Web cam captures couples' vows live
By Tanya Bricking
Advertiser Staff Writer
So many couples are creating their own wedding Web pages that hotels like the Royal Hawaiian are offering a Web-cam service that allows couples to broadcast their weddings live.
The idea has captured the interest of brides-to-be such as Lori Gorospe, of downtown Honolulu, who has found a friend to Webcast her wedding, set for Oct. 12 at an estate off of Diamond Head Road.
She and her fiancé are one of a growing number of couples across the country who are listing personal wedding Web sites on wedding invitations.
The concept is popular with Hawai'i wedding couples who have lots of out-of-town guests, said Jennifer Chong, who creates invitations at Kahala-based Kinohi Designs.
Chong has been sending out more "save the date" notices about six months before the weddings.
The cards list the wedding date, along with personal Web sites that give guests a place to check for details such as hotel recommendations and online gift registries.
That has been one way also for friends and family to keep up with the pending nuptials of Darlene Wade and Michael Dooling.
Wade and Dooling, who have Hawai'i connections but have moved back to Texas, could easily be described as computer fanatics. They met on the Internet last year through Love at America Online. Now they have a whole online scrapbook.
He's a 36-year-old 1983 Pearl City High School grad. She's 29 and attended the University of Hawai'i-Hilo in 1990-91. They've been joking about
Webcasting their wedding, but another, more immediate dilemma has become part of the discussion on an Internet wedding message board.
Their ceremony was to be on a paddleboat, but the company went out of business, and other brides-to-be quickly e-mailed her with other options.
Wade took to the keyboard, typing away for advice. Their guests, who hail from Honolulu to New York, can check out the couple's Web site (dooling.net/wedding) for the latest details.
As Wade and Dooling count down to their March 23 wedding date, they also have reminders e-mailed to them by a wedding planning Web site about what's left on the to-do list.
Take it from a couple of Internet addicts: The Internet can put planning at your fingertips.
"All my wedding invitations and the favors were done online," Wade said. "We know where to look for everything, and that puts me at an advantage."
