Wedding Helper

Planning a wedding can be more nightmarish than Stephen King at his best. But it doesn’t have to be. Brides- and grooms-to-be might want to check out https://www.theknot.com.

The hundreds of articles on wedding fashions, trends, beauty and etiquette are informative, with an emphasis on cultural traditions. Still stumped? The Knot’s founder, Carley Roney, gives answers daily to personalized etiquette questions, such as, “Is a vegetarian reception OK?”

Weekly to-do checklists, budget work sheets and e-mail reminders help users plan when to start looking for a baker, when to book a band and how far in advance to reserve blocks of hotel rooms for guests. There’s also a database of photographers sorted by style and price, and a database of bridal gown images from designers such as Alfred Sung and Nicole Miller.

A gift registry offers everything from blenders to bikes to mambo lessons--all on the Web. Guests can access and purchase from the list online or through the Knot’s 800 number.

And, when the wedding is over, the Knot has the honeymoon covered too, with weekly auctions of travel packages.