Popular flagship wedding planning website TheKnot.com was launched in 1997. Since then, websites and wedding blogs have helped couples plan. Some brides are loyal to large central resources available on sites such as The Knot, while others are looking for non-traditional ideas.
Angela Shields, a 31-year-old marketer from Harrington who married in 2011, initially scoured The Knot for ideas. “I exclusively used The Knot at first, but then I got active on the message boards,” she says. “I continued to use The Knot because it has it all broken out by location, so I could hone in on just the Delaware region. I also relied on theknot.com for email reminders. They let me know when to order flowers, get the dress and other planning aspects like that.”
While Bolin appreciated The Knot as a resource for etiquette questions and beauty advice, she turned to more nontraditional wedding blogs for inspiration, such as stylemepretty.com and greenweddingshoes.com. “I was looking at blogs where real people were repurposing wedding information,” she says. “I needed the do-it-yourself options, and I was using ideas and color palettes that I saw online. What I chose was a hodgepodge of things I liked from other weddings that had inspired me.”
Both brides sought to replicate ideas seen online when possible. From invitation ideas to creating paper flowers, technology introduced ideas they could bring to life. While Shields used vistaprint.com for her invitations, she bought card stock from Michaels craft store and glued it to the back of each invitation to enhance the color scheme. When the homemade route was not an option, Bolin turned to Etsy.com to see what artists around the world had created in hopes of a perfect fit.
“Etsy is a great resource and more authentic,” explains Silicato. “As planners, we are able to reach out to talented professionals who make unique items. With Etsy.com, we found more vendors than ever. It’s a global giant vendor fair.”
Photography blogs, Pinterest boards and wedding websites can help the bride and groom visualize their ceremony and reception.
For music information, check out the Hi-Fi Weddings blog, says DeForrest “It features real-life weddings with their set lists, as well as sample set lists and advice on how to choose the right music for all aspects of the day.”
