Wedding plans made easier online
By DONNA SOPER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/22/06
A desire to market her business to brides across Georgia led Mary-Julia Stephens to launch a one-stop wedding resource.
The Tyrone resident, known locally as the owner of a chocolate fountain business, said she started an online service to help both brides and vendors outside the Atlanta area have access to one another.
"I wanted to find a way that vendors from across the state could advertise," Stephens said.
In February, she launched www.weddingsofgeorgia.com from a home office to reach the brides — about 85 percent, she estimated — who search for wedding services online.
"The last two weekends, the site got 5,000 hits per weekend," she said.
With a few clicks, brides can search for 45 different services, including florists, photographers, calligraphers, dance instructors, jewelers, cosmetic surgeons — yes, cosmetic surgeons — and, of course, chocolate fountains in eight different regions of the state.
"There are some other sites in Atlanta, but no other site lists all areas of the state," she said. "There's no other way for brides to find vendors."
Weddingsofgeorgia.com charges vendors $30 per month for one region, and $5 per each additional region.
Stephens travels extensively to bridal shows across Georgia to market the site and her fountain business. Efforts are paying off, she said, as the site, which presently represents 65 vendors, adds about two new vendors per day.
"When brides come, vendors follow," she said.
Penny Stacy, owner of Etain Elite Formal Attire, a new bridal store at 200 Glendalough Court in Tyrone, called the site "a great tool" for marketing her new business.
"Girls today like to go online and surf the Internet," said Stacy, who is also a wedding coordinator at Glendalough Manor. "It's got everything you would need to plan your wedding."
Stephens' Web site offers dates and links to upcoming bridal shows in Georgia; planning resources, including a timeline leading up to the wedding, a suggested sequence of events for both ceremony and reception and a budget calculator; and a frequently-asked-questions section with answers to common etiquette questions.
Next month, Stephens plans to market the online service locally as host of a "Wedding Extravaganza" at the Tyrone Depot on Senoia Road.
The event, scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. on July 10, is free and will showcase vendors who service south metro Atlanta.
For information, contact: info@weddingsofgeorgia.com or 678-548-9498.