| Planning a wedding? Whether you're a
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| | friends. This is your big day. It
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| wedding planning pro or a do-it-yourself
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| | deserves a little research.
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| bride, I know one thing you don't: you
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| | Bridal fairs. If the vendors at bridal
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| aren't using the web enough.
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| | fairs were so great, why would they be
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| The web has become the dominant way to
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| | trawling for business? Do you want an
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| shop for electronics, travel, cars,
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| | in-demand wedding vendor, or one who has
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| housing, even education. But you can
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| | to set up a booth and hand out free
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| just as easily use the web to find
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| | samples?
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| caterers, event halls, dressmakers, DJs,
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| | Yellow pages. I remember the time my
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| photographers, videographers--even a
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| | mother used the Yellow Pages to find a
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| wedding planner if you decide to take a
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| | contractor to install some new doors.
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| break from doing it all yourself.
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| | During the holiday season, the draft
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| Here's how the web helps you plan a
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| | would blow out the candles in the window
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| wedding:
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| | if they weren't electric. Anyone can get
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| Local search. No, you don't have to sort
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| | in the yellow pages--and believe me,
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| through vendors from here to Timbuktu.
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| | anyone does.
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| Local search technology now makes finding
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| | Web Wedding Planning Advantages
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| someone downtown as easy as finding
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| | Selection. No offline source will ever
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| someone anywhere. If you use Google, you
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| | have as many options, whether it's songs
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| only have to enter a place name along
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| | for the wedding reception or fabrics for
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| with your keyword to get a list of local
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| | the gowns.
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| businesses. Try "wedding planner fargo"
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| | Ready information. As soon as you see an
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| (without the quotes) and see for
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| | option you'd like to consider, you can
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| yourself.
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| | find out all you'd ever like to know as
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| Real people. The people you are buying
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| | easily as copying and pasting into
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| from online aren't "virtual." They're as
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| | Google.
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| real as the people you'd meet in person.
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| | It's All in Writing. By their very
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| In fact, especially with local business,
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| | nature, websites put a lot of information
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| the website is just a first contact. You
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| | in writing. The written policies
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| can always call them up or arrange to
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| | regarding shipping, warranties (if any),
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| meet in person.
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| | returns, and service will almost always
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| Dedicated wedding information websites.
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| | be easy to access. (Hint: look for links
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| There are now websites solely devoted not
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| | to policies at the bottom of each web
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| just to planning a wedding, but to
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| | page.) The fact that everything is
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| catering, wedding cakes, even dying shoes
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| | written down gives the vendor much less
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| for weddings. These same websites often
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| | wiggle room to change the terms of the
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| have directories of wedding vendors
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| | deal. Almost as good as the paper trail
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| arranged by location.
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| | is the photograph trail--at least when it
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| Message boards and customer reviews. You
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| | comes to merchandise. Save any relevant
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| wouldn't buy a book on Amazon without
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| | images along with the text.
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| reading a review a customer had left.
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| | Better Business Bureau's Convenient
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| Now you don't have to buy decorations
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| | BBBOnline. On the web, it's easy to
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| that way, either.
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| | check for Better Business Bureau
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| Web Wedding Planning Alternatives
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| | membership. The site should have the
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| The web has a lot of advantages over most
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| | BBBOnline logo displayed prominently on
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| other ways of discovering and evaluating
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| | the order page. Click on the logo to be
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| wedding vendors. Just look at what your
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| | taken to the BBB.org profile for that
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| other options are:Recommendations from
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| | business. The BBB page should say that
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| friends and colleagues. How much do your
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| | business is a member in good standing.
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| friends and colleagues really know about
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| | With the BBBOnline, the Bureau's
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| wedding planning? Very often, one
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| | ecommerce program, you can dispute a sale
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| person's idea of wedding elegance is any
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| | without having to go to the local Bureau
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| sane person's idea of bad, bad taste.
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| | where the store is headquartered.
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| Just look at anyone's wedding pictures.
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| | In short, the web makes it much easier to
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| You can't trust this decision to your
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| | get a perfect wedding.
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