Thursday, June 19, 2008

Expansion of Weddings on marthastewart.com

Brides-to-be have long relied on Martha Stewart and her team of experts for wedding-related ideas and inspiration.

Today, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) takes the wedding planning process to a new level by unveiling a robust suite of online wedding-planning tools available at marthastewart.com (www.marthastewart.com/weddings) and powered by WeddingWire (http://www.weddingwire.com/).

The introduction of the new toolset is part of MSLO's larger strategy to extend its wedding franchise, which includes the award-winning Martha Stewart's Weddings magazine, extensive online content on marthastewart.com and weddings-related books such as Weddings by Martha Stewart and Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes. The Martha Stewart Collection exclusively at Macy's is the No. 1 brand on Macy's bridal registry.

Now, with these free and easy-to-use tools, couples and wedding planners can turn to marthastewart.com to plan and manage their entire wedding experience from start to finish. The new tools include:

-- My Budget -- easily track payments and expenses
-- My Guests -- draft or import the invite list and then track RSVPs, invitations and gifts
-- My Seating -- build and manage the seating chart by dragging and dropping people into their chairs
-- My Timeline -- generate a personalized timeline based on wedding date
-- My Checklist -- manage tasks and keep track of wedding details
-- My Vendors -- save, rate and recommend favorite vendors from the vendor search tool

These tools join an existing vendor search function that was introduced on marthastewart.com earlier this year, providing access to thousands of wedding vendors nationwide and allowing couples to easily locate vendors in their geographic area.

"We're thrilled to be providing access to such a rich array of wedding-planning tools. This new offering provides a seamless experience, making us even more attractive to brides, grooms, wedding planners and marketers. It also strengthens our position in the space as we grow our Weddings franchise online and in print," stated Wenda Harris Millard, MSLO Co-CEO and President of Media. "WeddingWire's expertise will also enable us to offer similar tools and features across our Internet sites."

The introduction of the wedding-planning toolset is the result of MSLO's investment in WeddingWire, a localized wedding platform that combines an online marketplace with planning tools and a social community, announced in February 2008.

"Our collaboration with MSLO is off to a strong start. Together we have created an unparalleled offering that benefits our rapidly expanding community of local wedding vendors, and engaged couples, who can now access these cutting-edge tools on marthastewart.com," said Timothy Chi, Chief Executive Officer of WeddingWire.

Marthastewart.com/weddings is an ideal destination for couples preparing for their nuptials. In addition to the new planning tools, brides-to-be can access creative ideas from the award-winning Martha Stewart's Weddings magazine, gain expertise at the "Brides Guide" blog written by Weddings Editorial Director Darcy Miller, view photo galleries ranging from vibrant floral centerpieces to stunning gowns, watch wedding segments from The Martha Stewart Show, browse decorations and favors from Martha Stewarts Crafts or view registry items from the Martha Stewart Collection exclusively at Macy's.

Additionally, Hilton Family e-Events has signed on as a charter sponsor of www.marthastewart.com/weddings. The Hilton Family will be promoting their e-Events booking tools that allow users to book group accommodations to their family of brands and U.S. hotel locations.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I will have to go and check it out. Thanks for posting the info, Kenn.

Anonymous said...

this is a great new addition to all of the wonderful articles

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the information. I will check it out after June