Poet Ponders the Digital

Special Wedding Column November 13, 2011 Deadline Special Issue There’s More than One App for Weddings, Too Brides and grooms, as you plan your special day you might find it reassuring that for everything from the guest list to the reception music the slogan is true: “There’s an app for that!” App developers know you need some assistance. More than three dozen iPhone and iPad apps match the keyword “wedding” when searching the Apple iTunes App Store . There are a dozen or so wedding applications in the Android Marketplace, as well. With so many wedding apps in the App Store and Android Marketplace, you should read the reviews carefully. Only a handful of apps receive four or five stars in the user reviews. Thankfully, apps are affordable so you can try several different wedding themed apps and still spend less than $25. An iTunes gift card would allow a bride-to-be to purchase complete set of wedding apps, including a game or two. Wedding Planners The most popular wed...

Wedding Style Special Edition November 4, 2011 Deadline Special Issue The Ultimate Online Shopper (and Bride-to-Be) “I bought my wedding dress online.” When a young coworker told me she shopped for almost everything online, I naturally doubted her. Why would you buy a wedding dress online? “I wanted a classic dress,” she explained, “something vintage. So, I went online.” It all started with a simple wedding dress in a classic movie. Off my colleague went to The Knot (theknot.com), one of the leading online resources for brides-to-be. Several of the dresses featured were “almost” what she wanted, but none of them were perfect. She then visited local shops, but still failed to find what she wanted. After explaining what she wanted, a local seamstress mentioned to the frustrated young woman that an existing dress could be altered. This was a moment of inspiration. The bride-to-be was transformed into the ultimate online shopper. Somehow, she found her dream dress for $120...

Wedding Style: Virtual Valley April 12, 2011 Deadline Special to Wedding Style (Summer) The Wedding Planner: Google Your Big Day Great wedding planners help with everything from guest lists to creating photo albums of your special day. My recently married cousin also had a website with photos and information for friends and family unable to attend in person. Sharing via the Web is now as much a part of the complete wedding process as sending thank you notes. Where do you search for a wedding planner with Web savvy? You Google it! No, I don’t mean you search for a wedding planner via Google. You can now use Google as your wedding planner. In early 2011, Google launched “Google Weddings,” a site dedicated to helping couples plan the big event. Wedding planners can also use the site, allowing them to easily access plans from any computer with an Internet connection. Google has joined with Michelle Rago, a respected New York event planner and co-author of Signature Weddings: C...

Lifestyle / Direct: Wedding Issue November 15, 2010 Deadline Wedding 2010 Issue Wedding Registries Go Virtual A friend of mine adores Williams-Sonoma, the gourmet food and cookware retailer known for unique teas, baking mixes and unusual items like cakelet pans. When she announced her engagement, she included Williams-Sonoma among her list of bridal registries. However, many specialty retailers have yet to open locations in Tulare County. Though a drive to Fresno to visit some retailers might be a nice way to spend a weekend afternoon, my unfortunate experience has been that specialty retailers do not offer the same selection in the Valley as they do in places like San Francisco or Los Angeles. Also, there are some smaller retailers we might never see in the Valley. I know some couples who have used Target’s “Club Wedd” to create wedding registries. Club Wedd’s online bridal registry is convenient, especially when you’re swamped preparing for the big day. As my wife has remin...