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Tech

The best nerdiest wedding invitation ever is a paper record player

Opening wedding invitations is a pretty predictable affair - until you open one in which a bit of paper-folding amplifies the sound of a sewing needle moving along the grooves of a flexidisc record inside, producing the garbled, but decipherable sound...

Opening wedding invitations is a pretty predictable affair – until you open one in which a bit of paper-folding amplifies the sound of a sewing needle moving along the grooves of a flexidisc record inside, producing the garbled, but decipherable sound of an original song by the couple.

The resulting booklet is comprised of a cover, two inner pages, a letterpressed band (with instructions and a tear-off RSVP postcard), and a flexdisc on a screwpost. The recipient bends the second page of the booklet back to create a tented "arm." With the needle placed, they then carefully spin the flexidisc at 45 RPM (ish) to hear the song. The sewing needle travels the length of the song and produces the sound. Its vibrations are amplified by the thin, snappy paper to which it is adhered. To keep the needle down on the record, we reinforced the back of the "tent" with a spray-mounted half page of heavier cardstock. To reduce friction between the acetate flexidisc and the backing cover, we had the inside of the booklet laminated to be slick and conducive to hand-spinning.

“It’s so cute,” says a friend who got one in the mail. Read more at the blog of designer Kelli Anderson.