Bridal Bargains: Secrets to Throwing A Fantastic Wedding On A Realistic Budget

IntroductionChapter 1Introduction1So, Who Are You Guys?1The 4 Truths About Weddings You Won't Read in Etiquette Books2The Goal of this Book5Wow! There's No Advertising!5How Much Does the Average U.S. Wedding Cost?5The Five Fields' Commandments for Bridal Bargains8The Bridal Clock9What's New in This Edition?10Bridal Bargains Hall of Fame11Part IYour WeddingChapter 2Apparel for the Bride15The Olympics of Shopping15Hidden Costs Can Add Up176 Web Sites To Ease Gown Shopping19Games that Bridal Shops Play22Top 7 Best Excuses for Tag Ripping24Designer Trunk Shows: Tips & Traps28Why Ordering a Gown Takes So Long3317 Step-by-Step Shopping Strategies35Good vs. Bad Gown Quality37Questions to Ask Before You Order the Gown40Special Warning: Use Your Credit Card!4125 Money-Saving Secrets43Top 10 Bridal Advertisers44Real Wedding Tip: eBay Success Stories46No Frills Deals50The Myth of Italian Satin & 5 More Myths53Real Wedding Tip: Make you Own Headpiece54The Running of the Brides: Filene's Sale56"Over-Sizing" and 14 More Pitfalls59Bridal 911: What Happens if The Shop Disappears60Reviews of the Top 66 Bridal Designers72Chart: Designers Compared74Chart: Also Known As: Designer Aliases76Looking for a Large Size79Big Mark-Ups Ahead: Accessories & Extras92The Catalog Chase101Fake Vera's and Marshall Fields102Best Buy: Save 20% to 40% by mail104Best Buy: Discount Gown Web Sites107Best Buy: Bridal Outlets113Factory Stores New Twist on Outlets115Not Recommended: David's Bridal118Gown Preservation121Bridal Magazines: Friend or Foe?123Chapter 3Apparel for the Wedding Party125Bridesmaids' Gowns125Our Buying Strategy1265 Shopping Strategies128Do it by Mail and 12 More Money-Savers128Chart: Bridesmaids Options132Square Peg, Round Hole and 7 More Pitfalls135Real Wedding Tip: Delivery, Sizing Problems137Reviews of 24 Maids Designers & Manufactures141"Made in America" Maids Dresses Disappearing142Are Gown Knock-Offs Legal?144Tuxedos: The Three Options152Grooms in Cyberspace1545 Money-Saving Secrets155Tux Shopping Tips & Recommendations157Chapter 4Ceremony Sites159Religious vs. Civil Ceremonies1607 Sources for Ceremony Sites & Officiants161Important Questions to Ask the Site Coordinator163Real Wedding Tip: Church Fees Can Add Up163Most/Least Popular Wedding Months by State164Why Civic Sites are Best Bargains166Chapter 5Wedding Flowers167Average Floral Costs168Florists Come in Three Flavors168Three Floral Web Sites for Advice, Bargains169Florist Shopping: 9 Steps Et 11 Questions to Ask17122 Money-Savers174Table Centerpieces On the Cheap176Seven Floral Best Buys179Go European and 7 More Helpful Tips181The Mercedes Syndrome and 5 More Pitfalls183Real Wedding Tip: The Surprise Consulting Fee185Trends: Martha Et More186Spotlight on Roses: Types Et Colors188Best Buy: Buying Flowers at Wholesale on the 'Net189Best Buy: Craft Stores192Dictionary of Wedding Flowers194Chapter 6Invitations195Why Invitations Are Priced a La Carte195Where to Buy: Retail vs. Mail Order1978 Cool Invitation Web Sites1999 Steps in the Ordering Process2015 Questions to Ask A Stationer203Real Wedding Tip: How Many Should You Invite?204Thermography and 11 More Money-Savers205Brazen Bridal Registries Et Five More Helpful Hints209The "Engraved Invitation" Myth211"Pet Postal Peeves" and 7 More Pitfalls21111 of the Best Stationary Printers216Do It By Mail: 12 Invitation Catalogs220Chart: Mail Order Invites Compared222Best Buy: Wedding Invitation Kit CD-ROM225Best Buy: Online Invitation Discounters226Real Wedding Tip: Do-it-yourself Paper Supplies227Spotlight: Wedding Favors: 9 Ideas228Part IIYour ReceptionChapter 7Reception Sites233The Big Trade-Off234Six