Bridal Bargains: Secrets to Throwing a Fantastic Wedding on a Realistic Budget (Bridal Bargains, 6th Ed)

Rating:
Summary: Should be your first wedding book
Review: Bridal Bargains is a fantastic book full of advice I had never heard before (and I am one that does a lot of research). It exposed scams in the wedding industry that cost brides thousands of dollars. I have only had the book for a few weeks and I have already saved quite a bit of money on my dress and invitations. The book is a fantastic resource for money-saving websites as well.

Rating:
Summary: Very useful guide!
Review: Even though this book is focused on having a wedding on the cheap, it's full of generally good information, too, like a time line and how to deal with difficult vendors. The book isn't billed as a non-traditional wedding guide, but it ends up in that category since seeking cheaper ways to have a wedding generally pushes you down the non-traditional path.

I found a lot of good advice in this book. Much as how new and used car sellers take advantage of ignorance, excitement, and confusion to rip people off, so does pretty much the entire bridal industry. Bridal Bargains gives you lists of questions to ask, the pitfalls to look for, and practical advice on how to get what you want without getting cheated, as well as low cost wedding ideas. They also make good suggestions of alternative avenues to pursue when looking for different wedding services and retailers.

This is a practical, handy guide with good ideas and advice that avoids the breathless "YOUR SPECIAL DAY" tone so pervasive in other bridal books and treats readers like intelligent humans instead of wedding planning machines.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Bridal Book Anywhere!
Review: Wow. Before reading this book, I was a little skeptical. After all, I am the biggest bargain hunter I know, and I doubted that any book could rival my thrifty techniques. Needless to say, I am sufficiently impressed. This book was a perfect complement to my internet searches for discount and bulk wedding-related sales. Not to mention, this book is well-organized and very informative.

Prior to reading this book, I had looked to several other books for advice on organizing my wedding. Yet, since Bridal Bargains was so well organized and so detailed with its advice, I found that it was even more helpful to me in the planning process than any other wedding-planning book I had purchased. Thanks and kudos to the authors for writing AND regularly updating such a practical guide.

Pros: Ratings of internet sites, designers, just about everything; Advice on internet purchases; Pricing charts for invitations and printers; Lots of internet links for discount stores (invitations, flowers, etc.).

Cons: I could use a little more advice on finding discount lodging and wedding cakes.

Over all: Easy read and a great find!

Rating:
Summary: A Bride's Best Weapon!
Review: I have read many books, websites and magazines on wedding planning, and as a bride-to-be, I have found the most helpful information in this book. Unlike almost every other resource out there, this book has no connection to the bridal industry. As most new brides quickly learn, it seems as though every guide out there makes you feel like you must have the "perfect" wedding, but politely ignores how much perfection costs. Not so with this book.

For the first time, I felt like I was getting real information, not just expensive ideas. Like a certain designer for your bridesmaid dresses? Check out their review to see how reliable they are and the quality of the dresses. I put off buying this book because I felt like spending money on another book about saving money was not the best plan. But every time I picked it up and opened it to a new page, I found something new and valuable. It was the best money I've spent so far!

Like others, I have been disappointed with some URLs, though their website tries to correct some of these. On the whole, if you want real consumer information, not just disguised advertisements, buy this book. Even if you don't save a fortune, you can at least have the information to know that your money was well spent. Or just elope!

Rating:
Summary: BEST WEDDING BOOK !
Review: This book is FANTASTIC ! It is honest,insightful and most of all doesn't talk down to brides. Forget the frilly wedding planner books with all the pages to fill in. Knowlege is the first step to planning a great wedding! A MUST HAVE!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I got this book from a friend BEFORE I became engaged. This book is FULL of smart money saving ideas I hadn't even considered (And I am VERY creative) but also made me aware of MANY different wedding pitfalls that I would never have been on the look out for. I will go into my wedding planning with a much clearer (and less emotional head) so that I may have a BEAUTIFUL wedding without the headaches, nightmares and financial problems!

Rating:
Summary: The Best Bridal Book out there
Review: This was by far the most practical and useful book I purchased while planning my wedding. It gave you hints and insider information into the bridal business that no one else is going to tell you. They also gave resource information, such as websites, and telephone numbers to use. I saved $700 on my wedding dress, and $1000 on flowers based solely on information from this book! I definitly recommed this book for the budget concious bride!

Rating:
Summary: Very detailed and Organized
Review: I just got engaged and this was the first book I purchased. There is a lot of details, and the book is laid out very well. I suggest tabbing pages as you go, since there is going to be sooo much information to review over the next several months. A Very Good Investment for any bride!

Rating:
Summary: Every Bride Should Read This + "Fire Your Wedding Planner!"
Review: "Bridal Bargains" has been #1 selling wedding bargain book for years for a good reason - it's great!... Another fantastic book is Stephi Stewart's "Fire Your Wedding Planner!". I recommend her great FREE newsletter too, which you can sign up for at FireYourWeddingPlanner.com

- Bianca

Rating:
Summary: An Organizer's Dream
Review: I bought the book with interest of saving money since we were paying for everything ourselves. I didn't take up many of the savings tips although there were plenty to choose from. I did thoroughly use the clock tips to keep me on target for what I needed to focus on each month. I also enjoyed reading the areas of "caution" that you can get trapped into. Who would have thought? It was my bible for planning a successful and wonderful wedding. Purchasing this book was my best bargain!