Congratulations on your engagement! We developed this software to organize our own wedding and found it to be very helpful. We hope it will save you time and effort too.
This software is shareware. If you find it useful we ask that you send $20 (check or money order) to the address below. Feel free to distribute the software to your friends who are (or will be) planning for the big day. If you do share the software, be sure to include this document since it must be distributed with the actual wedding planner. See INVOKING THE WEDDING PLANNER below for further instructions on how to share the software.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
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The wedding planner requires an Apple Macintosh computer made in 1986 or later, using system software 6.0.5 or later. You may use the Finder to determine the system version of your computer: choose About the Finder... (it may say About this Macintosh... or About this Computer...) under the Apple in the top left-hand corner of the screen. Next to "System" the version number needs to be 6.0.5 or greater. In addition, your Macintosh must have 4Mb or more of memory (RAM). Thus, where it indicates Built-in Memory, you need to have 4,096K or more.
INSTALLATION
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The wedding planner software is composed of three files: 1) Double-Click Me FIRST! (this document); 2) Our Wedding (the wedding planner itself); and 3) BlackChancery (a TrueType font). To install, simply drag the first two files (Double-Click Me FIRST! and Our Wedding) to the desired location on your hard disk. The next step should only be done if you have System 7.x or higher. If you have System 7.x or higher, drag the BlackChancery file into your System Folder on the hard disk. The system may ask you if the font should be stored in the System file or the Font folder. Respond by clicking OK.
INVOKING THE WEDDING PLANNER
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Before using the wedding planner for the first time, you need to make a copy of the file Our Wedding (see your Macintosh users guide if you need assistance). This is necessary since the wedding planner alters itself upon first use. The copy will come in handy if you make a mistake the first time through or if you want to give an unaltered copy of the planner to a friend at a later date.
To start using the wedding planner, use your mouse pointer to double-click on the file Our Wedding. When you first use the wedding planner it will ask you for your name and the name of your spouse. In addition, it will scroll through a brief set of instructions on the basics of how to use the software. These screens will only be seen the first time you use the planner.
USING THE WEDDING PLANNER
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The wedding planner has been designed for ease of use. If you are unsure of what to do or how to do it, click once on the question mark in the lower left-hand corner of the window. A help field will scroll into view. Similar help fields are available for nearly all screens. They were written simply and succinctly and can save you time, but only if you read them. Since the help fields contain most of the information necessary to use the wedding planner, the following user guide is only an outline of the software. The wedding planner has the ability to print reports for every piece of information you enter into it. Use this feature often since a "hard copy" printout can be quite useful.
One of the most important aspects of a wedding is retaining the memories of the event and the people who shared it with you. This wedding planner will give you a permanent record of the planning process and the names, addresses, and various notes about the people and places that will make your wedding unique and special. We wish you the very best. Gene & Cass.
The main menu (or contents) is the screen with your names at the top. You may quit the wedding planner by clicking once on the picture of the computer in the lower right-hand corner of the window. To get help, click on the question mark in the lower left-hand corner.
The contents screen has seven options: Wedding Date, Budget, To Do List, Who,What,When,Where..., Attendants & Gifts for Them, Invitations & Gifts Received, and Notes. Each option is described below. Starting from the top (Wedding Date) and proceeding down will work just fine. However, you may choose any option you desire at any time. To choose one of the seven items, move your mouse pointer to the desired item and click once.
Wedding Date
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This portion of the planner assists you in considering alternative wedding dates and choosing the best one for you. To help you through this process, a calendar is provided. National holidays and occasions such as Memorial Day and Father's Day are listed for planning purposes. Make sure to set the wedding date in the planner as soon as you determine it since other portions of the software are dependent upon the actual wedding date.
Budget
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The Budget option allows you to enter sources and amounts of money (Determine Your Budget) and input the specific items or services you plan on purchasing (Enter Budget Items). Determine Your Budget will sum the individual budget sources providing you with a total available funds figure. Budget sources could include money from your parents and money you have saved for wedding expenses. Enter Budget Items will sum the cost items and compare the amount available to the total cost thus helping you stay within your budget. Examples of budget items are flowers, gifts for the bride's attendants, and honeymoon expenses.
To Do List
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With the To Do List you can enter tasks (things to do) you need to do on or by specific dates. If you have entered a wedding date, a set of milestone dates will be generated for you. These are key dates relative to your wedding date and can help you plan more effectively. A list of suggested tasks for each time frame is also provided. For example, the planner will tell you that Tuesday, Jan. 4 through Thursday, Feb. 3 is five months before your wedding and recommend that you consider selecting ceremony music and musicians during that time. In addition, you can display a full year calendar to help you see the big planning picture.
Who, What, When, Where...
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Who, What, When, Where... provides you with an abundance of useful information on how to plan and implement a successful wedding. Specifically, information is available on the following topics:
• Calendar & Planning
• Attire & Flowers
• Prenuptial Parties
• Ceremony
• Reception
• Transportation
• Music & Entertainment
• Photography & Video Services
• Guests & Lists
• Honeymoon
Attendants & Gifts for Them
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To keep track of attendants and the gifts you have purchased for them, use Attendants & Gifts for Them. Attendants tracked include the Maid of Honor and up to six bridesmaids, the Best Man and up to six groomsmen, four ushers, flower girl, ring bearer, personal attendant for the bride, junior bridesmaid, and junior groomsman. Gift ideas for attendants are provided.
Invitations & Gifts Received
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Managing the invitation list can be one of the more challenging aspects of planning for your wedding. Invitations & Gifts Received will allow you to easily keep track of all your guests and the gifts you receive from them. Summary information is provided on such things as the number of R.S.V.P.s received, the number of out-of-town guests, and lodging requirements. Further, you can print high quality mailing labels for your invitations.
We were skeptical of using computer generated labels for our wedding invitations until we saw how nice they can look, especially when using the Black Chancery font. Black Chancery is a wonderful calligraphic font which combined with clear (see through) labels really creates a warm invitation. Plan on using Avery 5663 clear labels (size: 2" x 4 1/4"; 10 per page) or a comparable brand. You will need to print the labels on a laser printer for the best appearance.
You can also use the label generator to create return address labels for your invitations. Use Avery 5660 clear labels (size: 1" x 2 5/6"; 30 per page) or a comparable brand.
Notes
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Notes is simply an electronic notepad. Enter any information you need to remember that does not necessarily apply to the above categories.