Surprising Sources234Finding Sites on the Web23611 Questions to Ask Any Site238Best Bargains: Biz Hotels, Civic Sites and More240Tent Rental 101241The Marriage Mark-Up243Kickbacks and 6 More Pitfalls to Avoid2456 Most Common Site Types: Good, Bad News249Real Wedding Tip: Catering Insider Dishes Dirt250Hotels: Never Pay the Rack Rate!252The Amazing Send-Off: Fireworks259Chapter 8Catering261The Big Bucks: Food, Beverages, Labor, Rentals261Real Wedding Tip: Open vs. Cash Bars263Average Catering Costs264The Two Types of Caterers265When To Book a Caterer26618 Questions to Ask268The Dessert Reception Et 19 More Money-Savers270Plastic Plate Myth275Deals at Wholesale Clubs276Real Wedding Tip: Tips on Tipping278"Frozen Food" and 5 More Pitfalls279How to Feed 100 for $100279Chapter 9Photography285What You're Buying: Candids, Albums, Portraits285What Are Exposures, Proofs, Prints?287Where NOT to Look For a Good Photographer288CyberPhotos289Proofless Studios Speed Album Deliveries29035mm vs. Medium Format Cameras291Why Personality is Just As Important As Skill2969 Shopping Strategies297Questions to Ask Any Wedding Photographer29811 Money-Savers, including the Kodak Party Pak301Art Leather Albums: The Inside Story302Real Wedding Tip: Mail Order Albums307"Bait Et Switch" and 8 More Pitfalls310The Great Before or After Controversy310Odd Angles Et Blurred Shots: Latest Trends318Chapter 10Cakes319Average Total Costs320Nine Wedding Cake Trends321The Three Types of Bakeries322How Soon To Book the Baker?324Taste Tests and More Shopping Strategies324Five Questions to Ask325Cake Slight-Of-Hand & 9 More Bargains326Real Wedding Tip: That's Nuts!327The "Mystery White Icing" and 4 More Pitfalls328Disappearing Deposits330Chapter 11Wedding Videos331"In-Camera" vs Post-Editing332Average Costs332How to Find a Good Videographer3335 Basics of a Good Wedding Video335Videos: Good, Bad, Ugly33810 Questions to Ask340Ceremony Only Packages and 11 More Bargains342The Balkans of Bridal342The "Director's Disease" Pitfall346New trends: Webcasting, TV Themes, Retrospectives349Chapter 12Entertainment351Ceremony Music: Prelude, Processional/Recessional351Reception Music: Bands & DJ's352Nine Surprising Sources for Musicians353Finding a DJ on the 'Net355Step-by-Step Shopping Strategies35611 Questions to Ask Musicians359Avoiding December and 8 More Money-Savers360Real Wedding Tip: Hiring Student Musicians362The "Yucky DJ Myth"363Canned vs. Fresh: Hire a Band or DJ?364Milli Vanilli Demo Tapes and 4 More Pitfalls366Agents: Helping Hand or Scum of the Earth?369Chapter 13Etcetera371Limousines371Shopping Strategies, Money-Savers373Rent a Cadillac and 9 other money-savers374Real Wedding Tip: Sleazy Limo Driver376Wedding Rings376Best Buy: Get Your Rings at a Discount380Dubious Items: Wedding Insurance, Name Change Kits381Royal Prestige Cookware Pitch Exposed382Bridal Shows: Highway to Bridal Hell?384Wedding Consultants386Question to Ask a Bridal Planner387Pitfalls to Avoid388Gift Registries39016 Salt-N-Pepper Shakers and 3 More Pitfalls3936 Money-Saving Tips394How to turn unwanted gifts into cash395Honeymoons39515 Honeymoon Bargains396Chart: When is the Off Season?397Hurricane Proof Your Honeymoon399Chapter 14Canada403Bridal Gowns: Designer Reviews, Money-Savers403Invitations: Canadian Mail Order Catalogs408A Web Site for Canada Brides410Chapter 15Bridal 911: Last Minute Consumer Tips411Meet the Surrogate Bad Cop412The Final Checkup412Wedding Day Crises: How to Survive Them413Chapter 16Conclusion: What Does it All Mean?415AppendixSetting a Budget416AppendixPhone/Web Directory421Index428About the Authors

