There’s nothing you can’t find on the web these days, and when it comes to finding information and inspiration to help you plan your wedding, it can be a very useful tool. We’re not saying you should only use the internet when beginning to plan your wedding. Traditional methods like wedding magazines are still an important tool, and of course, your mum will always be a wealth of knowledge (and whatever you do, don’t tell her otherwise – mums ALWAYS know best!). Your married friends are no doubt full of helpful advice as well. But if you feel as though you’re lacking in inspiration, then the web can be a great starting point, allowing you everything from access to wedding photos to directories of the best photographers, wedding planners or cake makers. So, this is the modern girl’s guide to planning her wedding, and we’ve done some research to find the best websites to help you plan your dream big day.
www.oncewed.com This is an aspirational site, showing you how to get a ‘designer wedding for less’. And, the website shows that people do have some fantastic, unique ideas when it comes to weddings. There are ideas for everything from hair styles, to table settings, and the site gives you ideas on how you can give your wedding a really personal touch. The site also features a DIY tips section, full of unique, great ideas, such as making your own formal invitations to send to invite friends to be a part of your wedding party, or how to create your own table settings. Also full of beautiful photos of beautiful people, even if you’re not getting married this site is a bit addictive!
www.nzweddingplanner.co.nz This site prides itself on being an initial point of reference for brides-to-be just starting to plan their weddings. This is an essential site, boasting NZ’s largest wedding service directory with over 15,000 listings, a section containing free wedding planning tools, and even tips to manage your budget. Less dreamy and whimsical than Once Wed, but very practical, and an excellent place to start if you’re feeling a little bit daunted about the whole idea of planning a wedding.
www.weddingsonline.co.nz
This is an online resource aimed at “DIY wedding planners”. A great feature of this site is that it invites feedback – readers can submit questions about what they want to know, and answers and tips on that topic will be posted to the site. The site also features a “six month countdown” checklist to help you avoid any last minute panics. And my favourite part about this site – you can use it to set up your own wedding website, where you can post details for your guests such as accommodation information, maps and gift registries. And after your wedding you can use it to post your wedding photos and thank you notes to guests. The site even provides a service where a web designer will design your own personal wedding website.
www.thebigstep.co.nz
What I really like about this site is the “Ask the experts” section. Users post questions to the site, and they are answered by experts, meaning everyone sees the information. I also really like the scrapbook tool where you can save favourite pages, and the online RSVP tool where you can track your guest list. A very handy website, bound to take some of the stress out of handling the details of your big day.