Guest Blogger: The Modern Bride’s Guide to Wedding Planning

If we’ve learned one thing about the Internet over the past 10 years, it’s that we’re not in Kansas anymore (Unless you actually live in Kansas, of course). The days of rotary phones and snail mail to communicate are long behind us. We’re moving further away, Skyping with family and friends to stay connected, and venturing beyond boundaries the previous generations had only recently established.

Modern brides have made adjustments right alongside this cultural shift, too. Instead of spending the afternoon at the town’s only bridal store, the modern bride now has literally hundreds of options for dress styles, shoe colors, and design ideas—all at her instant disposal. It can be hard to know where to begin!

To help the modern bride navigate the digital streets of wedding planning, we’ve come up with a handful of helpful tips:

Deciding the details of your wedding can be a daunting task, especially when you’re shopping the online realm. Before you sit down and Google “centerpiece ideas,” think about the overall feel of your wedding and use that as your guideline. What’s your style? What color palette catches your eye? Are you and fiancé more vintage, modern, classic, casual? Find blogs and websites that fit those big picture ideas and go from there. Once you narrow the search, the details will come more easily.

Let’s face it – inspiration rarely comes when you’re specifically looking for it. With that in mind, make sure to take note of things that grab your attention, even if they’re not the original focus of your search. By taking a few minutes to bookmark that page or picture (and labeling it appropriately), you’ll begin to build a great resource that you can return to when the time is right. There’s plenty on your brain already, so when you stumble across those perfect party favors, let your computer do the remembering by creating a folder or list. You’ll be glad you did!

Balance Online with In-Person:

What you see isn’t always what you get when shopping online, so make sure to do some “in-person” research before you take the plunge on an important decision. If you’re picking out bridesmaid dresses, ask the company to send you their swatch folder so you can get a true representation of the colors. Try on the brand of shoe you’re looking at online so you know what size to order. Measure out the dimensions of that handmade cake-topper instead of eyeing it from the picture. Using the Internet to find better prices and a larger selection is a great idea, just make sure it will meet your expectations when it arrives.

Keep an eye out for partnerships and deals. It’s not unlikely to pay for stationary goods and receive a free photo book from their partner. Or perhaps the local blog you follow occasionally offers giveaways for gifts or services in your area. We certainly don’t recommend signing up for every promo out there (unless you’re a fan of spam mail), but consider subscribing to a few quality sites that offer worthwhile deals and discounts. You never know what bonuses you might come across!

We’re a bit bias on this topic, but we think online planning is important to consider. With family and friends all over the place these days, it’s difficult to plan whilst keeping everyone in the loop. The balance is tricky, but using something like Wedllab bridges that gap! Get everyone on board to share in ideas and discussions, setup budgets, to-do lists, and more. It’s a new way to plan, but we think it supports the modern bride wonderfully.

Despite the Internet playing such a major role in planning for a wedding, a few simple personal rules will keep your planning needs in check, online and off. Providing yourself boundaries will keep you on the course to wedding planner success, and being smart with planning decisions will pay off in the end.

(To learn more about Wedllab, wedding collaboration made easy, visit http://www.wedllab.com)

Photos courtesy of mylot.com.