How to Have an Elegant Wedding for $5000 (or Less) : Achieving Beautiful Simplicity Without Mortgaging Your Future (Paperback)

~ (Author), Beth Wilson Hickman (Author) "MOST COUPLES WONDER where they should begin..." (more)
Key Phrases: altar sprays, guest book attendant, toasting goblets, Wedding Day Reflections, Professionally Speaking, Wedding March (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Yes, weddings can be expensive, but is it really worth giving up your firstborn child so you can have tulips in September? When your wedding day arrives, you want to be able to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime event and know that the ceremony and reception are not going to put you in hock for the next 10 years. In How to Have an Elegant Wedding for $5,000 or Less, authors Jan Wilson and Beth Wilson Hickman teach you how to budget and balance so you can have the wedding of your dreams without the headache of enormous bills.

Whether you choose to have a big or small, formal or informal wedding, the reception seems to clock in at approximately half of your budget. So, going with that figure, you need to evaluate and prioritize wedding clothes, flowers, the photographer, the cake, music, invitations, and the ceremony itself. Can you wear your mother's wedding dress (with some alterations, of course)? Can you cut invitation costs by using black ink rather than a fancy foil? When you booked the band, did you read the fine print? (One bride found, the day before the wedding, that they had to provide a soundman and soundboard. Yikes!) "Weddings, like life itself," say the authors, "are rarely predictable." They suggest appointing one or two (two is better) close friends or family members (but not attendants) as coordinators. It will give the couple a trusted helper/point person during the planning process and take some stress off the day of the event.

How to Have an Elegant Wedding for $5,000 or Less encourages you to dream of your ideal day and then helps you to practically and economically make it happen. "Decide what is really important on your special day and make that a priority," say the authors. "Know what is right for the two of you. Your wedding day should reflect that." --Dana Van Nest

Review

The Perfect Wedding Doesn't Have to Cost Your Life's Savings -- Review

You might be able to keep wedding costs to $5,000 on your own but it probably would be anything but elegant. Jan Wilson and Beth Wilson Hickman give you the tips that make it possible. -- Bob Masullo, The Sacramento Bee

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (February 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761518045
• ISBN-13: 978-0761518044
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,769 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #31 in

  Books > Home & Garden > Weddings > Planning

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars doesn't really offer tips on saving money, June 29, 2000

By A Customer

Although this is rated high up there with the many top wedding advice books, this still isn't one of the best. My main and only problem of the book is where is the "budget" aspect of the book as it says in the title. They offer numerous and helpful tips and advice about planning a wedding, even an elegant wedding. But for those actually looking for advice on keeping a wedding under a limited budget, this isn't the book. For real and practical budget advice, I recomend Bridal Bargains by D. Fields.

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the money, September 18, 2002

By	"libby_528" (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews

If you are really trying to throw a wedding for under 5,000 you can't afford this book. The book could have been called how to throw a wedding for 20,000 dollars. It really is a very basic wedding planner that has nothing to do with saving any money. The best book you could buy is Bridal Bargins. That book shows how to save money.

61 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Misleading Title, March 19, 2003

By	"lisa_1" (Newton, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This book should be titled something like: "Things to Think About When Planning a Wedding". It contained very little money saving tips, which is why I bought the book.