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 explosive popularity of AtlantaBridal.com prompted Lei to expand into other markets throughout the United States ultimately creating what is now known as the WeddingBasics Network of Wedding Web Sites.

Over nine years later, the company is strong and growing. All of the sites are extremely popular with brides and wedding vendors alike. AtlantaBridal.com alone receives an average of 3,800 visitors per day and combined the sites reach approximately 20,000 visitors per day on average.

In 2005, 2006 and 2007, 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 500 gown donations from bridal stores and individuals in Atlanta and over $100,000 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 and Lei Lydle have been featured in the following news media: 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

Our mission is to provide engaged couples with no-nonsense wedding planning advice and 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, the WeddingBasics Network gives brides and vendors a chance to interact with one another using the Internet. Our Web sites save brides time and money and generate verifiable business for our vendors.