Wedding Bells on the Web - wedding planning on the Internet - Brief Article

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, June, 1999 by Stephanie Gallagher

Not to mention bubbles and butterflies, if that's what you want.

When Kim Redfield wanted to buy a car, the first thing she did was log on to the Internet to research models and prices. When her father had a heart attack, she went online to find information about heart disease. So when her longtime boyfriend, Tom, 39, proposed in December 1997, it was only natural that the 33-year-old headhunter from Rancho Palos Verdes, Cal., turn to the Web for help with the wedding.

Redfield didn't have to look far. From gown styles to reception menus, flowers to cake designs, she found almost everything she needed for the day of her dreams--and spent about half what an average wedding costs.

But what surfing the Web really saves you is time. Comparison shopping becomes, so to speak, a piece of cake. And if you want an over-the-top wedding, you'll find ideas you never dreamed of (how about releasing live butterflies as you leave the ceremony?). Then there's the luxury of obsessing over details with other prospective brides, maids of honor and mothers--even the occasional groom--at any hour of the day or night.

At sites such as those in the box on page 104, you can find advice on all the burning issues: marquise or princess diamond? Puffed sleeves or three-quarter length? His church or her synagogue--or both? Full buffet or hors d'oeuvres? And, of course, favors, favors, favors.

That one arena--what you give your guests to commemorate your special day, and how you arrange for them to see you off--is a small industry in itself. It represents about $79 million of the $10-billion bridal industry, according to Alan Fields, co-author with his wife, Denise, of Bridal Bargains (Windsor Peak Press).The average couple spends $200 on favors alone, out of the average total wedding cost of $17,000.

In the days before environmental awareness, people threw rice as the bride and groom left the church. But then we learned that birds were choking on it. Now, from bubbles to birdseed, bells and butterflies, the Web abounds with creative ways for your guests to salute you as you leave the church or reception.

Tiny bottles of bubbles, for example, cost $5 to $14 for 24, depending on how fancy the packaging is. You can choose bottles shaped like roses, champagne bottles, wedding cakes and even miniature churches at USA Bride's Wedding Store (www.wedguide.com/store).

Bells, available in silver and gold, let guests ring in your new life. A box of 24 costs $6.95 at the Ultimate Online Wedding Mall (ultimatewedding.stores .yahoo.com). The site also sells heart-shaped "designer" rice that's safe for birds and animals, "won't roll when stepped on and won't grow weeds like birdseed." A 24-ounce package, which makes 100 favors, costs $12.95.

At Wrapped in Elegance (www.wrappedinelegance.com), your choices range from the traditional--Jordan almonds tied up in tulle--to the exotic. Personalized fortune cookies run 60 cents each, plus a $35 setup fee. Coffee-bean sachets, $2. Studded votive candles, $2.50. Handmade soap, $5. And though it boggles the mind, not to mention the stomach, there are more than 700 chocolate items, including chocolate invitations and thank-you cards ($4 each,, plus $100 setup).

If you really want to let your imagination soar, you can have guests release butterflies as you make your way out the door. Butterflies, of course, aren't free--or even inexpensive. Fragrant Acres (www.butterflyreleases.com), for instance, sells Painted Lady butterflies for $47 per dozen plus $20 shipping. Butterflies are shipped in one or two boxes to be released all at once in what the site calls a "natural display of beauty and love."

At competing butterfly-release sites (there are about 20, believe it or not, charging up to $100 a dozen), you can get your Lepidoptera individually packaged. After your guests participate in the release, they have a keepsake envelope inscribed with your names and wedding date.

Roann Sakai of Cupertino, Cal., thought the idea was "kinda cute" when she first heard about it, but thanks to advice she got from online bulletin boards, she decided not to pursue it. "People were saying, don't do it," Sakai says. "They had been to weddings where the butterflies were released and half were dead. Or they were caught in the rain. Butterflies don't look good in the rain."

Reporter: James Ramage

RELATED ARTICLE: Wrapping up a wedding online

THE KNOT (www.theknot.com) is our pick for the best all-around wedding site. From buying a diamond to wording your invitations, hosting an interfaith wedding to organizing a shower, finding a photographer to sifting through 8,000 dresses, The Knot offers comprehensive advice, along with such tools as a planning checklist and a budget maker. You can visit other couples' personal Web sites and create one of your own. Other good sites:

The Ultimate Internet Wedding Guide (www.ultimatewedding.com). A little of everything, from a library of songs and a photo gallery of cakes to links to local wedding professionals. Like The Knot, it features chats and discussion boards.