Wedding Chic: The Savvy Bride's Guide to Getting More While Spending Less

Building on Wildorf's previous book, City Chic: An Urban Girl's Guide to Livin' Large on Less, this valuable introduction to budget weddings and receptions is written in an enjoyably breezy style and packed full of helpful tips. Willdorf recently married, so she knows how expensive the whole affair can be; as she points out, the average cost for a wedding is approximately $22,000. Determined to cut expenses without sacrificing style, Willdorf had the wedding of her dreams on the cheap, and here she explains how she managed to be mindful of her pocketbook ""without getting the tulle pulled over my eyes."" Amazingly, she was able to keep everything classy by merely tweaking the traditional wedding formula (i.e., having a limited bar instead of an entirely open one, instructing the florist to purchase a ""market buy"" of beautiful in-season flowers and ""opting for a Friday-night affair rather than a Saturday event"" to save 10 to 15 percent). Willdorf also offers some crafty suggestions--such as spray-painting pinecones gold for a winter wedding or making colorful centerpieces out of fruit instead of flowers--and it's clear that she knows her etiquette: going to a department store for a makeover is fine; underpaying your officiate is not. Her overall theme is to know what's important, put the money there and cut back on everything else. Though some of her advice is commonsense, Willdorf packs enough practical information and can-do spirit into this savvy guide to make it a necessity for budget-minded brides and grooms.