\ From Barnes & NobleThis is one of the most informative and popular consumer guides to getting the best prices for your wedding. The book includes frugal tips from readers of previous editions -- a classic.\ \ \ \ \ People MagazineTHE how to I do.\ \ \ PeopleTHE how to I do.\ \ \ \ \ R RhodesWeddings are expensive. You want the best bridal gown, flowers, cake, reception hall, photography, invitations, and music, and you don't want to compromise on any of it. You don't have to. Husband-and-wife team Denise and Alan Fields are the number one consumer activists, and in their fourth edition of Bridal Bargains, they share all of the secrets you need to know to have the best wedding on a budget.\ One piece of advice that is repeated throughout the book is to check out web sites. The Fieldses have included web addresses that will lead you to inexpensive flowers (50 cents a rose), discount bridal gowns, and sample pictures taken by your potential wedding photographer. In providing you with these addresses, the Fieldses have done two things: 1. They have saved you time so you don't have to rummage through the 3,467 sites that come up on Yahoo when you do a "weddings" search. 2. They have reviewed the sites, explaining the good points and the bad points of each.\ Since Bridal Bargains never suggests that you reduce the number of people coming to your wedding so you can get your fancy gown, or that you forget about flowers so you can have a better meal (in fact, the big "C"-- compromise -- is never mentioned), it obviously has to include some radical bargain suggestions for making your dream wedding come true. Consider transportation costs. If you dream of arriving at your ceremony in a luxurious limousine, then call funeral parlors. Most weddings occur on Saturday nights and few funerals do, so some funeral homes rent limos for the evening at a fraction of a regular limo company's cost. Another great transportation idea is to rent a trolley car for your large wedding party instead of hiring a fleet of limos; it is a cheaper and more creative alternative.\ When it comes to invitations, you may be thinking that it's a no-brainer. Think again. Invitations can cost as much as $1,200 for 100, so this crash course will prepare you well. The Fieldses encourage you to look at stationery shops, mail-order catalogues, discount buying shops, and other places that you would never think of when ordering the invites. They also offer questions to ask a stationer, tips for choosing how you want your invitation to be printed, ways to save money on postage (consider a response postcard and never send your invitations with the bulk rate), and information about doing the invitations yourself. And to top it all off, Bridal Bargains (as it does in many chapters) reviews and letter-grades some of the top invitation brands that are sold through retail dealers.\ The Fieldses also arm you with information about bridal gowns (who knew that expensive Vera Wang dresses are actually shoddy in quality?), ceremony and reception sites (it's essential to get everything in writing), wedding flowers (they cost more near Hallmark holidays like Mother's Day and Valentine's Day), videography (ask if the person doing the consultation will be shooting your wedding), and much more. In addition, you can reap the benefits of other brides' experiences with Bridal Bargains "Real Wedding Tip" boxes and avoid common bridal mistakes with the "Pitfalls to Avoid" suggestions, and you can get bargain deals with the "Top Money-saving Secrets" that are listed throughout the book. From frosted roses on a cake and silk roses on your dress to rose-colored bridesmaid dresses and rose centerpieces, the Fieldses provide you with honest, well-researched advice, so that saying "I do" doesn't mean "I'm now broke, too."\ — Soozan Baxter, barnesandnoble.com\ \ \