Wedding Resources on the Web

by Monica Fusich -- Library Journal, 1/1/2000

Planning a wedding requires a major commitment of time and money. However, the wedding sites that have proliferated on the Internet have many innovative features that ease completion of tasks major and minor. Portal sites like The Knot and Wedding Channel offer tools such as calendars and budget calculators and allow engaged couples to post a wedding homepage, register for gifts, design a bridal gown showroom, and consult with other engaged couples. Other sites focus on a specific aspect of the wedding process, such as incorporating ethnic traditions into the occasion.

While there is a plethora of wedding portal sites, this column focuses only on the better sites among them. And while such sites offer many helpful features, those with specific information needs may be more satisfied at a specialized site.

Wedding Channel
http://www.weddingchannel.com
Date Visited: 12/14/99
Developer/Provider: Wedding Channel
On every page of the well-designed Wedding Channel, which is partnered with Bride's Magazine and Federated Department Stores, buttons highlight main areas (e.g., Bride, Groom, Registry), which include articles, planning tools, and more. For a full list of articles across the site, go to Planning and Advice, then click on Featured Content. A portion of the Groom's content is provided by unGROOM'd (see below).

Under Our Wedding, the useful tools include a calendar, address book, guest manager, and couple's profile. Customize the calendar with the wedding date, and a list of suggested tasks and dates of completion will appear. The guest manager allows users to compile a guest list, record RSVPs and gifts received, and plan seating at the reception. It's easy to use the couple profile to create a professional looking homepage.

The Fashion link allows users to search for dresses, accessories, and tuxedos using multiple criteria, but only the Advanced Search -- available for gowns and dresses -- allows searching by price. The results link to a company's web page or a toll-free number. Unlike The Knot (see below), you can't build a gown showroom.

Compared to other portal sites, the registry option on the personal homepages is limited: a couple must preregister with Wedding Channel and then register in person at only one of the seven major department stores with which Wedding Channel has partnered. Other sites allow more convenient registration via the Internet. This site also provides a local resources service, via the Bride Section, but the list of bridal consultants, florists, etc., is limited.

Bottom Line: With its clean design and clear instructions, this site is the easiest to use, offering useful features, like a personal homepage and planning tools, for engaged couples and their guests. However, the articles are better at The Knot (see below), and this site lacks the chat option some other portals offer.

The Knot
http://www.theknot.com
Date Visited: 12/14/99
Developer/Provider: AOL/Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
The Knot offers a confusing, advertising-rich homepage, with the five major content areas -- Planning Tools, Wedding Web Pages, etc. -- scattered about. However, if you delve into the Channels section -- which is divided into major topics like Engagement, Ideas and Planning, and Honeymoon -- you'll find a good selection of well-written articles.

The Planning Tools, available from a link near the bottom of the homepage, includes the Budgeter, sponsored by Quicken, which helps calculate wedding and reception expenses. Also available are free personal homepages, easy to set up.

Under Community, there are several active bulletin boards and chat rooms, covering such topics as "Those Pesky 10 Pounds" or "What I Would Change About My Wedding." Another helpful feature is the free newsletter and monthly to do list that can be sent via e-mail (available when users register). "Ask Carley," located under the Channels list, allows users to query an etiquette expert.

The wedding gown showroom requires (free) registration. It offers a unique feature, allowing the creation of a showroom of various dresses for viewing by members of the wedding party. This is especially helpful when attendants are coming from different locations. The Knot has partnered with WeddingPages.com to provide a local service directory, but the list isn't comprehensive.

If you are not using the most current editions of Netscape and Internet Explorer, you may experience Java script problems and see html coding on some pages of this site.

Bottom Line: Those who don't mind the messy organization and advertisements can find useful tools similar to those available at Wedding Channel, plus some superior features, including a bridal showroom and active chat rooms and bulletin boards.

UltimateWedding.com
http://www.ultimatewedding.com
Date Visited: 12/15/99
Developer/Provider: Ultimate Publishing
Although commercially produced, UltimateWedding.com has a down-home feel. This easily navigable site is divided into areas such as Community, Planning, Shopping, and Local Services. Ultimate Favorites includes a helpful wedding song library, wedding poetry, and a chance to ask etiquette expert Liz. The Community section offers free web pages and a very helpful Tips from Couples archive.

Also under Community, users can find interactive mailing lists on such topics as weddings and kids, groom's information, and wedding weight support, plus mailing lists organized by wedding month, which allow engaged couples to interact with others getting married during the same month.

