Matrimony made easier

Planning a wedding can be stressful but there are ways to get around it, writes KATE FOREMAN.

Weddings are supposed to be one of the happiest occasions in life but they are notoriously difficult to organise.

Auckland bride-to-be Caroline Lee and her partner, Paul Brown, have joined the increasing number of couples who have turned to the internet to help plan their big day.

Miss Lee wanted to use the web to find suitable venues, but she found the choice online was limited. Where venues had put up a website they often left out details such as the cost, which she found frustrating.

"The whole point of using the web was to find out how much things cost. Although I can understand why they aren't displaying prices, it has really put me off - I'd sooner phone someone than engage in an e-mail correspondence."

Miss Lee says the only area where the net was helpful was in coaxing her partner to sit down with her to discuss arrangements.

"He'd much rather sit down at a computer than look through a glossy magazine."

But wedding coordinator and marriage celebrant Shirley-Ann McCrystal, who runs Wedding Essentials, finds that the internet can lend itself very well to organising a wedding.

Many of her clients are expatriates who are arranging weddings from a great distance. Sometimes her clients have flown into the country with as little as three hours to spare before the event, trusting that everything has been arranged to their requirements.

We found several New Zealand-based wedding planner sites offering a much more personal service than bland dotcoms.

For example, Wellington-based Cashmere Heights Weddings has great shots of scenic venues around the country, including the Church of the Good Shepherd and other spectacular locations in the South Island, and the company also offers one or two options in most main cities.

The personal service includes an invitation to engage in e-mail communication with the planner, but that might be a bit daunting for the casual surfer.

At weddings.co.nz, an online magazine, you will find an extensive site offering excellent tips from matrimonial advisers and a service that answers your wedding questions by e-mail.

For those who wish to be inspired by other people's weddings, there are stories and photos from successful weddings. The site also contains extensive text listings but it does suffer from a lack of photos, especially of floral products.

But a link to Décor Cakes provides that rare combination of photo and price.

Here you will find a wide selection of cakes on display giving a good idea of what is available. Another site I would recommend looking at is NZ Wedding Planner, which describes itself as a database for wedding related services. It is very easy to navigate and has useful articles on the history of cakes, flowers and music, and the role they play in a wedding.

If, like me, you have already done the dirty deed, check out the anniversary section to find out what present is traditional on each year. Next year I get to look forward to wool.

The site's service directory is user-friendly, with searches by region and service required, but it lacks the volume of advertisers to make it a huge success. For example, when I did a search for dressmakers & designers in the Auckland region the site drew a blank.

For the lowdown on the official side of things go to Births, Deaths and Marriages, which is a great little site for all your birth, death and marriage needs.

It makes life very easy because you can download a request form, e-mail your application (allow 1 day to register) and pay by credit card. This makes it almost too easy.

Auckland based Wedding Directory provides a thorough guide to marrying in the City of Sails, with marriage celebrants, reception venues and a link to the Auckland City Council site, for the ins and outs of booking a wedding in your favourite park.

Another good link is to Clear's weather site, to see what type of rain to expect on your happy day.

All potential brides who love to look at a glossy magazine should visit Bride and Groom.

It contains all the articles featured in the latest issue and has much to offer in the way of advice for coping with the big day.

Perhaps it's the sheer optimism of a wedding that we find so charming. Having been married for 10 long years the cynic in me loved this gem, which I found at Wedding Humour.com- "love is one long, sweet dream and marriage is the alarm clock."

Links


Wedding Essentials

Cashmere Heights Weddings

weddings.co.nz

Decor Cakes

NZ Wedding Planner

Births, Deaths and Marriages

Wedding Directory

Auckland City Council

Clear

Bride and Groom

Wedding Humour