3.06

1

May 05, 2008

This book was a total waste of money. The elegant weddings cost so little because the brides have family or friends who provide food, liquor, photos, reception sites, etc. If you have an aunt who is a professional wedding photographer, you probably don't need to spend money on a book that tells you to ask her to take your photos. If you don't have family who can provide these services, or you don't want to ask your friends to provide a dish for a potluck reception, then do yourself a favor and This book was a total waste of money. The elegant weddings cost so little because the brides have family or friends who provide food, liquor, photos, reception sites, etc. If you have an aunt who is a professional wedding photographer, you probably don't need to spend money on a book that tells you to ask her to take your photos. If you don't have family who can provide these services, or you don't want to ask your friends to provide a dish for a potluck reception, then do yourself a favor and save the money you planned to spend on this book for your wedding itself. It should receive zero stars. ...more

3

Jan 29, 2016

This has places where you can write so all of your choices are nice and tidy. The links to blogs are nice. The descriptions of actually weddings that people have had are inspirational and are full of great ideas. All in all I recommend this to anyone planning a wedding on a budget. The "under $5000" limit is more excessive than what most of the example weddings cost.

I do admit that most of the ideas in this are commonsense ideas that can be found with a Google search, but having the sites and This has places where you can write so all of your choices are nice and tidy. The links to blogs are nice. The descriptions of actually weddings that people have had are inspirational and are full of great ideas. All in all I recommend this to anyone planning a wedding on a budget. The "under $5000" limit is more excessive than what most of the example weddings cost.

I do admit that most of the ideas in this are commonsense ideas that can be found with a Google search, but having the sites and services already listed and explained is a great time saver. A friend of mine is getting married for the second time and she isn't very internet savvy. This book has helped to point her in the right direction and saved her plenty of frustrated hours searching the internet for ideas and inspiration. She is also very organized, it is crazy how organized she is,  and the way the book is played out coincidentally matched the way she had organized her binder. This is the perfect book to push her in the right direction. The ideas she has gotten from this book have already helped to save her over $500.

The recipes and food recommendations are great.

My recommendation:

If you're are confident in your internet skills and have the extra time to research on your own, you probably will not find much use of this. If you don't have the time or the skills to do the research yourself, this will be a big help.

I received a copy of this book from blogging for books. Thank you.
...more

1

This book was a total waste of money. The elegant weddings cost so little because the brides have family or friends who provide food, liquor, photos, reception sites, etc. If you have an aunt who is a ...Full Review

4

The book contained useful information and good ideas that were helpful. It gave several examples of how to save and be creative.Full Review

4

Dec 13, 2015

This is the revised edition of the original and I quite liked it. It's very useful in my wedding planning and I like the spaces the book provides to take notes.

1

Mar 03, 2016

Don't waste the time. Any of the beneficial parts of this book I already forgot, and it wasn't anything that Bridal Bargains didn't say better and more succinctly. DNF.

4

Jun 01, 2010

Very helpful real-life examples for realistic, affordable weddings. Considering buying.

3

Apr 28, 2013

Not a bad book, dated though add the author refers to the couples taping their wedding music. Most of the information in this book can be found online and might be more current.

4

Dec 15, 2016

This book has been the most helpful of the bunch so far. It gives practical advice about cutting corners along with other places to seek help. It even had menu & recipe ideas and song suggestions for our playlists, which I thought was nice since those are two areas I haven't even thought about yet.

2

Nov 29, 2011

The useful info from this book I found to be checklists, budget sheets, etc. I did enjoy reading the stories about couples and their "under 5k weddings."

Overall, I think some of the info is good, but I'll be better off with a different book.

4

Aug 27, 2007

This is a great resource for anyone who's thinking of having a wedding other than the cookie cutter catering hall wedding. Honestly, this book gave me some hope, though I had to gross up some of the costs as I read given that I live in NYC and this book is nearing 8 years old.

3

Jun 22, 2008

I got a lot of good pointers from this book, but mostly, it made me realize I can have my beautiful dream wedding and not spend tens of thousands of dollars. I was really able put my priorities in line, and I was able to figure out where I wanted to spend money. Still in the planning phase, I at least have a really good idea of everything!

2

Mar 10, 2013

There was a little helpful information in this book, and some good guiding principals about deciding what is important to you as a couple and making sure those priorities are reflected in your wedding and wedding spending. Unfortunately, I don't think I can manage to save money on my wedding by having friends in the California wine business give me cases of wine as a wedding gift, and it's too late to ask any of my relatives to become ranchers or landed gentry so I can have a wedding at their There was a little helpful information in this book, and some good guiding principals about deciding what is important to you as a couple and making sure those priorities are reflected in your wedding and wedding spending. Unfortunately, I don't think I can manage to save money on my wedding by having friends in the California wine business give me cases of wine as a wedding gift, and it's too late to ask any of my relatives to become ranchers or landed gentry so I can have a wedding at their ranch/estate. ...more

