Meg Schneider - Budget Weddings For Dummies

Budget Wedding For Dummies

by Meg Schneider

Budget Weddings For Dummies

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Copyright 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number:

ISBN: 978-0470567500

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Author

Meg Schneider is an award-winning writer with more than two decades of experience in journalism and public relations. She has authored or coauthored several books, including COPD For Dummies and Making Millions For Dummies (both published by Wiley). When she married in 1999, she and her fianc had just closed a restaurant and had very little money to work with, so they looked for creative ways to keep wedding costs down while still having the kind of ceremony and reception they wanted. The final tally was less than $6,000 for a wedding with 100 guests that included professional musicians, butler-passed hors doeuvres, a three-course meal, professional photography, and a professionally baked cake.

Megs journalism honors include awards from the Iowa Associated Press Managing Editors, Women in Communications, the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association, Gannett, the New York State Associated Press, and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.

A native of Iowa, Meg now lives in upstate New York.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Mark Dixon, whose favorite saying comes from a Geico commercial: I saved. I thought that meant something to you.

Authors Acknowledgments

No man is an island, and no book comes to market through the efforts of a single person. I gratefully acknowledge the support and contributions of:

Barb Doyen, my agent and ardent cheerleader, and a fierce proponent of saving money where you can.

Tracy Boggier and Sarah Faulkner, my editors. I thank Tracy for her skills in coming up with interesting projects, and Sarah for her ability to take reasonably good text and make it even better.

Copy editor Jessica Smith and technical reviewer Gloria Boyden. Jessica, thanks for keeping my voice active. Gloria, thanks for making sure my advice is sound.

Mark Dixon, who makes me laugh, and who has adapted remarkably well to the loopiness that so often accompanies life with a writer. (Plus, he buys me cheesecake when I finish writing a book.)

Jan and Dick Schneider, my parents, who, among other things, made planning my wedding as nearly stress-free as possible, and who have encouraged me to express my personality (even when that means breaking the rules) in every venture of life.

Publishers Acknowledgments

Were proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Sarah Faulkner

Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier

Copy Editor: Jessica Smith

Assistant Editor: Erin Calligan Mooney

Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen

Technical Editor: Gloria Boyden

Editorial Manager: Christine Meloy Beck

Editorial Assistants: Jennette ElNaggar, David Lutton

Art Coordinator: Alicia B. South

Cover Photos: iStock

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Sheree Montgomery

Layout and Graphics: Claudia Bell,
Joyce Haughey, Jennifer Mayberry

Illustrator: Elizabeth Kurtzman

Proofreaders: Cynthia Fields,
John Greenough

Indexer: Sherry Massey

Special Help Todd Lothery,
Elizabeth Staton

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey , Director of Composition Services

Introduction

When I began planning my wedding in earnest, I bought a copy of a wedding planning guide for working women. I assumed, from the title, that it was aimed at women who didnt have a lot of time or interest in planning a spectacularly formal and lavish wedding. Imagine my chagrin when I began flipping through it and came across a section on hand-rolled, personalized, individually written (in calligraphy, no less) thank-you-for-attending scrolls for each guests dinner setting. Appalled, I flipped some more, gaping at advice about fancy bridal party breakfasts, in-law cocktail receptions, and hot-house orchids for a winter wedding.