Mom and Pop take the pressure off brides planning a wedding.

Hopkins, MN (Mar 17, 2010) Planning a big wedding is the largest project most people will ever undertake. That's why a mom and pop software company in Minnesota designed a helpful, free online software program (EZWeddingPlanner.com). Their completely Web-based application has helped millions of wedding planners and guests from all over the English speaking world so far.

Eight out of 10 weddings are planned by the bride herself. This event is usually the biggest party she has ever managed, involving more money than she has ever spent at once. Of the nearly 2.5 million weddings a year in the US, half of them are large events costing $18,000 or more.

"We had three kids get married within a year (1999)." said Phil and Carol Dunn, Minnesota software entrepreneurs. "So we found out first hand what a huge chore this is."

"Since our company has been creating original software for 20 years, we figured we would write an Internet program to ease the stress and keep track of things, securely and privately.", they said. "Ten years later and with thousands of suggestions from actual users, we now have the most complete wedding planning program available anywhere."

To get started with EZWeddingPlanner, brides sign up with the couple's names, wedding date, password and addresses. Then they have immediate access to ten tools that are accessible from anywhere they can connect to the Internet. The tools are flexible, logical and intuitive: plan, budget, people, seating, events, guest pages, lists, vendors, resources and advice.

Plan: First off, the software issues 122 things to do and when to do them based on the wedding date. These are things like: select wedding venue, hire music, photography, etc. [click for list]. On each day that some plan item is due, we email the planner with a reminder.

Budget: 44 initial budget items are provided with estimated cost. These can vary greatly depending on size and location of the wedding but provide a good starting point [click for list]. Several tools are provided to modify any item, add or delete butget items, or even start from scratch.

People: A big chore is keeping track of invitations, guests, RSVPs, seating, menu preferences, gifts, thank-you's. Multiple tools are provided to manage this chore.

Seating: This tool provides a fast way to organize reception dinner seating plans. Tables can be set with specific shapes and names and places. People (or groups) can be moved on and off tables at will. Smokers are identified for seating comfort.

Events: Sometimes there are more events to plan besides the wedding and reception. Showers, engagement parties, etc. can be integrated with EZWeddingPlanner.

Guest Web Pages: The planner can select which details of the wedding can be seen online by guests. Planners can print out the guest page link and password for inclusion in letters or invitations. Guests can RSVP online if desired.

Lists: Putting all the information together is one thing and getting it out in a usable form is another. EZWP has more than 40 lists which access things like invitation rsvps, people, out-of-towners, etc. Any number of free form lists can be set up to track various miscellaneous details such as flower arrangements. [Lists] Planners can also download some lists in a form that will go right into spreadsheets or label printers on their PCs. One special people list is totally customizable.

Vendors: Planners use this section to keep track of all the companies and people who are supplying their wedding needs.

Resources: Since the location of each wedding is known, a section is devoted to commercial wedding vendors who serve that particular area. National resources are also included.

Advice: A huge searchable section is devoted to the nitty gritty details that are hard to find but so necessary for a smooth wedding. [List]. Planners who have not signed up with EZWeddingPlanner.com can access a huge advice section here or here.

Backup and privacy: All data is backed hourly and privacy is carefully guarded. Two months after each wedding, leaving lots of time for writing thank you notes, the data is deleted. The planner has an opportunity to retrieve all her work prior to this.

* as of: 9:41 PM Central, Wednesday Mar 17, 2010