holds a link, and the link decides what guests see. On an invitation, that is usually your wedding website or the RSVP form itself, whether you built it with a wedding website service, Google Forms or something else. The guest scans, the page opens, and they reply without typing a long address from the card.
The same approach works for the rest of the day. A code with a Google Maps or Apple Maps share link takes guests to the venue, and a code at the reception that opens a Google Photos or iCloud shared album lets everyone add the pictures they took. Each purpose needs its own code, because one code opens one address.
Codes made here are static: the link is stored in the image and never expires, so it will still open years from now if the page is still online. The other side of that is that the link cannot be swapped after printing. Settle the addresses of your website, form and album before the invitations go to the printer.
Where it helps
- The back of the invitation or an insert card links to the RSVP form, so replies arrive in one place instead of by text, email and phone.
- A save-the-date or details card opens the wedding website with travel, accommodation and dress code information.
- A directions card or welcome sign opens a map link for a venue that is hard to find, such as a barn down a private road.
- Table cards at the reception open a shared photo album, so guests upload their pictures before they forget.
Tips before you print
- On an invitation, about 2 to 2.5 cm (0.8 to 1 in) is comfortable for a phone held in the hand. A shorter link gives a coarser pattern that prints more reliably at that size.
- Dark ink on cream, ivory or kraft paper usually scans well; gold foil, pastel ink and light gray often do not. Choose a dark color under Style and test a printed proof on the actual paper.
- Keep the quiet zone, the empty margin around the code, free of flourishes, borders and illustrations. Scanners need it to find the code.
- Check sharing settings: the album link must let guests add photos, and the form must be open to anyone with the link, not only to your account.
- Before ordering the full run, scan one proof with an iPhone and an Android phone, submit a test RSVP and ask a friend to upload a photo to the album.