The Internet has made planning a wedding a much easier process for young couples of the 21st century. It is a tremendous source of information for everything you could ever imagine related to the big day. One application that is becoming increasingly popular is a wedding website where all of the details of the wedding can be posted along with many other terrific features. There are many benefits to having a wedding website. There is a lot of information to disseminate, and by putting all of the information online; the couple eliminates the endless requests for information that typically occur when a wedding approaches. Sallie Baldwin of Savannah Georgia, a recently engaged young woman, appreciated her wedding website for the information it provided for her guests. "I wanted a way for our family and friends to easily access information about events around the wedding. A lot of our family and friends don't live near us so it is a way for each other's families to get to know us as a couple immediately! " www.spangenberg.virtuallymarried.com Most wedding websites allow people to RSVP online. Emily Riggs of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, another wedding website user had a very positive reaction from her guests regarding the RSVP function. "We were so pleased with the way it worked out, 85% of our RSVP's came via email - including two sets of grandparents!" Her guests also found another benefit. "Everybody was printing our "Our Story", Pictures and Bios so they could save them." www.emilyandjustin.virtuallymarried.com A huge benefit of a wedding website is that the couple can have a link to their online registry. This allows guests to see what the couple has chosen and to make a contribution without leaving their home. Kirk Spangenberg of Charleston, South Carolina appreciated that feature the most. "My favorite part is the link to the registry. I want to make it as easy as possible for people to buy us the things we have picked out for our wedding!" There are also fun things for the guests to see on some wedding websites, like photos, a countdown, a poll and quiz about the happy couple. Some sites have additional features such as a special page for out of town guests. This allows the couple to provide their guests with all kinds of information about their city, suggested accommodations, places to visit, restaurants, and shopping. Tiffany Duggin of Los Angeles, California appreciated this feature the most. "I wanted a way for our family and friends to learn about things to do and see in Philadelphia " (where the wedding is taking place). Our site had great links for restaurants, attractions, and lots of other great stuff in Philly. www.tiffanyandjason.virtuallymarried.com Perhaps the greatest thing of all is that the couple can make everyone a part of the festivities, even those that could not attend the event. Lara Goldenberg of Montreal, Canada can attest to that. "We had a small wedding and could not invite as many friends and family as we wanted and many people who live far away could not make the trip. The website allowed everyone to be a part of our special day". www.laraandjohn.virtuallymarried.com This article was written by Robert Hirscheimer of www.virtuallymarried.com Wedding Websites by myevent.com click here for a FREE trial

I know what it's like to want the perfect wedding but feel it's financially out of reach. I'll also be the first to strongly encourage all brides to NEVER skimp on quality just because of price. There's always something that can be sacrificed for the more important things regarding your wedding. I'll leave that up to you. When it comes to catering, and hiring a caterer, you truly do want to choose the most experienced, tried, and tested professional. Price does matter. You may find a caterer who charges only $5.00 per person, as apposed to a caterer who charges $40.00 per person. That's ok, but I'll never forget what one caterer said to me. Those words were, "$5.00 per plate may sound great, but that price is pretty expensive when the food tastes like #%@*" Ehem! nuff said. OK, back to my point. This may or may not be true in every case. I suggest that if you're interested in any caterer, ask for a sample tasting of the food items that interest you prior to hiring them. Then, you will better know whether or not the food is worth the price, whether it be $5.00, or more. Another bit of advice is this. If you're on a tight budget, but still want a fairy tale wedding, , , , DON'T invite the world to your wedding. Try to keep your guest count below 100 people (60 is a good number). One of the biggest expenses for a wedding usually turns out to be feeding your guests. Pick a number and stick to it. When it comes to your invitations, remember that it is ok to mention on the invite that seating is limited to names listed on the invitation. This will hopefully deter your guests from extending their invitation to their own guest (s). If you are planning to hold your reception at a home, or memorial building, public hall, etc., catering your own wedding will be much easier. If however you want to have your reception at one of the more popular banquet halls or facilities, you may very well be told "No" when it comes to bringing in your own food. This may happen because banquet halls often offer their own catering and that service is usually part of a package deal. When your date is a prime, popular date, a caterer and hall simply would not prefer to have you booked for that day as apposed to a bride who wants to hire the facility for all of its services. There's nothing wrong with this, it's simply business. Any business will look out for it's best interest. After all, they have expenses and employees, and it simply would not be worth it to them to turn away more money. This does not mean however that you should not discuss the possibility of bringing in your own food at their facility. The worst thing they can say is no. This does not make them a bad business, they're simply sticking to what works best for them. Suggestions for pleasing your guests' appetites. 1. Remember that you and your new spouse may have some picture taking to do after your ceremony: Try to provide some great, yet inexpensive appetizers for your guests while they await for your arrival to the reception area. * Veggie platters with various dips. * Chips with salsa and/or other dips. Crackers Are also a good addition. * Sliced fruits such as cantelope, grapes, water melon, with cream cheese/yogurt dip. * Various sliced Deli meats with rye bread, and or crackers for mini sandwich creations. Create a buffet of choices for your guests: 2. By the time you arrive at the reception, your guests should already have their hunger under control as a result of the delicious appetizers you've provided for them. The only thing left now is to provide them with a more hearty menu. Go buffet style, and your guests will enjoy the various choices offered to their tastebuds. They can also decide how much or little they wish to eat. Buffet ideas that family & friends can help you with: * BBQ'd beef - have a large crockpot of this tasty meat choice cooked up and ready for self serve. Be sure to have buns or tortillas available (enough per for at least 1 per guest) Other inexpensive meat ideas: Baked and sliced ham, boneless turkey sliced and ready for self serve. Quick, Easy, & Inexpensive Side Dish Ideas: Potato salad ~ Green Salad ~ Rice Pilaf ~ Green beans w/bacon ~ Dinner Rolls Article by: California Weddings