Under Collections and Features, the Marriage License Library generally tells users to contact their county and provides only indirect links to statewide information.

This site also presents the Ultimate Wedding Shopping Mall, which links to wedding products and bridal services. It may not be the best source for products such as gowns, but it is good for accessories like pillows.

Bottom Line: For certain aspects of a wedding, such as song libraries and tips, this is a highly practical site, with much content from real people. Also check the interactive mailing lists arranged by wedding date month.

Alternate Sites
DellaWeddings.com
http://www.dellaweddings.com
ModernBride.com
http://www.modernbride.com
Wedding Circle's Guide to Speeches and Toasts
http://www.weddingcircle.com/fyi/speech/
DellaWeddings.com is a well-designed gift registry site that allows the bridal couple to create a personal web page and provide gift registry information to some national stores, plus specialty stores in seven cities. ModernBride.com provides articles related to bridal issues -- but not the current magazine contents -- plus planning tools and discussion forums, with key areas listed across the homepage. An interesting feature is the "Lisa and Mike's To-Be-Wed Files" (available if you click on Romance at the pull-down menu), which gives he said/she said perspectives on the planning process. A partnership with WeddingNetwork.com leads to a virtual registry from over 100 retailers -- with the unique option of interactive help in real time. One of the most useful aspects of WeddingCircle.com, produced by Continuum Internet Publishing Services, Inc., is the section on speeches and toasts, which is more extensive than at other sites, offering information on content, style, delivery, and a book of toasts. Also, a click on the Customs and Traditions link at the bottom offers information on Scottish, Italian, and Jewish wedding customs.

The BestMan
http://www.thebestman.com
unGROOM'd: The Men's Perspective on Marriage
http://www.ungroomd.com
Augmenting information available within many portal sites, these two sites focus specifically on a man's viewpoint on engagement and marriage. unGROOM'd takes a humorous look at the engagement process with articles, columns, cartoons, and opinion pieces. Weekly marriage news is provided as well as an unmonitored bulletin board. The black background with white and bright blue text may be annoying but seems appropriate for this sardonic site. The Best Man focuses on what a best man should do at the all-important bachelor party and on the wedding day. The site offers advice and tips on drinking, smoking, tuxes, and toasts. Under the Big Day, the link to Situations gives advice on how to handle a drunken guest or a DJ deviating from the agreed playlist. The Party and Steppin' Out information can be raunchy, and the bulletin board -- available from the homepage Locker Room link -- generally echoes this site's manly man attitude. Users may have to scroll horizontally to find site links.

RainbowUnions.com
http://www.rainbowunions.com
This site provides easily navigable information on commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples. Click on the planning section for engagement announcements, ceremony wordings, legal information, and general wedding information. Added features are a calendar of gay and lesbian events and links to related sites. A forum for discussion has recently been added.

African Wedding Guide
http://melanet.com/awg
The purpose of the African Wedding Guide, produced by Melanet, is to "give ideas on planning a wedding using African traditions as well as adaptations to the ways of African-Americans." Colorful buttons on the left side list the main categories of information available. The planning section explains customs such as jumping the broom and how to incorporate this into a modern ceremony. The fashion section links to books, articles, and web pages on African fabric and wedding clothes.

Chinese Wedding Traditions
http://www.chcp.org/Vwedding.html
This scholarly site, produced by the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project, a nonprofit group in Santa Clara, CA, describes both traditional and contemporary Chinese wedding customs. A helpful bibliography is included.

Catholic Online: Community: The Sacraments: Marriage
http://community.catholic.org/temp/community/
sacraments/matrimony/matrimony.htm
Jewish Community Online's Internet Resources: Family: Lifecycles: Weddings
http://jewish.com/search/Family/Lifecycles/Weddings/
Zawaj.com: Muslim Matrimonials
http://zawaj.com/index.html
The noncommercial Catholic Online provides access to sites and articles relating to marriage from the Catholic viewpoint, including a pastoral letter on "Love Is for Life" and information on Marriage Encounter weekends. The noncommercial Jewish Community Online's Internet Resources links to articles, including "Choices in a Jewish Wedding Ceremony" and an FAQ on Jewish weddings and Jewish wedding customs. While Zawaj.com includes matrimonial advertisements, it also provides much information on Islamic wedding traditions, under Articles and Essays. Ask Bilqis answers readers' questions. A link near the bottom of the page, Wedding Customs around the Muslim World, includes articles on Muslim weddings and customs in several countries.

Monica Fusich (monica_fusich@csufresno.edu) is a Reference Librarian at California State University, Fresno