“Rating: Platinum. Easy to use, rich in information, and useful tools to help you plan your wedding.” --Wall Street Journal
WeddingChannel.com is the #1 wedding and gift registry website, offering comprehensive wedding planning content, interactive tools, and a central location for couples to manage their gift registries. The patented registry system on WeddingChannel.com brings together registries from the nation’s leading retailers, including Tiffany & Co., Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Crate & Barrel, and Pottery Barn, among others, allowing guests to search one easy site to find a wedding gift. WeddingChannel.com is based in Los Angeles and is a part of The Knot Inc. lifestage media network.
Launched on July 17, 1997, WeddingChannel.com is the #1 wedding and gift registry website with more than 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
Patented Gift Registry Search Engine
The web’s only search engine for finding a couple’s registry at 20 retailers all on one site. Retailers include:
Wedding Vendor Directory
More than 14,000 wedding-related businesses are searchable by city and vendor type, making it simple for couples to find all the resources needed to plan a perfect wedding.
Beautiful Gown Gallery
Large database of bridal fashions with more than 3,500 images of designer dresses and accessories for the entire bridal party.
Inspiring Ideas Images
Searchable slideshows of blooming bouquets, decadent cakes, royal receptions, classic hairstyles, and dazzling jewels for the big day. Plus, picture-perfect advice from celebrity wedding photographer Robert Evans.
Celebrity Wedding Insiders
Panel of experts, including Peggy Post from The Emily Post Institute, celebrity event planner Yifat Oren, and celebrity wedding photographer Robert Evans, providing advice on a variety of topics, ranging from etiquette and flowers to relationships and photography.
Planning Tools
Free logistical tools for mastering planning to-dos, such as a Budget Calculator, personal Wedding Website builder, Planning Checklist, and Guest List Manager.
Honeymoons & Guest Accommodations
Photos and information on thousands of romantic resorts in top honeymoon locales, including the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, the South Pacific, and Europe. Plus, couples can easily reserve a block of guest hotel rooms online.
Elegant Favors & Accessories
More than 1,000 stylish and affordable wedding accessories available for purchase online, from monogrammed cake toppers and personalized cameras to bridesmaid gifts and guest books. Plus, unforgettable favors including customized matchbooks and edible treats like bride-and-groom cookies and candles.
Connected Community
Message boards for conversing with thousands of brides to double-check etiquette, exchange wedding ideas, and share wedding planning advice and experiences -- 24 hours a day.
WEDDINGCHANNEL.COM CHARITY DONATION PROGRAM
Weddings that give back are increasingly becoming popular among brides and grooms across the country. Launched in September 2004, WeddingChannel.com Charity Donation Program allows brides and grooms the perfect opportunity to raise money for their favorite charity with every registry gift they receive. There are two different ways couples can take part of the Charity Donation Program.
Gift Registry
Register at one of the partner retailers of WeddingChannel.com and select your favorite charity. Every time a wedding guest buys something off your registry via WeddingChannel.com, WeddingChannel.com will donate a percentage to the selected charity.
Charity Registry
Register for a charity so wedding guests can directly donate to it as a wedding gift to you. You can set aside as few or as many donations on your registry as you'd like. Plus, you can specify a certain dollar amount for each donation or allow guests to choose the amount of their gifts.
Here are some quick facts about WeddingChannel.com Charity Donation Program:
- 100+ charities to choose from, providing support to youth and family services, educational programs, and community development, environmental, and health organizations
- Donations are made at no cost to the couple or those purchasing gifts.
- WeddingChannel.com will make a donation in the couple’s name to the charity of their choice.
- Guests can access the charity registry through the couple’s free personal wedding website.
- Guests can make donations online through a secure credit card donation system.
- Charities can be nominated for inclusion into the program.
Snapshot of Charities Involved:
- American Red Cross
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
- National Minority AIDS Council
- Habitat for Humanity International
- Oxfam America
- Boys and Girls Clubs of America
- March of Dimes
- Save the Children
- Friends of the Earth
- Humane Society of the United States
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- Rainforest Alliance
- Sierra Club Foundation
- I Have a Dream Foundation
- National Center for Family Literacy
- Reading Is Fundamental
- Amnesty International
- Disability Rights Advocates
- Human Rights Watch
- NAACP
Peggy Post
Wedding Etiquete Expert, WeddingChannel.com
Peggy Post is the WeddingChannel.com etiquette expert and an internationally known spokesperson for the Emily Post Institute. Author of over a dozen books on etiquette, Post answers questions and provides helpful advice on everything from attire and invitations to toasting and receptions.