1

Feb 09, 2011

This books gives a lot of tips on how to save money for your wedding, but most of these tips are things most people can figure out on their own. Instead of giving us ways to truly throw a "priceless" wedding, the author is really telling us how to cut wedding costs by also cutting quality. I would have liked to see some tips on how to do some things myself, or how to negotiate deals with vendors, or something like that. The fact that most of the featured weddings take place at horse barns, pine This books gives a lot of tips on how to save money for your wedding, but most of these tips are things most people can figure out on their own. Instead of giving us ways to truly throw a "priceless" wedding, the author is really telling us how to cut wedding costs by also cutting quality. I would have liked to see some tips on how to do some things myself, or how to negotiate deals with vendors, or something like that. The fact that most of the featured weddings take place at horse barns, pine forests, and at public parks does not help someone like me who is in need of more pizzaz in her wedding. However, the author DOES follow through on her promise to show you how to throw a wedding for under $5,000, so I suppose the title is appropriate advertising. ...more

3

Mar 01, 2016

Kathleen Kennedy has refreshed her book, Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000. She included more content, updated information, and a stylish new cover which features hand lettering by Alane Gianetti. Just looking at the page count, it's over 100 pages more than her first edition which came out in 2000.

My review is based off the revised edition which was published in 2015. I have not read the original, so I cannot compare the two versions side by side. The book is written in a traditional format Kathleen Kennedy has refreshed her book, Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000. She included more content, updated information, and a stylish new cover which features hand lettering by Alane Gianetti. Just looking at the page count, it's over 100 pages more than her first edition which came out in 2000.

My review is based off the revised edition which was published in 2015. I have not read the original, so I cannot compare the two versions side by side. The book is written in a traditional format of paragraphs and whatnot, but Kennedy also includes checklists, bullet points, tips, questionnaires, real-life wedding examples, and places for notes. I think it is a helpful text when thinking about putting a wedding together. If one of your priorities is budget, this is a book to find. The real-life examples were helpful. The couples shared their wedding priorities, location, budget, and more.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review. ...more

4

Jan 07, 2016

A very comprehensive guide to planning a wedding on a tight budget. Kennedy makes it easy to figure out what aspects of a wedding are most important to you so you can focus on those areas instead of spending money on things that don't matter as much to you. I also like all of the spots for note taking, it makes it easy to track wants and ideas for the wedding. The stuff in this book isn't very groundbreaking and it's really easy to find budget-friendly wedding ideas online these days but it is A very comprehensive guide to planning a wedding on a tight budget. Kennedy makes it easy to figure out what aspects of a wedding are most important to you so you can focus on those areas instead of spending money on things that don't matter as much to you. I also like all of the spots for note taking, it makes it easy to track wants and ideas for the wedding. The stuff in this book isn't very groundbreaking and it's really easy to find budget-friendly wedding ideas online these days but it is nice to have everything in one place. I was surprised by the size of this book- I received a paperback the size of a long novel. I was a little disappointed to find there weren't any pictures. Half the fun of wedding planning is looking at pictures for ideas! A lot of the ideas for keeping a tight budget for a wedding are pretty obvious (enlist people you know that are photographers, caterers, etc, to help; borrow a dress from a family member; have a picnic lunch instead of a sit down dinner) but Kennedy does have some good ideas.

I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. ...more

5

Feb 08, 2016

About the Book:
Become your own budget wedding planner with this classic book—fully revised and expanded to include advice on personalizing your event and using online planning tools

Designing a wedding that is priceless and perfect for you has never been easier. No matter how many guests you hope to invite or what kind of setting you choose, you don’t have to take on big debts to achieve your big day.

For more than a decade, Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000 has helped couples craft unique and About the Book:
Become your own budget wedding planner with this classic book—fully revised and expanded to include advice on personalizing your event and using online planning tools

Designing a wedding that is priceless and perfect for you has never been easier. No matter how many guests you hope to invite or what kind of setting you choose, you don’t have to take on big debts to achieve your big day.

For more than a decade, Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000 has helped couples craft unique and meaningful celebrations while saving money on every aspect—even the high-ticket items. Completely revised, updated, and expanded with more than 25% new material, this edition reveals the secrets and resources for planning a wedding like a pro. You’ll learn how to make every detail and every dollar count with:

· All-new chapters on envisioning your ideal event as well as using online resources and apps to find the most creative options and the best deals
· A questionnaire to help you decide—as a couple—on your top priorities for the day
· Strategies for making—and keeping to—a budget
· Dozens of unexpected ideas for booking a low-cost venue
· Tactics for negotiating with caterers, florists, musicians, and photographers
· Advice on which elements you can DIY to save thousands (without risking your sanity)
· Menu plans, recipes, and many other low-cost alternatives for the food and drinks
· Tips for finding stylish attire at a fraction of the cost
· Real-life couples’ wedding stories, including complete budget breakdowns

Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000 proves you can create a celebration that everyone remembers forever, and still end up with plenty of money for the happy future.

My Review:
Your wedding will be one of the most important days of your life. The task of creating a cheap wedding without it looking cheap can be a daunting task to say the least. There are not many things these days that are affordable or cheap at all and a wedding forget about it. But Kathleen Kennedy has updated and revised her book on very affordable weddings in her book, Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000.

The author gives you tons of advice and tips along with cost run downs on different things and she has included websites and wedding bloggers you should check out, as well. The author has provided quite a gem in this book. It will become known as a wedding bible because there is so much helpful advice in it. A bride's best friend!

**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the author. ...more

5

Feb 07, 2018

I read this a couple of years ago. There were a lot of good ideas in it, some less good than others. It was definitely a worthwhile read, though, especially now that my daughter is planning a wedding for later this summer.