IBS Design, LLC, an Atlanta based Internet consulting firm, opened its doors for business in 1997. The company specialized in Web design for small to medium sized businesses.

In February of 1998, IBS Design launched its first online wedding planning community, AtlantaBridal.com. Lei Lydle, then Lei Baldwin, was planning her own wedding in Atlanta and looked to the Internet for information. Unable to find a Web site specific to the Atlanta area, Lei decided to build one herself.

As AtlantaBridal.com grew, Lei hired other brides as part-time contract employees to help build her wedding community in Atlanta. She felt that brides would be the best employees because they would understand what other brides were looking for on the Internet.

The strategy worked! Over eleven years later, AtlantaBridal.com is highly popular in the Atlanta area and is growing. The site receives an average of 3,800 visitors per day and is the most popular site for Atlanta area brides.

In 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, Founder Lei Lydle served as Chairman of the Brides Against Breast Cancer Charity Wedding Gown sale in Atlanta. The efforts of her staff and her team of volunteers along with the Making Memories Foundation resulted in over 600 gown donations from bridal stores and individuals in Atlanta and over $150,000 in cash from the sale of previously donated gowns.

In November 2004, Lei spoke at the Association of Bridal Consultants National Convention on the topic of marketing through the Internet to today's technologically savvy brides. Her breakout course was extremely popular and she has been asked to speak at various industry events and meetings as a result of that class.

In February 2004, Lei was nominated for the Wedding Visionary of the Year award by the Professional Wedding Guild of Atlanta.

In addition, AtlantaBridal.com, Lei Lydle and her breast cancer gown sales have been featured in the following news media: CBS TV's Better Mornings (January 2008), LaGrange Daily News Wedding Supplement (January 2008), 11Alive TV's "Atlanta & Company" (March 2007), Star 94's Steve and Vicky Show: Alisa's Deals (March 2007), LaGrange Daily News (March 2007), 11Alive TV's "Atlanta & Company" (September 2006), 11Alive TV's "Atlanta & Company" (April 2006), Atlanta Journal-Constitution (April 2006), LaGrange Daily News (April 2006), WBTV12's "Living Life with Style" (March 2006), Georgia Trend Magazine (February 2006 Online Edition), Star 94's Cindy & Ray Show (July 2005), Atlanta Journal-Constitution (March 2005), Georgia's Good Life Magazine (January 2004), Atlanta Journal-Constitution "My Favorite Web Sites" Column (November 2003), CNN Budget Wedding Feature (September 2002), LaGrange Daily News (May 2002), Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Atlanta Tech" Column (January 2002), Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wedding Supplement (February 2001).

Lei is a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC), the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE), the Professional Wedding Guild of Atlanta, and the Alabama Wedding & Event Professionals group. Lei also works in partnership with the Athens Wedding Professionals group and the Perfect Wedding Guide of Atlanta.

Our mission is to provide engaged couples with no-nonsense wedding planning advice and extensive research on local wedding services without all of the annoying pop-up and banner ads that are found on other Web sites. We aim to work with only the best wedding vendors so that we can be assured we are providing our brides with the best resources possible.

In addition, our sites give brides and vendors a chance to interact with one another using the Internet. For a bride, NorthCarolinaWeddingsandEvents.com saves time and money. For the participating vendors, NorthCarolinaWeddingsandEvents.com generates increased interest in their products and services by being listed in our directories, photo galleries, articles and community.