Peter Post
Groom & Men's Etiquette Expert, WeddingChannel.com
Peter Post is a director of the Emily Post Institute and author of Essential Manners for Men: What to Do, When to Do It, and Why. With a distinct voice and unique perspective, Post tackles the manners and foibles of men with self-deprecating humor, clarity, and wit. Post conducts hundreds of media interviews annually on topics ranging from dinner party etiquette to CEO ethics to the dark side of email.
Robert Evans
Photography Expert, WeddingChannel.com
Robert Evans is a professional wedding and events photographer who incorporates traditional photographic styles with up-to-date trends. He has photographed many notable weddings, including the marriages of Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes and Brad Pitt & Jennifer Aniston, and provides WeddingChannel.com members with invaluable advice on obtaining the best possible photographic record of their weddings. A member of Professional Photographers of America, Evans' images have appeared in USA Today, People, and more, and can be seen throughout WeddingChannel.com.
Eve Pearl
Beauty Expert, WeddingChannel.com
Eve Pearl is a five-time Emmy Award-winning celebrity makeup artist with more than 15 years of experience in television, film, theater, and print. She's also the author and producer of Plastic Surgery Without the Surgery: The Miracle of Makeup Techniques (book and DVD). As an on-air beauty expert for NBC’s TODAY and the personal makeup artist to host Meredith Vieira, as well as a contributor to InStyle, Vanity Fair, People, Glamour, and more, Pearl has an extensive list of celebrities, socialites, and everyday women who sing her praises across the globe.
Dr. Dale Atkins
Relationship Expert, WeddingChannel.com
Dr. Dale Atkins is a licensed psychologist with more than 25 years of experience as a relationship expert, focusing on families, couples, parenting, aging well, and stress management. In addition to providing relationship advice to WeddingChannel.com couples, she's the author of many books, including Wedding Sanity Savers; I’m OK, You’re My Parent; and Sister; and is a coeditor of From the Heart: Men and Women Write Their Private Thoughts About Their Married Lives. She has been a frequent media expert on national shows, including NBC’s TODAY.
Mara Urshel
Fashion Expert, WeddingChannel.com
As the co-owner and manager of the famed Kleinfeld Bridal boutique, Mara Urshel was our first choice for Fashion Expert in our group of celebrity wedding insiders. Credited with discovering and launching the careers of such celebrity fashion designers as Donna Karan, Isaac Mizrahi, Perry Ellis, and Michael Kors, Urshel is connected to both the celebrities who she dresses and the famous designers who create the gowns.
For more information on Mara Urshel and Kleinfeld, go to KleinfeldBridal.com.
Yifat Oren
Style Expert, WeddingChannel.com
Yifat Oren began her career in the special events industry over a decade ago and now brings her extreme attention to detail, flair for art, and innate sense of style to WeddingChannel.com. We tapped Oren to join our team of celebrity wedding insiders after falling in love with the amazing weddings she produced for Mariska Hargitay, Kevin Costner, Natasha Gregson Wagner, and jewelry designer Tarina Tarantino -- all very different styles, and all completely stunning events. Considered one of the rare "key influencers" in the wedding-producing business, Oren has often been credited with developing powerful trends before they become commonplace.
For more information on Yifat Oren and her company, visit YifatOren.com.
WILL YOU BE MY BRIDESMAN? WEDDINGCHANNEL.COM ANNOUNCES NEW WEDDING TRADITIONS
Here are the WeddingChannel.com wedding traditions for the twenty-first century:
Gender-Bending Rituals
Man of honor? Best woman? Brides and grooms are no longer dismissing their best friends of the opposite sex when it comes to their wedding. In fact, according to a WeddingChannel.com poll, an overwhelming 63 percent of brides would ask their best friend to be a bridesman or man of honor if they were a guy.
