How quickly they grow up. First an idea is conceived at a long Startup Weekend, then the next thing you know the little tike is winning awards–1st place at an Ultra Light Startup pitchathon–and before you can say Round A, a photogenic website is launched.
That’s the hack-to-launch story of BridesView, the company we’ve been following since their debut at Startup Weekend NYC in April.
Founded by Dan Maloney and Alex Topiler, BridesView takes the radical view that brides, brides-to-be, former brides, and more than a few grooms will be captivated by beautifully photographed nuptial events of the traditional kind, the destination kind, the Hindu-Jewish sub-genre, the eco-aware variety, and the beloved dog-friendly country theme.
They are, of course, on to something. 
I received an invitation to the alpha launch of BridesView last week, and have found myself spending more time than I care to admit exploring their wedding albums and becoming in the process a benevolent wedding crasher. Though by the fifth or sixth album, it all began to seem eerily familiar, and I strongly felt I knew some of these people: wasn’t that my Uncle Bill and Aunt May sharing a canape and nephew Ronald on the dance floor?
Obviously these pictures speak to the instinctual desires of humans to receive a wedding announcement, wear beautiful clothes, and dance in circles or lines. Or in the case of the doggie-themed wedding I viewed, bring their favorite mutt. (I wonder what the party favors were for that affair?)
Anyway, the emerging BridesView community has responded by uploading their pictures, tagging them with meta data covering venue, color scheme, religious influences, the professional photographers involved, and other wedding parameters. BV users can then search on these categories to help them visualize their dreams.
BridesView is currently in a cold-start phase so it’s focused on getting bigger while selectively adding features. According to Maloney, who I queried by email, the site will be adding a recommendation function and a search box when they reach a critical mass. But for the short-term, their plans are for directing traffic to their vendors and service provider partners.
And by all means, head to their site, get on the BridesView invitation list, and then join the fun.
Wedding photo by Teresa Halton Photography
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