Book Review

Book Review

June 5th, 2006 @ 12:13 pm by Mrs. Snail
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I spent much of my Sunday afternoon at Barnes & Noble with my fiance browsing and taking notes from various magazines and wedding books. I ended up purchasing 3 books and this is the one I immediately fell in love with.

I’m not really much of a book reader, but I found this to be well written and the authors are actually quite amusing. In one of the first chapters, they list commandments for bridal bargains:

” If you pay full retail for a bridal gown, please give us your home address so we can come over and whack you on the head with this book. Seriously, we found TWO DOZEN ways to slash that dress bill….”

Then it leads to a section on bridal gowns, descriptions and ratings of various designers, tips from previous brides, etc. The rest of the book pretty much carries on in the same organized and fun fashion.

I have a date set but no venue so these are tips I got from the book:

* Make appointments with 3~5 places but first confirm availability.

It seems obvious, but with all the unorganized wedding thoughts racing through my head, it was probably a good thing I came across that and wrote it down.

$$ money saving tips $$

* Fail to mention WEDDING for 8 out of 11 places (that’s been tested) quoted the “marriage mark-up”

ex. One Connecticut bride said the party was for a family reunion, saved 20% and told the restaurant 2 weeks before the reception, it was actually a wedding.

* Practice your poker face. Many sites are willing to negotiate but if you act like you MUST have the venue, they think they’ve got you and don’t have to negotiate.

* Get promises made in black & white (written in signed contract)

They also say never to sign a contract with the following clause:

“….retain the right to change ballroom, even up to a day before the wedding.”

I couldn’t believe such a ridiculous clause would be in a contract. So like mother dearest said, “always read the fine print.”

Tomorrow, I’ll be making calls to make appointments to hopefully see 2 venues this coming Friday. I know not to mention anything wedding. Can you ladies suggest any other helpful tips on what or what not to say?

Tags: new-york |

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4 Responses to “Book Review”

Guest

The “wedding mark up” to my best friend. For one of the dresses that she was going to change into, her alternation price got jacked up when the seamstress asked her whether it was for her wedding or for some other event and she was too honest (My best friend then overheard the assistance of the seamstress that if the dress is for another purpose/event, then the cost is a lot cheaper even though it’s the same dress, same alteration!) But for the venue, my concern is… if you work with their on-site coordinator, don’t you have to reveal that it’s a wedding so you can get your rehearsal scheduled? And also, since you will be working with the coordinator on the day of the wedding/and maybe a manager of the site too, are they going to hold it against you and provide you less ideal of a customer service when they realize you lied to them? Maybe I’m just paranoid.. but I’m worried about possible “revenge” by the site ….

6/5/06 @ 1:13 pm (reply)

Guest

Nony Mouse

Ask about bringing food (aka catering) for your party: If the site is not a restaurant, do they have any restrictions? If they do catering exclusively with one party (ex, some hotels w/ chefs on staff) do they have a minimum? Some places have minimum food bills over five grand, no matter how few guests you have.
Also, there are several wedding planners, like this one (full disclosure, it’s the one I bought for my wedding, but I’m not affiliated with it in any other way) : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1887169245/ref=pd_sim_b_5/103-4309023-0455044?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155 These organizers have some questions to ask in advance when you’re visiting a venue.
One last thing: make sure that if there’s a clause about what happens if you cancel the contract there is an equal and opposite one if they double-book and cancel your contract.

6/5/06 @ 2:17 pm (reply)

Guest

Jane

if you’re looking for a venue that’s charging per plate, find out if they would give refunds for plates not eaten. the place where my friend got married (at $200.00 a plate) agreed to refund any entrees that were declined. e.g.: if someone filled up during the cocktail hour (easy to do since she had eight different food stations!) and that person decided they didn’t want to be served food for the reception, the meal was refunded. otherwise, she got any entrees that were paid for but not served boxed up and taken home.

i got that book too… and two other books by the same authors: the wedding gown guide http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1889392030/ref=pd_rvi_gw_1/104-5130892-5003143?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155 and cyberbride http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1889392103/ref=pd_rvi_gw_3/104-5130892-5003143?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155

6/5/06 @ 4:50 pm (reply)

Guest

shanbrite2

Truly my favorite weddng planning book. I think they mention this in the book, but try to see if you can supply your own alcohol at the venue. Most places won’t let you, since that’s where they make most of their money, but that’s exactly why it can save you a ton of money as well. If you can bring your own alcohol, not only are you paying less than their fees per bottle, but if you buy at Costco or some other wholesaler, then you can return the unopened bottles and save even more!

If you are looking at a hotel, here’s the biggest scam I see hotels pulling on brides: paying room rental. At nearly any hotel, if you order enough food or book enough sleeping rooms (and for a wedding, you will certainly have enough in food costs!), you get the room for free. I don’t know if most hotels give this to brides, but I’m sure they charge them if they can, since only people who plan events really know this (I used to be a meeting planner, so that’s how I know). Good luck!

6/5/06 @ 5:18 pm (reply)