Online Resources for Your Big Day: Part 1 of 2

The internet is without a doubt the hottest spot for resources, tips and ideas for weddings these days. Out with the bulky magazines and in with the blogs and phone apps! Here are a few of my favorite online spots to ooh and aah over...

The Knot has taken everything you love from their magazine, and put it all in one convenient place. Not only can you visit theknot.com, but you can follow them on Facebook AND on Twitter. Craving MORE Knot? Download their iPhone app! They consider it "your on-the-go source for expert wedding advice from TheKnot.com."

One of my favorite features of the site is their expansive dress database, but also the "wedding ideas" tab.  Pick a topic in which you are interested (i.e., reception ideas) and then narrow down your search to themes, colors, and even types of flowers. I have never been disappointed while perusing theknot.com. My one piece of advice is to bookmark EVERYTHING you like because there is a good chance you might not be able to get back to it later to show your friends and family.

Wedding Wire is a user-friendly website that can help you with the fine details of your wedding.  It has a phenomenal vendor database with loads of client reviews and some extremely practical wedding planning tools.  My favorite is the budget analyzer. Enter your total wedding budget, and the tool will break down the amount you should spend on each aspect of the wedding, from drinks and food to dress and music. It accounts for what is typical for a budget of your size, so you will not be overwhelmed or under-budgeted when it comes to spending for your big day.

Another fun tool on Wedding Wire is the inspiration board application.  You can drag, drop and create inspiration from thousands of pictures. You can add hairstyles, dresses, flowers and even centerpieces to your inspiration board.

Try not to get too overwhelmed because these sites were created to RELIEVE you of stress for your wedding, not to create more. Figure out what works for you, and what you want to use. Tune in for the second half of this article. I promise you will love it!