Bridesmaids today face an average expense of more than $3,000 when they accept the invitation to be in a bridal party. Add in the cost of travel and lodging—which is increasingly becoming necessary, with the growing popularity of destination weddings—and that $3,000 climbs to an even higher price tag. It’s hard to say no when a friend asks you to be a part of their wedding, but in this economy, most bridesmaids just don't have the money to participate—not without ending up with a handful of maxed-out credit cards and a whole lot of resentment, anyway.
In Bridesmaid on a Budget, Sharon Naylor—the author of multiple best-selling budgeting books for brides—offers women advice on how to beat the system. Naylor gives tips on where to find the best, most affordable dresses and accessories; planning fantastic (but low-cost) showers and bachelorette parties; giving a great wedding gift without emptying your pocketbook; minimizing the extra expenses of a destination wedding; and more. For the almost 10 million women per year who become one, Bridesmaid on a Budget is an indispensable guide to being a brilliant bridesmaid—without breaking the bank.
Sharon Naylor is the bestselling and internationally-renowned author of over 35 wedding books, including The Complete Outdoor Wedding Planner, Bridesmaid on a Budget, The Mother of the Bride Book, Mother of the Groom, and many more award-winning titles. She has been featured in Bridal Guide, Southern Bride, Brides, InStyle Weddings, New York Weddings, Destination I Do, VOWS, and many other top bridal publications, as well as in Glamour, Redbook, Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies Home Journal, Woman's Day, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and others. She has appeared on Good Morning America, Martha Stewart Weddings satellite radio, the BBC, Lifetime, ABC News, and countless other media programs. She is a syndicated wedding columnist and the green weddings expert at GorgeouslyGreen.com, as well as the Q&A maven at iVillage Weddings, WeddingMapper.com and more. She is also the destination wedding and honeymoon spokesperson for the Best-Of award-winning Rosewood Resorts Caneel Bay and Jumby Bay. Visit her website sharonnaylor.net and follow her on Twitter @sharonnaylorwed for her latest news and to potentially be featured in her upcoming wedding articles, blogs, and television segments.
Sharon Naylor is the bestselling author of over 35 wedding books, including The Bride's Guide to Freebies, The Mother of the Bride Book, Mother of the Groom, Bridesmaid on a Budget, and many more award-winning titles. In addition to being the wedding expert for GorgeouslyGreen.com, she is a columnist at Bridal Guide, Southern Bride, Polka Dot Bride, New Jersey Bride, and other top bridal sites, and has appeared as a wedding and entertaining expert on Good Morning America, Better TV, Get Married, ABC News, Primetime, Inside Edition, and more.
She has been featured in InStyle Weddings, Brides, New York Weddings, Destination I Do, Glamour, Redbook, Woman's Day, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and others, and is a syndicated columnist at Creators Syndicate.
She is also the destination wedding and honeymoon spokesperson for the Best-Of award-winning, eco-friendly Rosewood Resorts Caneel Bay and Jumby Bay, and the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, among others. Visit her website www.sharonnaylor.net for more on her books and media appearances, and to get her free worksheets, articles and more, and follow her on Twitter @sharonnaylorwed.
Sharon has always advised brides and grooms to prepare for the marriage, not just the wedding, and all of her books focus not just on planning details like designing a wedding cake or choosing a gown, but on the *relationships* that build between the couple and their in-laws, the relationships that may change between the couple and their single friends, and the relationships a couple can create between themselves and their wedding vendors. Weddings may be stressful to plan, but they don't have to create stress in your life. Sharon Naylor's 25+ years in the wedding industry have exposed her to so many different personality types trying to work together, she knows the kinds of clashes that can happen and she advises against every type of planning or communication mistake. The goal is, of course, a beautiful and personalized wedding day, but Sharon Naylor wants you to *enjoy* the process with the positive people you know, always taking the time to think about what's going *well* instead of what's still left to do or what's disappointing.
Sharon Naylor says she gravitated to wedding world because it's comprised of all of her favorite things: travel, gourmet food, floral design, fashion, photography, dance...and most importantly the gathering of far-flung friends and family to celebrate a happy occasion.
A recent newlywed, she lives in Morristown NJ with her husband Joe and she is currently the wedding spokesperson for several high-profile corporate brands.
I read this book cover to cover and it is filled with my notes and dog-ears for useful tips. And I mean useful for anyone, not just bridesmaids (I'm a bride myself). Like, how much food to buy for a party, and great gift ideas for under $25. I just went to the bridal shower of my friend two days ago and my gift to her was one I found in this book: DIY personalized placemats. I never would have thought of putting iron-on transfers on placemats, but I used quotes from her favorite author along with some paint and stencils, and they turned out beautifully! She loved them, and I spent half of the national average price of bridal shower gifts. Yes, this book tells you what that national average is. $72. Love this book.
As an event planner, I will be recommending that all my bridal clients purchase this book for each of there weddings. This is a must have reference piece for any bride to be and her bridal party. Once again Sharon you have out done yourself. Great Book!!!!
