Weddings are no different from any other industry that needs solutions to challenges, and now the tech side of marriage is being addressed.

That's why I support this woman's work.

Carolyn Gerin is the co-founder and chief compliance officer of the WedTech Summit — a wedding conference oriented toward both big brands and startups and the technology that drives the $300 billion industry.

1) How did you get involved in wedding tech?

I have been involved tangentially in the wedding industry since 2002 with the publishing of the three-book "Anti-Bride" series. I also then served as senior editor of Destination I Do magazine. I live in San Francisco, had an agency, worked in startup land, developed a few apps, plus a wedding daily deals site.

I met my co-founder, Michael Cole, at BlogHer Pro (also from the tech sector), and we decided to bring weddings and tech together in a conference and community. It's a $300 billion industry, and there's a ton of tech supporting every vertical. Our aim: to bring the community of developers, SaaS (software as a service) platforms and B2B (business-to-business) solution providers together to coalesce the space. We did and just had our third conference in Maui.

2) How has technology most disrupted the wedding industry?

Engaged couples build the event, sequence of activities, registry, apparel, food/drink and honeymoon in bespoke ways — many times via a SaaS platform. Now there are tools that bring the world of fab to their door: Appy Couple, Wedspire, Pinterest, Wedding Spot.

On the B2B side: Wedpros don't need to sweat the details as much with SaaS platforms such as Aisle Planner, HoneyBook and AllSeated. On the B2C (business-to-consumer) side: Purchase power is in the hands of the engaged couple. Marriage "mission control" starts with setting up your registry with Honeyfund, designing your virtual dress with Wedding Reality and finding that perfect tux with Menguin.

3) Currently, what most excites you in the wed-tech space? What can we expect to see in the future?

Wearables are as hot as Hades. Look for fabric that heats up, cools down and can actually move an image or color through the fabric via light and photography. Imagine a dress that displays a sunrise moving to sunset across its surface. Wed-tech friends and designers Anouk Wipprecht and Cyrina Hadad are engineering garments like this right now.

Couples can document your big day with GoPro, drones or social storytelling with Tint — where your wedding feed and all photos get a hashtag and a waterfall display at your soiree.

Transforming spaces with augmented reality and virtual reality is also super sci-fi and cool. You can transform a space with lightscapes and vintage projected photography. And experiential elements that are surprising and transformative are happening; you'll see them in more celebrations to come.

Wed-tech's future looks like an entertainment property, as well. At WedTech Maui, we incubated an entertainment concept and partnership at the Hawaii Tourism Authority Global Tourism Conference in Honolulu. Wed-tech is a community that exists for this reason: synergy and inspir-action. Collaborations, concepts and startups are the result.

4) Your website and the "Anti-Bride" books offer tips on "tying the knot outside of the box." What's your definition of an anti-bride, and what is an "outside-of-the-box" wedding?

"Anti-Bride" grew out of my contrarian design school (fueled by punk rock) sensibility. I am way more Vivienne Westwood than Vera Wang and knew there were others like me.

The three-book "Anti-Bride" voice has been in the alterna-bridal pop cultural space since 2002. It's been the longest-selling bridal title in the history of Chronicle Books and inspired countless blogs in its wake. Celebrating the rich diversity of brides, budgets and styles with an eye on the alternative, "Anti-Bride" introduced the notion that a one-size-fits-all wedding is a thing of the past, while innovation and personal style is the future. "Anti-Bride" is about thinking for yourself. Period.

5) What advice do you have to wed-tech startups looking to break in to the industry?

Identify a problem. Solve a problem. Make the (graphical user interface, user experience and user interface) elegant and simple and easy to use for B2B or B2C. There are dozens of verticals, from booze to food to dresses to event planning to venues. Pick one and dominate it. You'll be the hero of the space.

Randi Zuckerberg is the founder of Zuckerberg Media, a best-selling author and the host of a weekly business show on SiriusXM, "Dot Complicated." To find out more about Randi Zuckerberg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.