Wedding Planning Resources

The 10 Best Time and Money Savers for Planning Your Wedding

By Sara Margulis

When I was a bride-to-be, I hopped online eager to find all the World Wide Web had to offer a do-it-yourself wedding planner. But when I ran my first Google search for "wedding planning," I was disappointed to find a huge number of junk websites. It was difficult to find real help, and hard to know which sources to trust.

In the 18 months that followed I worked hard to find some reliable resources that would help me plan my dream wedding on a strict budget. After the wedding, I heard my cousin had guessed our wedding cost $40,000. The actual cost was less than $20,000! I was so glad I'd put in the time to find the right help.

Since then, I've come across a few more jewels. Here are my 10 best (in no particular order):

  1. Bridal Bargains—This gem of a book, updated every two years, thoroughly covers how to buy just about everything you could possibly want for your wedding. Tips from the authors' extensive research and real brides will literally save you thousands, from flowers to gowns to favors and more.

  2. Stephi Stewart's Fire Your Wedding Planner—Stephi's forte is how to know when you're being taken. She'll teach you how to negotiate with any wedding vendor, using insider wedding industry secrets to help you save money. Her free newsletter is full of great tips, too.

  3. The Knot—Aside from a pretty good local resource directory and their free wedding webpage, I loved the Knot's budget planner, which gives you average costs for all your wedding-related expenses. You can enter your actual expenses alongside to track how you're doing. The Knot also has the best wedding discussion boards on the Web, especially if you have questions of other brides in your area.

  4. Brides.com—With some pretty active discussion boards and a robust online wedding planner, Brides.com rivals the Knot. But what they do best is ideas—their "Brilliant Idea of the Day" e-mails contain some very creative tidbits for both wedding and honeymoon.

  5. Local Event Location Guides—If someone in your area publishes a book of wedding and reception locations, get it! These invaluable books list a plethora of possible wedding and reception sites, along with key info like cost, maximum capacity, catering restrictions, corkage fees, etc. This lets you easily narrow down your "to see" list without having to make a single phone call.

    If you're getting married somewhere else, try searching for your state and "event resource guide" on Amazon.com or in Google. Also, local wedding magazines will often have a list of reception locations in the back; however it may not be as comprehensive because vendors usually have to pay to be listed.

  6. Martha Stewart's Keepsake Wedding Planner—I love this comprehensive three-ring planner because it has a fantastic checklist of To Dos, broken down by the time frame in which they should be done (i.e., six or more months ahead, four months ahead, etc.). This really helped us stay on track. Martha also includes information about etiquette and provides pockets and dividers where you can organize and keep contracts, receipts, photos and the like. If you choose another wedding planning book, just make sure it has a similar checklist. I recommend a physical book versus a planning software tool, because you can take it with you anywhere and you'll have a place to keep your important documents.

  7. Online and Local Travel Agents—Whether you're planning a straightforward one-stop getaway or an elaborate multi-destination odyssey, travel agents can be a big help. Their wealth of knowledge is an indispensable resource; helping you choose which cities to visit and arranging top-notch accommodations, excursions and local transportation. Remember, you shouldn't have to worry about a thing during your trip! Visit a local travel agent for ideas, and then see if you can book online to save money. Try Expedia.com—they have great package deals with telephone agents available 24/7.

  8. Wedding Channel—Wedding Channel rivals the Knot in terms of the shear number of tools available, which is probably why they were recently acquired by The Knot. But what Wedding Channel does best is registries—they've partnered with a huge number of national stores so you can manage your registries all in one place. Expect this feature to move to the Knot in 2007.

  9. AmericanBridal.com—A substantial selection of favors, gifts, and accessories all at the best prices I've found. Plus invitations from Carlson Craft at 20% off retail. And they offer a 100% money-back guarantee and a low-price guarantee!

  10. eBay and Craigslist—You can get some incredible deals on common wedding items by buying second-hand. eBay and Craigslist are probably the best resources for second-hand stuff. The best part is you can turn around and sell it all after your wedding!

While the above are my 10 best, here are five more noteworthy resources:

  1. Wedding Website Providers—Both ewedding and wedding window offer brides and grooms a nice looking, personalized wedding website with time-saving features like online RSVP at a reasonable price.

  2. Wedalert.com—A decent local vendor directory and reception location finder. Wedalert.com also has a huge directory of popular wedding music, a real help when you have no idea where to start.

  3. WeddingGazette.com—This well-designed website specializes in creative ideas for the big day.

  4. TopWeddingSites.com—A list of lesser-known wedding services that you might not find otherwise, all ranked by number of votes each has received from real brides.

  5. ExclusivelyWeddings.com—An online wedding superstore with a huge selection of invitations, favors, wedding party gifts, bridal accessories and more.

Any one of these is sure to save you time, money, and hassle and get you well on your way to the perfect, stress-free wedding.

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More Wedding Planning Websites

Affairnet—The premier resource for all your wedding and party planning needs.

Affair Elegance—Event planning, invitations and RSVPs.

The Wedding Salon—The world's first luxury wedding showcase, featuring must-have products and services for the sophisticated bride and groom.

More Apparel Websites

The Dessy Group—Bridesmaids dresses and formal gowns in styles your bridesmaids will love to wear again!

Anna Bellagio—Affordable wedding and bridal jewelry.

Princessbands—Freshwater pearl and Swarovski crystal handmade tiaras, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

CafePress.com—Fun and unique t-shirts and gifts, great for bachelor and bachelorette parties!

Tuxedos Direct—Complete line of traditional tuxedos and accessories.

More Favors, Gifts and Decorations Websites

HansonEllis.com—Unique wedding favors, engravable gifts, candles, soaps, personalized favors, and much more.

MagicWandWeddings.com—Themed and personalized wedding favors, unique party ideas, and more!

The Printed Candle Company—Premium quality personalized candles for weddings.

Ashmont Engraving—Personalized groomsmen gifts.

CD Celebrations—Personalized CD favors for weddings.

Boxtique—Elegant fabric-covered containers perfect for wedding gift cards, or to tuck away keepsakes.

Pick a Petal—Fresh or freeze dried rose petals that look, smell, and feel like they just fell off the stems.

That's My Topper—Your search for the perfect wedding cake topper ends here.

Affectionately Yours Wedding & Gift Mall—Quality caketops, servers, toast glasses, favors, unity candles, attendant gifts and more