Weddingbee boards

My younger sister got married this past weekend in NY where all of my family resides. Great great wedding! "Susie" needed alot of guidance though and my family was there to pitch in - wrapping bubbles, making programs, you name it, they did it.  I'm getting married next month in RI and I'm hearing through the family grapevine that my mom and sisters are feeling a bit left out bc they aren't as involved in the planning of our wedding. When I go home to visit, I have been bringing small portable projects with me so we can work on them together but i guess that isn't enough.  I've given them the link to my planning blog so they can stay in the know through pictures that I post but I don't seem to get much of a response. Any ideas on how I can keep my family involved with the planning when they are 4 hours away? I can really only make one more trip home before the big day. 

I am an Aussie getting married in the USA and all of my family are back home in Australia, so keeping them feeling involved has been interesting to say the least.  I do want them involved so we are all working together to find ways to make it feel like a family event.  I send my mother regular emails with updated photos of things I have bought, venues I've looked at, inspirational things I've seen online.

I got my FMIL to take photos of me in any dresses I try on to send back home to get my mothers opinion (which is usually "which ever dress you like dear").  When I was trying to decide if I should get the dress shortened or not, I emailled pics to my SIL,r my neice and mother spent an hour over coffee arguing the pro's and cons before letting me know what they thought. 

My mother and nephew went out and collected gum tree nuts for the centrepieces. Mum is arranging the shipment of vegimite packets and tim tams to put in with the favours so all the Yanks on my  can get a taste of things from my home.

I have not seen my family in over a year, and only my mother is able to come over for the wedding (my brother is paying for her flight as a wedding present for me), but my SIL (who is like a sister to me) had the final casting vote on the shoes I wear, my neice and I  picked the colour of my dress over the phone looking at pictures together.    My nephew at 7 is helping make decorations (which are costing more to post than make but thats another story ).  

You say that you put up the information on you website, maybe that feels a little less personal and involved to them than you writing an email or letter to them with the pictures (even the same pics as on your blog) or even actual samples with a nice chatty letter, asking opinons. 

Maybe send lots of pics of projects you are working on etc, even if you just snap a quick picture with you phone and send it off with a quick message.   From what my mother said, it wasn't the planning she felt she was missing out on it was the excitment that goes with it, being involved in my happiness.  

Oh and ask opinions of everyone, you don't have to listen to them , I found once I starting asking their opninons my family all felt more involved. But then I have a very opinionated family.