WeddingChannel.com Tip:Kleinfeld Bridal co-owner and WeddingChannel.com fashion expert Mara Urshel suggests, “When it comes to what to wear, a bridesman should wear a tie, pocket kerchief, and boutonniere to match the bridesmaid dresses and bouquets. As for the groomswoman, it’s best if she wears the same color as the bridesmaids, but not the same dress, and doesn't carry the same flowers.”
Friends as Officiants
According to a WeddingChannel.com poll, 59 percent of couples would be interested in having a friend or family member officiate. After all, who better to help you tie the knot than a close childhood friend or a favorite relative? Whether it’s an interfaith ceremony or in the great outdoors, there’s nothing more intimate than opting for a friend or relative to help you say “I do.”
WeddingChannel.com Tip:“Make sure whoever you choose to officiate your wedding understands the style of the ceremony and their responsibilities, and is up to the challenge,” says Yifat Oren, WeddingChannel.com style expert and celebrity wedding planner. “An ideal officiant is not only someone who is important to the bride and groom, but is articulate and capable of handling such an important event. Couples should offer to help write the ceremony content to ensure there won’t be any last-minute surprises.”
The Name Game
Don’t make any assumptions when it comes to a bride’s last name. According to the Real Weddings Survey 2007 by The Knot Wedding Network, 12 percent of brides don’t plan on taking their spouse’s name upon marriage. Whether it’s for professional reasons or the bride just likes her maiden name more, wedding guests shouldn’t expect to hear “I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs.” at the next wedding they attend. For those who aren’t taking a spouse’s last name, there’s also the option of blending it -- combining both last names to create a brand-new one. A recent WeddingChannel.com poll found that 15 percent of brides would consider blending their last names.
WeddingChannel.com Tip: To help couples come up with a blended last name, WeddingChannel.com has launched “The Name Game” tool (www.weddingchannel.com/thenamegame.html) where all they have to do is enter their last names and new blended options will come up.
Alternative Registries
What do horseback riding lessons, a hi-def plasma-screen TV, and $100 for the Humane Society have in common? They’re all things that couples are registering for these days. With engaged couples typically registering at two to three different retailers, don’t be surprised if one of them is at a retailer like Amazon.com, Cloud 9 Living, or Traveler’s Joy.
WeddingChannel.com Tip: “It is perfectly okay to register for nontraditional gifts. These days, couples often own the items they would receive in a registry, and they may want to save for a honeymoon or give to a charity,” says WeddingChannel.com etiquette expert Peggy Post. “Keep in mind that some guests may not be comfortable giving in a nontraditional fashion, so couples should graciously accept more traditional gifts.”
WEDDINGCHANNEL.COM WELCOMES AMAZON.COM AS NEWEST PREMIER RETAILER TO ITS COMPREHENSIVE REGISTRY SERVICE
WeddingChannel.com, the #1 wedding and gift registry website and creator of the largest gift registry services system, announced that Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) is the newest addition to its unmatched roster of premier registry retailers. This collaboration enables engaged couples to create, manage, and monitor their wedding registry from leading online retailer Amazon.com via a patented multiregistry system on WeddingChannel.com, which makes it easy for millions of wedding guests to find and purchase a gift from 20 different retailers all on one site.
Adding to its already extensive list of top-name retailers, such as Macy’s, Tiffany & Co., and Pottery Barn, registrants on WeddingChannel.com will now have access to the millions of products available in over 40 categories at Amazon.com. Amazon.com Wedding Registries offer everything from traditional registry items, such as kitchen appliances and bedding, to lifestyle-oriented offerings, such as electronics, sporting goods, and apparel, with millions of products available for free Super Saver Shipping and Amazon Prime.* Customers looking for Amazon.com Wedding Registries will be able to find them on both WeddingChannel.com and Amazon.com.
To make finding a couple’s registry even easier, when guests search Amazon.com Wedding Registries, they can also continue their search for the perfect gift through the use of a unique WeddingChannel.com registry search tool. Wedding guests can then easily find gifts that couples may have registered for at other exclusive WeddingChannel.com retailer partners. This service-oriented experience fulfills Amazon.com’s commitment to meet customer needs and provide the greatest selection and convenience possible.
For more information on the registry programs available at WeddingChannel.com, visit the WeddingChannel.com Registry Center at www.weddingchannel.com/registry.
To speak with an editor or registry expert at WeddingChannel.com, click here.