DALLAS, May 1, 2003/ FW/ --- This is it! You're getting married. It's special. You're different from other couples. So why should your wedding look the same as theirs?

Many couples are personalizing their wedding with do-it-yourself tools for a unique look that is also cost-effective and time-efficient. Recognizing this desire, HP is announcing the "HP Signature Style Wedding Contest," where one lucky couple will win a Signature Style kit to help them create their perfect wedding.

The kit, valued at approximately $4,000, includes state-of-the-art digital photography and printing devices, the artistic guidance of a creative director and a digital photographer to capture magic moments (more details below).

"The desire to personalize one's wedding is today's hottest bridal trend," said Carley Roney, editor-in-chief of TheKnot, the nation's leading online wedding resource. "No longer satisfied with the 'cookie cutter wedding,' today's distinctive duos are tailoring the look and feel of their weddings to their own personalities, passions and heritages.

"For example, one couple who fell in love in college after meeting in an astronomy class used the constellations as their wedding theme. They put stars on their invitations, planets on the place cards, named each table after a different constellation and gave toy telescopes with a place for a photo as a wedding favor."

"You don't have to be a professional to create and customize your own wedding materials," said Kathy Stromberg, vice president of marketing, HP Imaging and Printing Group. "HP's solutions are easy to use and work well together so virtually anyone can enhance their life's events and individualize them in an affordable way."

According to Roney, there are many simple and affordable ways to make your nuptials unique. Here are five of her favorite personalization ideas:

• Put your stamp on it. Use a meaningful symbol and repeat it on printed materials like invitations, reply cards and seating cards. Consider the location of your wedding, an ethnic or religious symbol, or something that has meaning to you such as the first flower he ever gave to you.
  
  
• Show your signature style. Consider using your symbol as inspiration for other aspects of your wedding. If the theme is the beach, a seashell could be used as a charm for bridesmaid necklaces, shell-shaped chocolates can be given as favors and add seashells and sand to centerpieces.
  
  
• Make your ceremony meaningful. Share your souls and incorporate your backgrounds. Write your own vows or include readings from your favorite book. Explain your ceremony rituals in a wedding program, which could also include the names of your wedding party members and why they mean so much to you.
  
  
• Have fun with your food. Name and create your own signature style cocktail and serve it during the cocktail reception. Incorporate ethnic heritage into the menu. Have the caterer make a special dish that means something to your family and list it as such on the menu.
  
  
• Something to remember you by. Hand out edible favors made or grown locally like jam or peaches and attach a meaningful line from a poem or a quote on the bag. Take a photo of the "sweet" couple and affix it as the label. Create your own "greatest hits" CD and design a jewel case cover with a photo of the two of you.

How to Enter

Describe in an essay of 500 words or less:

1. What are your life's shared hobbies and passions?
2. How would you use them to personalize your wedding?

The contest will be judged on both the creativity and self-expression of the vision. Entries should include names and ages of the bride and groom, e-mail address, mailing address and phone number.

For more information and to enter, log on to http://www.hp.com/go/wedding or call +1 800 HP WEDDINGS.

Entries also will be accepted by mail to:

HP Signature Style Wedding Contest
c/o Porter Novelli
450 Lexington Ave. -- 32nd Floor
New York, NY 10017-5806

The "HP Signature Style Wedding Contest" ends June 30, 2003. All entries must be received by June 30, 2003 at noon ET.

Twenty-eight Prizes to be Awarded

The grand prize winner will receive:

1. An HP Signature Style Wedding kit including:
   • Digital cameras (one HP Photosmart 812 camera; five HP Photosmart 320 cameras) and camera dock (one HP Photosmart 8881 camera dock)
   • Printers (one HP PSC 2210 all-in-one printer that also scans, copies and faxes; two HP Photosmart 230 photo printers)
   • Supplies, including photo paper, batteries, photo capture card and memory cards

   The couple will be able to set up a photo station with the five cameras and two photo printers so guests can capture and print pictures at the wedding.
   
   

2. Assistance from a creative director:
   • The couple will work with a creative director at Fathom Creative, the company that collaborates with Colin Cowie, host of Everyday Elegance on the WE Network and renowned party planner. The company has designed invitations and worked on high-profile event materials for customers including Hillary Clinton, Rachel Hunter and Martha Stewart.
   • Fathom Creative will customize three to four templates for the couple based on the couple's vision. The couple will then use the templates to create the number of items they require for their wedding. Fathom Creative will work with materials from Kate's Paperie, the nation's most exciting paper emporium and largest retailer of papers and paper accoutrement.
   
   
   
3. Digital photographer to shoot wedding
   • A digital photographer will shoot the wedding (in addition to the traditional photographer the couple would hire themselves) to capture magic moments and provide the couple with images right after the wedding.

(Total prize valued at approximately $4,000.)

The second place winner will receive an HP digital imaging solutions kit with a digital camera (one HP Photosmart 812) and camera dock (one HP Photosmart 8881), an all-in-one printer (one HP PSC 2210) and supplies (including photo paper, batteries, and photo capture card). This prize is valued at approximately $600.

The third place winner will receive an HP digital imaging solutions kit with a digital camera (one HP Photosmart 812) and camera dock (one HP Photosmart 8881), an all-in-one printer (one HP PSC 1210 -- the world's smallest flatbed all-in-one that prints, scans and copies) and supplies (including photo paper and batteries). This prize is valued at approximately $400.

Twenty-five winners, chosen from a random drawing, will each receive a "brag book," a mini photo album, which features a cover that can be customized with a personal photo, from Kate's Paperie.