Over the last few months Rebecca (my Fiancee) and I have continued making progress on all the little tasks that we have to complete before our wedding. One of these tasks is asking our intended bridesmaids/groomsmen to be in the wedding.Rebecca approached this by asking each of the girls in a way that was somewhat unique to each person, over time. Even though each person was asked differently, all the methods were executed in a very "Rebecca-like" manner.
So, I was told that I couldn't simply ask the guys. I had to figure out a "fun" way to ask them, and if possible, to do it in a way that was very "Ryan-like".
While Rebecca was slowly chipping away at asking her bridesmaids, we kept failing at finding a way to ask the guys. Finally, one night while driving back north to Massachusetts, I said out of frustration:
"I wish I could just write a stupid piece of code that asks them, compile it, and give it to them... wait a minute...."
At that moment, I started to figure out how I could make it work. The results of that brainstorming session are described below:
I first had to find a way to give the intended groomsmen a link to get any code that I wrote. So, Rebecca and I designed the tri-fold letter pictured below (Sorry for the photo quality).
Figure 1: The Front of Letter
The front of the envelope had a simple black boarder and said "She said that I had to make it official."
Figure 2: The First Flap of the Letter
When the reader flipped up that flap, another message read "So we're doing this my way".
Figure 3: The QR Code posted on the Inside of the Letter
Lastly, when the reader folded that flap down, they got a taste of what "my way" might entail when the only thing that was printed on the page was a single QR code.
When the reader scanned the QR code, it opened up a list of instructions on their phone that said:
- Find your computer.
- Go to http://ryan.himmelwright.net/message/ and follow the instructions. (NO LONGER ACTIVE)
- Text Me
When the intended groomsmen went to the link provided, they saw a webpage that I made, containing our wedding logo on the bottom right, and a welcome message. The welcome message basically stated that the webpage was not the end of the scavenger hunt, and that they would have to download some code that I compiled, that contained the message.
Below the welcome message, I had separate instructions that guided Window, Mac, and Linux users, as well as users that wished to compile from source (sort of).
Below that I had links to the executable downloads for each operating system mentioned. Lastly, I posted the source code for the code they were downloading, because … you know… open source. Executable(s)
When the intended groomsmen ran the compiled code (source code posted below), it showed them that it was "decrypting" their message, and printed the percent complete. After about 20% or so, I confessed that there was no "decrypting" and that each message is decoded when printed. I then proceeded to rant in these "decrypting" messages about how I originally wrote a nice GUI python app, but it was a pain to cross compile, and how I eventually just scrapped it and wrote it in LISP. I also mentioned that if they all ran Linux, it wouldn't of been an issue. When it finally reached 100%, I decided to finally give them the message.
Source Code for the executable I wrote containing the message. Nothing fancy, but everything hidden.
After putting up with my ranting, I finally posted the message asking the guys to be my groomsmen. It read:
So, putting all jokes and nerdy-ness aside, I do have an important question to ask. As you are probably aware, Rebecca and I are finally getting married in September. This is will be a very special DAY in my life, and as a very special PERSON in my life, I would like to ask: Will you be one of my groomsmen?
Ryan
About 2 days after we mailed out the letters, all of then intended groomsmen had messaged me back, confirming that they would be my groomsmen. I also think they enjoyed my methods of asking.
I guess I was successful in asking everyone in a very "Ryan-like" fashion.