Wedding Planning

(BNN) For any altar-bound couple, the details involved in planning for the big walk down the aisle can be overwhelming. There was a time when the chief source of wedding advice was the bride's mother, a professional wedding-planner, or the bridal department of the local specialty store.

Today there are multiple resources to help a newly engaged couple prepare. On the traditional side, favorite bridal and lifestyle magazines present noteworthy trends and ideas as do newspaper bridal sections, columnists and books by wedding experts. The Internet has proven to be a convenient way to gather information and resources to help with nuptial planning.

Podcasting is the latest audio innovation for couples planning a wedding. Taking advantage of the increasingly popular, ubiquitous device called the iPod, couples can download free audio content called podcasts from the Internet to be played on an iPod or any mobile device including an MP3 player, mobile phone, or even listen to it right on the computer. A newly launched enterprise - Wedding Podcast Network (WPN) - marries audio technology with wedding planning.

New York City-based WPN (weddingpodcastnetwork.com) creates a variety of programming dedicated to sharing wedding planning advice via the Internet, to be downloaded and listened to. "We wanted to establish an authoritative resource for brides and grooms-to-be who are planning their wedding but have busy lives, whether they are commuting to work, working out at the gym, walking the dog, or running errands," explains Robert Allen, WPN co-founder and executive producer.

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Listeners can hear original content not heard anywhere else. The network addresses a couple’s particular wedding interests and needs. They are a new media source in the booming business of matrimony. The original show selections, all of which are independently produced by WPN, include:

• Newlywedcast—Real couples recant their wedding stories and share firsthand advice. Listeners hear proposal stories, original ideas and secrets to planning a successful wedding.

• Meet the Masters—Interviews with the wedding industry's foremost style-shapers and consultants. Guests have included floral and wedding event designer, Preston Bailey, wedding cake designer, Sylvia Weinstock and celebrity makeup artist, Laura Geller.

• Bridal Scene—Latest wedding trends and happenings, including exclusive, behind-the-scenes interviews with top bridal gown designers during the New York runway collections. Topics have ranged from bridal registries, destination weddings and honeymoons, to bridal beauty tips, scrapbooking, and original wedding music.

• Here Come the Moms—Finally, moms gets their most important wedding-related questions answered. Noted wedding author Sharon Naylor shares the latest information for the mothers of the bride and the groom including the new roles and rules for parents, fashion trends and etiquette tips.

WPN co-founder Robert Allen, who is also program co-host, is one of the most sought-after wedding videojournalists in the U.S., having produced wedding documentaries for such celebrated personages as the Kennedy family, NBA superstar, Allen Iverson, investment counselor, Peter Lynch, and the redoubtable Geraldo Rivera. Allen's hosting partner, and also WPN's co-founder, is Holli Ehrlich, his wife of 14 years and a former executive in both publishing and high-end retail management.

Concludes Robert Allen: "Discussion-formatted podcasting allows couples to get information based on their preferences and schedule demands. Wedding Podcast Network is wedding talk radio to be heard when they want, where they want and how they want."

Thus for countless love-struck couples--and with more than two million weddings being performed in America each year—cutting edge sources of nuptial advice, along with traditional media, should make planning for that big day less of a daunting challenge, and more of the happy experience it should be.

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