Okay. So you’re past that stage of dating and looking up matchmaking sites. You want to get legally hitched
or, in polite terms, tie the proverbial ‘nuptial knot’. Resisting the temptation to baffle you with debates, let’s
just try to help you sail through the confusion preceding wedding functions. How? By turning to the
Internet, of course.
There are a lot of people online today, working solely towards helping you organise your special, and
chaotic, day. And if you happen to be one of those "I-can’t-find-the-time-to-get married" couples, looking
for a ceremony as easy as it is in keeping with tradition, read on.
For starters, think about the amount of time and money you are willing to shell out, and what your priorities
are in terms of the reception. Once you reach a decision, you can surf for information on the first item on
your agenda that requires urgent attention. For example, if finding a good muhurat or matching your kundlis
(horoscope) happens to be a priority, there’s a virtual pundit at Cyberastro.com who will willingly help you out.
You can also use an online Kundli matcher at the site, if you don’t want your parents getting hysterical over
the numbers of doshas (personality points) that match or do not match between you and that special
someone.
Once that’s sorted out, and you’re sure you still want to get married, sites like Shaadiinfo
allow you to discover wedding venues closest to your house, and offer
a directory of addresses to help you find a good card printer, caterer, car decorator, florist, mineral
water supplier, and other related services.
Alternatively, if you just don’t have the inclination or the time, the site’s ‘event managers’ promise to
relieve you of these burdens by handling it all right from invitations to the reception. Whether you
wish to see the groom riding a decorated elephant filmi-ishtyle, or want the most exotic decorations
from over the world adorning trees around your venue, or even something as outlandish as a variety
of flower petals gently falling from a helicopter over the bride -- it’s all here if you have the money.
Another database of services can be accessed at Shaadis.com which
offers you a ‘regional’ list of addresses of people who can decorate your wedding mandap, bands to
entertain your guests, along with horse rental and wedding car contact numbers. You can also
access a Message Board that’s a great place to post your worries, hopes, anxieties and thoughts,
for other to-be-marrieds to read.
Want naughty ideas? Try the exhaustive Rediff Weddings Channel
that tells how to go about stag parties, gives you
teaser tips from the kamasutra, ideas for theme weddings, as well as contact numbers of
organisers who can plan something mischievously innovative for you.
Not that bold? Go for the kind of wedding your parents had (and are absolutely clueless about since
you were not around). For this, you can refer to the site’s Wedding Rituals section to find an outline
of marriage rites and customs for all Indian communities.
An hour of surfing could leave you enriched with tips on buying jewellery for the bride and groom.
You can decide on a honeymoon package and trousseau that suits your budget, and different bridal
makeovers for each function. Then there are online experts to answer queries that surfing and
clicking don’t solve.
The Wedding planner at Rediff.com is a handy checklist that charts out all the ceremonies you
choose to have, and need to keep track of. It can also be customised to send you email reminders
of items (such as oil, turmeric, coconuts and sweets) you need to stock up before each ritual.
Another planning tool you can access is a ‘quick budgeter’ that helps you plan and distribute your
wedding finances logically over certain areas.
Let’s say you’ve done it all and now want to share the good news with friends and family across the
world. Set up your wedding page through a simple two-step process at Weddingsutra. You can talk about your engagement story, upload photographs
and wedding plans, and even put in driving instructions to reach your wedding hall. The site also
gives you a customised URL and free storage space for twelve of your best wedding photographs,
with captions. The more adventurous can also put in a streaming video of their wedding for others to
view, at a later date.
Its ‘Guest Manager’ is a planning tool allowing you to list a select number of guests from both, the bride’s
and groom’s families, for invitations to certain events. It has status checks of invitations sent, RSVPs (and
gifts) received. Then there’s a customised wedding address book for contact information of your wedding
guests and vendors, that allows you to access addresses of other registered members willing to share their
databases.
Pre-wedding nerves? Log on to a real time wedding chat community at UltimateWedding, and share your deepest anxieties with others waiting to be
betrothed. Discussions could range from saving money, to wedding theme ideas, or even which
rituals are the most important for posterity.
There are loads of clever ideas floating around too, at sites like Weddinghub, which give you suggestions like getting a fashion college graduate
to design an original wedding outfit for you at a dime, or buying discounted cosmetics from direct
marketing representatives of good brands to cuts costs. You could also read up on the latest trends
in wedding fashion, and find out about offers on certain exotic venues, menus, etc.
Nothing much else to do except log in, browse, and sit back for D-Day. Once it dawns, immortalise
it on your own wedding page, for your children to admire some day later.
Take a tour of all these wedding sites
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