resources

Wedding planning

Magazines: Locally, Northwest Bride and Newlywed Magazine’s fall 2005 issues are on area newsstands (bookstores, grocery stores). Publisher Bonnie Latvala says she writes specifically for Inland Northwest readers. Modern Bride’s August/September issue features a cover story titled “Creative Wedding Ideas.” In contrast, The Knot carries a “local resource directory,” which features 13 Washington entries – though not a single one in Eastern Washington. The September/October issue of Brides offers handy advice on: “Don’t want kids at the wedding? How to deal.”

Web sites: Northwest Bride and Newlywed Magazine (465-2685) can be accessed at www.everafternw.com and lists more than 90 wedding vendors in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Modern Bride ( www.modernbride.com) and The Knot ( www.theknot.com) magazines Web sites, though the latter requires registration. The San Diego- based www.weddingsolutions.com offers a wide range of information.

Local: Tina Bishop of Elegant Touches (714-8534) has two sites: www.elegant-touches.com gives you the basic information; www.rsvplink.com is a specialized “automated response service center,” which is a fancy way of saying that she uses the Web to track acceptance responses (at $1.25 per invite) instead of depending on the mail. Nancy Pierce of Weddings with Charm & Special Events can be accessed at www.weddingswithcharm.com or 535-3722. Elizabeth Raol at Posh Parties Decorating & Rentals (624-9254) does wedding consulting, as does Shannon Harley at Puttin’ on the Ritz (465-2128).

Event: The Bridal Festival comes to the Spokane Convention Center on Sept. 10. Doors for the event, which includes fashion shows, giveaways and more, are open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $6 at the door; save $1 by registering at www.bridalfest.com/ events.jhtml.