How to Plan Your Own Wedding and Save Thousands Without Going Crazy
Congratulations! You are getting married and want a beautiful, memorable event, yet you need to stick to a tight budget. Don’t despair! There are hundreds of proven ways to have your dream wedding without breaking your budget.
The average cost of a wedding in the United States in 2007 is approaching $30,000, a 73 percent increase since 1992, according to a recent study. What’s astonishing is how quickly all the other smaller expenses those you don’t immediatelythink of add up. The stationery, invitations, announcements, thank-you notes, postage, make up, hair stylist, limousines, menus, and so on, not including the cost for an engagement party, rehearsal dinner, gifts, honeymoon, engagement ring, and bridal consultant or wedding planner. Just imagine what you could do if you could save $30,000 as you start out your new life together.
Whether your budget is $1,000 or $50,000, in this easy to read and comprehensive new book you will learn hundreds of simple ways to cut down on your wedding expenses without serving a roomful of guests hamburgers and hot dogs atyour reception. Reducing your wedding costs doesn’t have to mean plastic forks and pitching a tent on your aunt’s front lawn. This new book will teach you hundreds of insider secrets to nip the overcharges out of your wedding budget. The author tackles invitations, facility, catering, gifts, bar-liquor, tables and chairs, decorations, napkins, centerpieces, flowers, limousine, dishes and glasses, music, candles, photography, videographer, ring pillow, linens, guest favors, tents, dance floor, cake, matches, place cards, thank you notes, and dozens more - without anyone realizing.• 978-1-60138-007-4 • 1-60138-007-0
Please visit our web site http://www.atlantic-pub.com/ .
ITEM #9781601380074 • $24.95 
I love the way this book is set out! It takes you one step at a time through every stage of planning the wedding. The reader begins with by setting a vision for the wedding, an overall theme of their ideal wedding day. Then each individual chapter focuses on one specific aspect of the wedding. It is so easy to feel overwhelmed with so many decisions to make. With this book it helps you concentrate on one thing at a time so you don’t get distracted.
The chapters begin with explanations of traditions, expectations and the common terms used which was very helpful. Then there are questions and checklists to clarify your ideas. Each chapter concludes with lots ways to save money and links to good resources. By completing each chapter and following the suggestions the wedding planning would be a much less stressful experience. This book has lots of good ideas, information on resources and practical tips to save money and still have a beautiful wedding.
Comment by Elle Johnson — February 6, 2008 @ 1:26 pm
This book has a tremendous amount of information about planning a wedding. There is so much to help you plan the wedding your way. It is a great way to save money because it takes you through the process step by step
The timelines are very detailed. These timelines and checklists help a great deal. There is so much to do. The book tells you what to do and when to do it. It can save you a lot of time.
The book gives tips on your reception, your dress, food and much more. It even gives you ways to look for discounts. It’s truly a money saver.
5 Stars********
Comment by K. Peoples — February 11, 2008 @ 9:14 am
It is time to plan your very Special Day, and you do not know where to start. Your first thought is
to hire a Wedding Planner to relieve some of your stress and save you money. This might not be an
option you have.
That is where this book comes in handy. From start to finish this book will walk though everything from the
day you decide you are going to get married until the time the wedding is over. The book will help you
have the wedding you always wanted whether your budget is $1,000.00 or $50,000.00.
The book includes websites to look for certain information and also case studies on different aspects of the wedding. You will have all the tools you need for your Special Day in this one book.
Comment by M.Schwartz — February 14, 2008 @ 11:26 am
This book is a very comprehensive guide to planning your own wedding. The checklists are great and help keep you focused on what is important and when things need to be completed. The author covered questions to ask vendors, which is helpful in discovering hidden fees. She also mentions the best ways to save money and gives great advice for budgeting your wedding. Both traditional and nontraditional styles are covered in this book, so it should fit into almost any bride’s style of wedding.
Tips for searching for more information and helpful websites (including discount websites) are included and were a great help. Every aspect of planning a wedding is covered—styles and fabrics of wedding dresses are even described. This book even offers tips for what style dress is best for your body type.
I love that the book is both a cost savings guide and a guide to general wedding planning. Whether you have a large or small budget, this book will help you plan a great wedding while sticking to your budget.
The organized bride will love this book. The order of the chapters, the checklists, the lists of questions to ask are all great tools to keep on track. Those brides that balk at organization should do their best to follow this guide, although they might feel some details are overkill. My only compliant is that the case studies, although helpful to hear advice from experts, were a bit long and sometimes repetitive.
I would recommend this book to any bride wanting to plan her own wedding.
5 stars
Comment by J. Linnell — February 14, 2008 @ 3:00 pm
When I got married only four short years ago, my biggest concerns were not spending thousands of dollars we didn’t have and keeping the stress factor to a minimum. I wish Tracy Leigh’s book would have been around then!
“How to Plan Your Own Wedding and Save Thousands without Going Crazy” is a detailed, blow-by-blow walk through of how to plan your own wedding without going into debt or going postal on your friends and family. Leigh gives expert advice on how to organize the massive venture of putting on a wedding, tips on where and how to find a great bargain as well as hints on how to tell if you and your vendors are on the same page. And there is no discrimination here – whether yours is to be a Cinderella affair complete with ice sculptures and swans or a barefoot-in-the-sand celebration with a luau and leis, you can learn something from this book that will help make your wedding one that will give you a lifetime of great memories.
Comment by Marie Holzer — February 20, 2008 @ 2:47 pm
Five stars!! As a bride-to-be, I have read multiple books on planning and saving money. My fiancé and I are trying to squeeze every penny, while still having a memorable event for ourselves and our guests. I have found that many of the money-saving tips in these books are often impractical or more hassle than they are worth in the end. Tracy Leigh’s book, How to Plan Your Wedding and Save Thousands (Without Going Crazy), let me know that sometimes, it’s okay to do things myself—like making favors, arranging flowers, baking a cake, creating invitation or decorating. Not everything needs to be done by a professional. The Web sites she provides are invaluable—it’s hard to find good discount wedding Web sites because any bridal vendor wants you to use their recommended vendors.
All of the lists were so helpful, I’m going to copy them and hand them out to my wedding party and other family members that are helping to plan. The concise language makes an easy-to-use guide for each person involved. Leigh’s questions for each vendor hit on topics I would have completely overlooked—she reminds readers that you can’t assume a vendor knows exactly what you want, and you can’t assume they have what you want.
The final thoughts section at the end of each chapter made the book well worth the read, because there are areas of my wedding I have already planned, and don’t necessarily need too much help. The final thoughts section offered a way to skim through some of the chapters, while still getting the full effect of the information.
Other than the first few chapters, this book can be read in any order, which is invaluable as I find myself constantly jumping around from task to task on the wedding.
While other wedding books were making me feel like my wedding would be trashy if I did some things myself, this book made me confident that the personal touch I can put into my favors, etc. is what’s really important.
Comment by Heather — February 29, 2008 @ 9:58 am