The references here are meant to guide you to other helpful budget idea sources. You do not need to subscribe to wedding magazines. Much of the information is redundant, and you can skim them at bookstores or bridal salons. But if you choose to, subscribe for an entire year as opposed to buying them monthly. You’ll save over half the cover price in most cases. Also, don’t feel compelled to buy any or all of the books listed here. Skim the referenced chapters at the bookstore or your local library, and bring a notebook to jot down ideas.
Check out these as a place to start, and by all means use your own search engine (yahoo.com, google.com, askjeeves.com, altavista.com, AOL, Internet Explorer, etc.) for other leads. There are literally hundreds of thousands of wedding sites and items out there to be found. Limit your searches to include the word budget and see what you discover. Here are a few of my favorites to get you started:
Wedding Planning Web Sites with Budget Areas
www.angelfire.com Offers a frugal bride area.
www.bwedd.com A budget wedding newsletter put out biweekly by a former bride with a knack for budgeting.
www.modernbride.com Has an “All About Budget” section.
www.theknot.com Includes a great area dedicated to budget as well as a comprehensive and exhaustive creative budgeter that allows you to input your information and toggle with numbers to see where you can cut and add.
www.trumpmoon.ltd.uk
www.ultimatewedding.com Contains several articles pertaining to budget.
www.windsorpeak.com Denise and Alan Field’s Web site. Go to the “Bridal Bargains” area for updates and information.
You may also want to check out these sites:
www.marthastewart.com You can even purchase back issues of her wedding magazine online.
Destination Weddings
www.bluehawaiiweddings.com Offers Hawaiian budget weddings information, or call (808) 883-2583.
www.sandals.com or 888-SANDALS
www.towd.com Tourism Offices Worldwide
The Association of Bridal Consultants: Call (860) 355-0464 or send an e-mail to bridalassn@aol.com.
The Better Business Bureau: www.betterbusinessbureau.com offers phone numbers of your local office.
Your local Chamber of Commerce: www.chamberofcommerce.com for the World Chamber of Commerce Directory, or check you local white pages.
Check out www.magazinecity.net for discounts on subscriptions.
Bridal Guide
Bride Again
Bride’s
Brides and Setting Up Home
Modern Bride
Wedding Pages
Here are a few other publications that focus on budget. Also check out general wedding books and browse their budget chapters.
The Ultimate Wedding Idea Book: 1,001 Creative Ideas to Make Your Wedding Fun, Romantic, & Memorable, by Cynthia C. Muchnick (Prima Publishing, 2000). Budget ideas are scattered throughout, and a chapter is dedicated to budgetary concerns.
How to Have an Elegant Wedding for $5,000 or Less, by Jan Wilson and Beth Wilson Hickman (Prima Publishing, 1999). The title says it all!
Bridal Bargains, by Denise and Alan Fields (Windsor Peak Press, 2000). Thick, dense, and chock full of consumer information—a bit overwhelming and tedious, but that’s a bit like wedding planning, isn’t it?
The Knot’s Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World, by Carley Roney (Bantam Books, 1998). A brief budget chapter and other points sprinkled throughout. Also, a paper budget planner is located in the appendix with suggested percentages of how much you should spend on each wedding aspect.
The Cheapskate’s Guide to Weddings and Honeymoons: Doing It Right Without Spending a Fortune, by David W. Shaw. (Citadel Press, 1996). A bit dated and not too user friendly, but does contain some helpful budget ideas.
Weddings for Dummies, by Marcy Blum and Laura Fisher Kaiser (IDG Books, 1997). A special chapter is dedicated to “The Ten Tricks of Saving Money.”
Creative Wedding Florals You Can Make, by Terry L. Rye (Betterway Books, 2000). This series offers other titles, too, such as Creative Wedding Keepsakes You Can Make, by Terry L. Rye and Laurel Tudor (Betterway Books, 2001) and Creative Decorations You can Make, by Teresa Nelson (Betterway Books, 1998) with fully illustrated step-by-step instructions on how to do these things yourself.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Perfect Wedding, by Teddy Lenderman and Gerard J. Monaghan (Alpha Books, 2000). Contains a chapter titled “Making the Most of Your Dollars.”
The Budget Wedding Sourcebook, by Madeline Barillo (McGraw-Hill, 2000). Practical, organized and serves as a good budget planner, too.
How to Buy a Diamond, by Fred Cuellar (Sourcebooks, 2000). Debunks all of your diamond myths and provides excellent questions to ask jewelers.
How to Have a Big Wedding on a Small Budget, by Diane Warner (Betterway Books, 1997).
1001 Ways to Save Money … and Still Have a Dazzling Wedding, by Sharon Naylor (McGraw-Hill, 2001).
Priceless Weddings for Under $5000, by Kathleen Kennedy (Three Rivers Press, 2000).
The Perfect Wedding (Harper Collins, 1997) and The Perfect Wedding Reception, (Harper Resource, 2000) both by Maria McBride-Mellenger. These books offer gorgeous images and stunning ideas for classy wedding touches. You can find ways to pare down the high-end images into affordable solutions of your own.
The Beverly Clark Series, including Weddings: A Celebration. A beautiful coffee table book by Beverly Clark (Wilshire Publications, 1996), with classic images and ideas for an unforgettable wedding.
The New Book of Wedding Etiquette, by Kim Shaw (Prima Publishing, 2001). Covers all of your modern etiquette concerns.