Engaged Couple Goes Digital

More than half of the guests invited to the wedding of Alana Dalglish and Blair Sutherland have already RSVPd without mailing in a response or receiving a mailed invitation. The couple decided to create their own personal wedding website, which allows the guests to view the invitation and RSVP for the wedding online. Dalglish and Sutherland included save-the-date magnets for the wedding with the web address, when they mailed out their Christmas cards, requesting guests to RSVP on their website since they would not be mailing out paper invitations.

Dalglish said the decision to go the digital route stemmed from a number of reasons, including wanting to keep the wedding as eco-friendly and reduce postage costs. On their website Dalglish and Sutherland have included the story on how they met, mini-biographies of members of their family and wedding party, and even a section inviting visitors to submit and share recipes.

They are also holding a fundraiser to benefit a village school in Mexico, near the eco-resort where they will be spending their honeymoon. People can donate to the cause online. There are also plans in the works to have a live feed of their nuptials. The couple stated using online tools allows them to share more information than they could in a paper invitation and helps makes communications easier in the process.

New Survey Demonstrates a Rise in DIY Brides & Pre-Wedding Parties

 

According to Shutterfly's Wedding Trends Survey administered on March 22-30th of this year, bridal showers and bachelorette parties are back in full swing. The survey polled 422 women who were married in the past 12 months, and 500 women who are engaged and will be married in the next 12 months. Results showed an anticipated 58%t increase in bachelorette parties and a 47% increase in bridal showers.

Other findings from Shutterfly's Wedding Trend Survey revealed:

~Should've spent less on the dress; more on the memories. Of survey respondents married within 12 months prior to the survey, 28% felt they didn't spend enough money on the honeymoon; 22% felt the same about the photographer. 19% of the same sample reported spending too much on the bridal gown and food.

~The old adage: "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride" might not be true. Shutterfly's survey revealed that a third of respondents had been a maid of honor at least once in the past; 37% of those brides have been a maid of honor more than once.

~Blue is the color of the season. 27% of engaged brides listed blue as their primary wedding hue. Other hot schemes were black and white (24%) purple (19%) and red (17%).

Are you a married woman or future bride? Give us your input!