The wedding invitations, reply cards and envelopes, and reception cards barely fit into their envelopes. There's no way you can stuff in directions and special requests.

Rather than bulk up your invitation envelopes and add up postage cost, include the address of your wedding website in your invitation. Then your guests can log on to find out additional information: where to bring gifts, if you prefer donations to a certain charity, whether you want children at your wedding and if childcare will be provided, and any other special requests. You can also scan in a copy of your actual wedding invitation and post it on your site.

On your website, you can include information that is either troublesome or just plain impossible to add to your invitations. One of the most helpful tips: list where you are registered and include a link to their site if they have one. Provide your own directions to the ceremony and reception site (you can scan in an hand-drawn map) or else link to a map site so your guests can easily look up directions. Another interesting idea, especially if you are planning an outdoors wedding, provide a link to the local weather forecast so your guests will have an idea of what to expect climatically.

Half of the people in your wedding don't know each other.

Introduce your families and your wedding party to each other before they meet in person by posting pictures and short profiles. When they finally meet in person at the wedding they'll already know something about each other.

Information on paper has a way of disappearing.

Why not put a newsletter online for your wedding party members that have access to the Internet? You can remind them of special duties or give tips on attire. How about those other people that will be helping with the wedding that may not know what they are supposed to do? They can log on to your website site to find out when they're needed. And the great thing is you can print the site out and send it to those who don't have access, because the work is already done for you! You will take a huge amount of stress off yourself and your wedding party.

You and your fiancé come from different cultural backgrounds (or it just feels like you do).

Use this opportunity to explain wedding traditions you will be incorporating that your guests may not be familiar with before the big event. Then your wedding day can be more meaningful for your friends and family and all your guests will feel involved.

Most of your family members live out-of-state, cross-country, or internationally.

After the wedding, use the same site to recreate the event for your family and friends. This is especially nice for those who couldn't attend the wedding. Wouldn't it be nice to put it on-line for those who sent gifts, but couldn't make it? A walk-through of your wedding is a great way of saying thanks and it brings all your long-distance family and friends closer to your special day!

Everyone wants to join you on your honeymoon.

Don't stop with a play-by-play of your wedding day. Process those great honeymoon photos and put them online for the world to see. No one else gets to go with you, so bring them the next best thing-pictures that will make them drool!

Because it's fun!

Your wedding is the most spectacular day of your life and you want everyone else to know. So let them in all the details.

Gets the Groom Involved

One of the best ways to get your groom involved with the wedding planning is to build a wedding web site together. It's a fun way to spend time together. (writing the text for the pages and scanning pictures) and if your groom is not "intimately" involved with the wedding plans - at least he can stay up-to-date by reading the web site!