Muchnick - The Frugal Bride : Save Money on Your Wedding Without Losing an Ounce of the Romance

Who doesnt like to save moneyparticularly when planning a wedding? An essential resource for cutting costs without compromising the style of the wedding, this book has hundreds of great ideas and proves frugal doesnt have to mean cheap.

C ARLEY R ONEY ,
editor-in-chief, www.theknot.com

Cynthia Muchnick helps keep both your wallet and emotions in check without compromising elegance and style. Before you say I do to the florist or photographer, you should first read The Frugal Bride cover to cover.

E LIZABETH A RRIGHI B ORSTING ,
travel writer and author,
Celebrity Weddings and Honeymoon Getaways

Once again, Cindy focuses on providing her readers with helpful information. Now, more than ever, it makes sense to be penny-wise, and Cindy outlines smart, stylish choices.

M ARIA M C B RIDE -M ELLINGER , author,
The Perfect Wedding Reception and The Perfect Wedding

Who wants to start a marriage in debt? Cynthia shows us that frugal can be fun! Using these ideas you can still have the wedding of your dreamsand no one will know you saved money, too!

M ICHELLE M ERKER ,
television producer/host, Southland Today for KDOC-TV

For most couples, saving money on the wedding is a priority. But how do you cut costs without looking cheap? Cynthias practical advice shows the way. She offers lots of savvy tips that will keep your budget in check without compromising all the beauty and romance of a wedding.

D IANE F ORDEN ,
editor-in-chief, Bridal Guide magazine

101 Ways to Pop the Question

The Best College Admission Essays

The Ultimate Wedding Idea Book:
1,001 Creative Ideas to Make Your Wedding Fun,
Romantic & Memorable

Will You Marry Me?
The Worlds Most Romantic Proposals

Copyright 2002 by Prima Publishing, a division of Random House, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from Random House, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York. Member of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. www.crownpublishing.com

THREE RIVERS PRESS and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Originally published by Prima Publishing, Roseville, California, in 2002.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Muchnick, Cynthia.

The frugal bride: save money on your wedding without losing an ounce of the romance / Cynthia Muchnick.

p. cm.

1. WeddingsUnited StatesPlanning. I. Cynthia Muchnick. II. Title.

HQ745.M83 2002
395.22dc21

2002
200216966

eISBN: 978-0-307-80911-7

v3.1

To the three joys and boys in my life:
Adam, Justin, and Jacob.
I love you all.

The Frugal Bride could not have been a success without the dedication, love, and support of many people:

To the hundreds of brides, mothers of brides, grooms, and wedding party guests, especially Barbara B., Sarah S., Yanina F., Kelly K., Liz N., Kim R., and many others too numerous to list who contributed their ideas to this book, I thank you.

To all of the hard-working staff at Prima Publishing and Random Houseespecially my acquisitions editor, Denise Sternad, who easily convinced me to take on another wedding project; my forever patient project editor, Michelle McCormack; and my always receptive and perky publicist, Jennifer Dougherty Hart.

To my friends and fellow brides: Joanne, Adena, Nancy, Mollie, Debbie, Marci G., Marci M., Holly, Lexi, Staci, Nora, Julie, Lori, Adrienne, Janine, Nikki, Haley, Colby, and Cheryl.

To Adam and Jen, Glenn and Lisa, Mike and Robin, Bobby and Tracy, and especially Karen and Jedd, for real-life inspiration.

To my creative and funky Web designer extraordinaire, Karen Gledhill (check out her brilliant work at www.cynthiamuchnick.com).

To Gloria, whom I couldnt live withoutfor your caring love and dedication to my family. You are always there. Te quiero mucho mucho mucho. And to Stephanie and Eric for being such special friends to my boys.

To those talented individuals and my esteemed colleagues who showered my work with their kind and generous words, I sincerely thank you for your praises: Connie Olson Kearns (my very own extraordinary wedding coordinator), Elizabeth Arrighi Borsting, Maria McBride-Mellenger, Michelle Merker, and Carley Roney.

To my relatives for your love and support: Linda, Alan, Lauren, and Evan; Karen, Danny, Benjamin, Sammy, and David; proud Grandma Lois; my e-mail pal Auntie Jill and Uncle John; my special summer cousins Eric, Amy, Theo, and Lucy; Gail, Andrew, Jacqueline, and Danielle; Marc, Kim, Jessica, and Blake; and Grammy Terry.

To Mom and Dad Muchnick for continuing to cheer me on.

To Mom and Dad Clumeck, for encouraging me to dare to fail gloriously and savor the passing moment; the best of times is now. And Dad, thanks for being such an amazing proofreader.

To Justin, may your fantastic imagination and passion for trucks, rescue heroes, and life bring you continued joy and happiness. Youre my buddy, my best friend, and special gift.

To smiley Jake, you win me over with your warmth, good nature, and determination. I am blessed to have you as my newest son and look forward to watching you grow and become your own person.

And last, but certainly not least, to my patient, loving, relaxed, brilliant, handsome partner in life and crime, Adam. How can I keep writing glowing acknowledgments to you, my inspiration for it all? Without your unforgettable proposal, this entire adventure would not have culminated in this wedding, honeymoon, and amazing journey that keeps going on and on. Where has the time gone? How did we get here? You are my happily ever after. I love you always and forever.

How many of us stop and look when we see a sale sign in a shop window? What is the attraction to the possibility of saving money? When you consider the average wedding today costs between $17,000 and $30,000, many brides are looking for more frugal ways to wed. Oftentimes, though, there is not a big red sale sign advertising vendors discounts, nor do we see price reduction advertisements for halls, hotels, or wedding sites. Finding deals and cost-cutting strategies, however, is sometimes as easy as knowing how to negotiate and what specific questions to ask.