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It's probably no surprise that weddings represent a huge amount of annual spending in the United States, in fact around $70 billion! But online sales are a mere fraction of this number. Even those of us who often pump credit card numbers into forms to order shoes, books, and other goods hesitate when it comes to Web shopping for a wedding. Those cyberstores just don't seem as real as the brick and mortar ones for something this important.

Christy Terry, author of iDo: Planning Your Wedding With Nothing But Net highlights the advantages of wedding shopping online. The first is convenience. Online stores are open 24 hours a day, so you don't have to wait for Saturday or explain to your boss why you took yet another 3 hour lunch. The Web also allows you to browse infinitely more products for ideas and inspiration than could possibly be held in your average bridal shop. Finally, the Internet makes it easy to search, find, and compare prices without wasting gas by driving around town. Online shopping can also be safe, especially when you follow these tips.

1. Use your good judgment about Websites before you purchase. With brick and mortar stores, you can usually sense a suspicious situation when you walk in, look around, and interact with salespeople. Similarly, use caution with sites that don't provide adequate contact information, that don't load and operate well, that don't spell out their sales policies, or that appear on ripoffreport.com. If a site seems shady, look for the same or similar products on another site.

2. Always review a Web store's policies, especially the return policy, before you order.

3. Use your credit card. Just in case there is some problem with your order, most credit cards offer purchase protection for cardholders.

4. Print receipts and use screen captures. Just like you would save receipts from a traditional store, always print those online receipts. And because online stores can change their Website content overnight, use screen captures to keep a copy of any offers or deals as well as return or replacement policies that were in place when you made your purchase (screen captures are easy – here's how).

5. Finally, read Websites carefully to determine how much time the vendor needs to get the merchandise to you, and add on extra time to save yourself the extra stress.