Wedding Planning On The Web

Wedding Planning On The Web

Planning a wedding? Whether you're a wedding planning pro or a
do-it-yourself bride, I know one thing you don't: you aren't
using the web enough.

The web has become the dominant way to shop for electronics,
travel, cars, housing, even education. But you can just as
easily use the web to find caterers, event halls, dressmakers,
DJs, photographers, videographers--even a wedding planner if
you decide to take a break from doing it all yourself.

Here's how the web helps you plan a wedding:

* Local search. No, you don't have to sort through vendors from
here to Timbuktu. Local search technology now makes finding
someone downtown as easy as finding someone anywhere. If you
use Google, you only have to enter a place name along with your
keyword to get a list of local businesses. Try "wedding planner
fargo" (without the quotes) and see for yourself.

* Real people. The people you are buying from online aren't
"virtual." They're as real as the people you'd meet in person.
In fact, especially with local business, the website is just a
first contact. You can always call them up or arrange to meet
in person.

* Dedicated wedding information websites. There are now
websites solely devoted not just to planning a wedding, but to
catering, wedding cakes, even dying shoes for weddings. These
same websites often have directories of wedding vendors
arranged by location.

* Message boards and customer reviews. You wouldn't buy a book
on Amazon without reading a review a customer had left. Now you
don't have to buy decorations that way, either.

Web Wedding Planning Alternatives

The web has a lot of advantages over most other ways of
discovering and evaluating wedding vendors. Just look at what
your other options are:

* Recommendations from friends and colleagues. How much do your
friends and colleagues really know about wedding planning? Very
often, one person's idea of wedding elegance is any sane
person's idea of bad, bad taste. Just look at anyone's wedding
pictures. You can't trust this decision to your friends. This
is your big day. It deserves a little research.

* Bridal fairs. If the vendors at bridal fairs were so great,
why would they be trawling for business? Do you want an
in-demand wedding vendor, or one who has to set up a booth and
hand out free samples?

* Yellow pages. I remember the time my mother used the Yellow
Pages to find a contractor to install some new doors. During
the holiday season, the draft would blow out the candles in the
window if they weren't electric. Anyone can get in the yellow
pages--and believe me, anyone does.

Web Wedding Planning Advantages

* Selection. No offline source will ever have as many options,
whether it's songs for the wedding reception or fabrics for the
gowns.

* Ready information. As soon as you see an option you'd like to
consider, you can find out all you'd ever like to know as easily
as copying and pasting into Google.

* It's All in Writing. By their very nature, websites put a lot
of information in writing. The written policies regarding
shipping, warranties (if any), returns, and service will almost
always be easy to access. (Hint: look for links to policies at
the bottom of each web page.) The fact that everything is
written down gives the vendor much less wiggle room to change
the terms of the deal. Almost as good as the paper trail is the
photograph trail--at least when it comes to merchandise. Save
any relevant images along with the text.

* Better Business Bureau's Convenient BBBOnline. On the web,
it's easy to check for Better Business Bureau membership. The
site should have the BBBOnline logo displayed prominently on
the order page. Click on the logo to be taken to the
http://BBB.org profile for that business. The BBB page should
say that business is a member in good standing. With the
BBBOnline, the Bureau's ecommerce program, you can dispute a
sale without having to go to the local Bureau where the store
is headquartered.

In short, the web makes it much easier to get a perfect
wedding.

About The Author: Joel Walsh is a freelance writer. Check out
this website for wedding planning information and to find
wedding vendors: wedding planning guide:
http://www.bridalocity.com

Favors*Gifts*Galore