The internet has help to revolutionize the way in which couples can carry out their wedding planning. From personal websites, to receiving your RSVP’s online, the World Wide Web has helped many couples breeze through the minefield of wedding planning with a range of virtual solutions to help them stay organized. So what planning tools are available? Here are a few suggestions which you may want to research further.

Wedding Directory Sites

These infinitely useful sites will include a variety of features including articles on wedding planning, honeymoons & anything else wedding related. As the name implies they will also carry a directory of wedding services, vendors & professionals for you to search through. The larger directory sites will cover a whole nation, whilst you may also find regional sites which are often linked to a paper based directory which you can purchase from local retailers. The national sites will include adverts & features from the major retailers such as renowned jewelers, wedding dress designers & travel companies. They will also include regional listings, but may not be as in depth as the smaller regional sites.

My tip is to use a combination of both so that you get the best of both worlds. These sites can provide you with an infinite number of tips & ideas to help you with your wedding planning.

Personalized Wedding Websites

This is a customized website set up by yourselves to not only help your wedding planning, but to also keep guests, members of the wedding party & vendors informed of how your planning is progressing.

There are many sites offering wedding website services, some will charge you a monthly fee, some may charge an outright fee & others may offer a variety of packages, including a free website service. The style of site you choose will depend on how many features you you’re your site to have. They can come fully loaded with online RSVP’s, photo galleries, blog pages & more. They are often set in such as way as anyone can build one in an evening & it will come with it’s own domain name (web address) which can be chosen by you.

You will need to set aside some time each day or at least twice a week to update the site. You will probably find some over eager guests logging in each day just to see what you’ve been up to & if there is anything new to see!

Online Wedding Planning Tools

There are many websites that can offer you a variety of wedding planning tools, these include an online RSVP service – where guests can email you back their reply to your wedding invitation; help with producing your thank you notes, budget planning tools, seating charts, invitation trackers & event management.

All of these tools will help keep your wedding planning in an organized state & without the risk of loosing important bits of paper, phone numbers, dates & prices.

Gift Registries

You can even set up your gift registries online. Many of the large high street stores & those that are solely online retailers will offer this service. Simply register with the site & select the gifts from their product ranges that you would like to receive.

An online gift registry will give you the option of logging in to see who has bought what, what is left on your list & will give you a list of all gifts bought & by whom, which can help with your thank you note writing.

There are of course, those of you who would prefer the old fashioned method of notebook & pen for your wedding planning. For many is may be a preference to feel in control of their wedding preparations, rather letting a cyber world do it for you & there are those who would like the chance to create a keepsake of all the wedding planning in the form of their wedding notebook/scrapbook.

Whatever your personal preference, I would advise you to consider using at least one online wedding planning tool to help make your life easier & less stressful.

The month of December has special meaning for so many people. It is the season of Christmas, a truly sparkling time of the year when family gatherings, church services, and the company of strangers seems to bring out the best in people. Young couples sense the warmth of the season as the thought of permanent togetherness comes to mind. Will this be the month when he proposes? Will she say yes?

For some guys the thought of proposing marriage has them scared out of their wits. When to do it, where to ask her, and what to say could be some of the questions giving prospective grooms pause. The following marriage proposal tips can help place your concerns behind you and put that diamond solitaire ring on her finger. Are you ready to create a December she will always remember?

Select the Ring

Before deciding where, when and how you will propose marriage, you must have your props ready. You’ll look your handsome best, but there is something you must have on hand to put on her hand: an engagement ring. The ring you choose will be a very personal expression of your love for her, so visit a website such as James Allen professional jewelers to look at a broad selection of rings for your review including: classic solitaire settings, settings with side stones, tension setting, pave setting, three stone setting, designer jewelry and more. The sooner you start looking the quicker you’ll find the perfect engagement ring.

Consider the Right Date

The holiday season kicks off with Thanksgiving and goes through New Year’s Day. Not every marriage proposal is uttered on December 25th as the busyness of the day can make quiet moments hard to come by. With that in mind, some alternate dates and settings can work out best:

Thanksgiving Weekend – Turkey leftovers means one thing: Christmas shopping is in full force! Guess whose mind is turning toward thoughts of the holidays? The lady you love. Consider taking some of that downtime to pull her to the side and surprise her with a platinum ring.

Holiday Parties – Turn that dreadful office Holiday party into a memorable event. You know you are expected to be there, why not bring your date (and the ring) along and make it a special night? Your co-workers will get a kick out of it, especially if the woman you love also works at the same establishment. Guess what will be the topic of conversation the following Monday?

Christmas Eve – The tradition for some families is to attend Christmas Eve service and then return home to open up one gift. What a wonderful time to propose marriage as Silent Night is played, a festive spirit reigns, and with an engagement ring at the ready!

Christmas Morn – This is the favorite day for some couples to get engaged. You’ll be spending the day together as it is, so why not propose in the morning and then bask in everyone’s well wishes throughout the day?

New Year’s Eve – Besides Christmas, the advent of a New Year has many men giving serious consideration to the days ahead. You know that you want to marry her, why not announce your love for her moments before you ring in the New Year?

What You Can Say

I’ve given you plenty of advice on the ring and the date, but I don’t feel that it is right to tell you what to say. If she loves you, no fancy speech matters – a simple proposal will do. With diamond engagement ring in hand and date chosen, you’ll come up with the right words at the right time and in the right setting too!