Wedding Bargains, Wedding Coupons, Wedding Deals, Wedding Freebies

The best bridal coupon EVER from
the Knot. Don't waste any time!
It ends up being FREE!! I love free.
Take $10 off $10+ at The Knot Wedding Shop this weekend only! Enter code BRIDECASH at checkout. Hurry – offer expires 10/25.
You'll never know what you'll find on sale
at the Knot, but it will always be less money
than you'll pay elsewhere. Everything from favors,
ribbons, wedding accessories, you name it, you'll
probably find it here and you'll find it at great
prices.
On Sale at The Knot Wedding Shop
The Knot currently has a screaming deal on
wedding bubbles.....yours can be FREE!!

Bridal Favors from Hanson Ellis
Free Standard Shipping on orders $75 or more. Enter code: FREESHIP09


From My Wedding Favors:
Enter coupon code TAKE25 to receive $25 off orders over $200.

From BeauCoup Favors:
Free Shipping for orders over $125 (Code: FREESHIP)

There are always coupons for wedding
invitations here and their invitations
are awesome!
Wedding Paper Divas
Wedding Invitations & Bridal Shower Invitations

Here's a current coupon:
Stylish Save the Dates, Wedding Invites and More - Save $10 on orders of $99. Use coupon AFL10

Wedding Supplies- NOW 80% OFF. Save the date cards, announcments, invitations and more!

Check out the wedding freebies at Vista Print,
I love this stuff and its real quality. We use
them all the time. You can use the postcards
for shower invitations or response cards.
Everything is Free at VistaPrint!

Get Your Own Wedding Website:
Get 25% off a 1 year Wedding Tracker subscription with promo code AFF25. Start your free trial today!

Save on your wedding dress:
Designer Wedding Dress & Bridal Gowns at 80% off retail prices. In stock and ready to ship in you size.

600 free photos from your wedding

Free! Wedding Hairstyle help, this is so cool!
Sign-Up for FREE at TheHairStyler.com!

From Things Remembered:
15% Off Any Online Order! Use Code: FALLGIFT *Not Valid on Sale Items and Personalization.

Everyone Has A Wedding Budget!

Every wedding couple struggles with
their wedding budget. We spend hours
figuring it out and then weeks trying to
keep in budget. Its work, its stress,
its hard and its a point of contention.

You've all heard of people who've had a
huge bash and did it all on a budget that
even you can afford. Every bride is on the
internet telling you how to do it. Sometimes
it involves a huge amount of luck, knowing
the right people or being in the right
place at the right time to get the deal.
It ALWAYS involves a lot of hard work
and time.

There is a huge difference between
want and affording. Here's how we help
brides get figure out what is important
and what isn't.

Make a list of 5 things that you can't
compromise on at your wedding.
Mine would be:
Wedding Dress
Good food
Music and dancing etc.

Then make a list of 5 things that aren't
all that important at your wedding.
Mine would be:
Calligraphy seating cards
Favors
Champagne or chocolate fountain, etc.

Then make a list of 5 things you can do
to achieve you must haves and get more $$$.
Mine would be:
Forgo Starbucks and brew my own
Brown bag lunch
Pizza instead of an expensive dinner
Garage sale for extra cash

Then work your plan!

Doing it yourself (DIY) will help you save money
but it involves time. I'm going to start a series of
the very best deals I can find on the internet
to save you money, time and effort. If you don't
have the talent to DIY or the time to DIY, we'll
find you the deal to save you time and money!

Are Wedding Magazines Out Of Touch?

The last issue of Modern Bride just arrived in
my mailbox. Conde Nast just axed Elegant
Bride and Modern Bride. No official word why,
but thumbing through the pages gives some hints:
Who is their audience? Little girls with fantasies
of Prince Charming playing dress up?
Who can afford this crap and who has the money
to pay for this stuff? How many of us can afford to
go to Tahiti and Bora Bora on their honeymoon for
two weeks? And WHO has a bedroom that
looks like the suite of a hotel? Mine is just lucky to
have matching sheets on the bed. Geeze.

The dresses are fugly....totally fugly and not what
brides want. Who wants to look like a ruffled
wedding cake on the dance floor? And how many
brides can pull off a one shouldered gown? OMG..
lets accent the hips so everyone can see and make
comments that we were born to bear children.

Weddings are getting simpler and dresses are
getting rufflier and fancier. Out of touch with
brides? Yup. Have these magazine editors and
designers ever spent a day in the bridal salons to see
what real brides are buying? Give the people what they
want and they'll buy the magazines. Give them a dress
they want and they'll buy it.

Elegant Bride featured a see through dress with a
pinafore top. I threw up a little in my mouth.
No self respecting drag queen who would put on that
ruffled confection and no real life bride would want to
walk down the aisle looking like a naked Little Bo Peep.

These magazines show "real life weddings" that are
out of reach of the average couple's budget. Who can
relate? Sure, its fun to look at the pictures and get
ideas, but come on....these weddings are the exceptions
to the norm. We can't afford them. And if we could,
would we? Or would we buy a house? For all of
us who weren't born with a silver spoon in our
mouth, we can't comprehend their budget. We are
too busy trying to pay the rent, put gas in our cars
and food on the table. And we aren't buying fantasy
magazines....

Tips For Buying Your Wedding Shoes

Next to the search for the wedding dress, looking for your wedding shoes are one of the hardest things on your to do list. You might have to sacrifice comfort for style. You might have to choose comfort over style. You might have to choose price over comfort. Or you can go on the quest for comfort, style and price as most brides do. Expect to do a lot of shopping and expect a lot of frustration.

Wedding shoes are a once in a lifetime purchase. They are part of your wedding attire and will show when you take off your garter, so you want them to complete your look. Remember to budget in wedding shoes so you don't think of them as an additional afterthought expense.

Why are wedding shoes so hard to find?

Most retail stores don't stock them, they order them because its expensive to stock a lot of shoes that will go out of style or may discolor if they sit on their shelf for long periods of time. Most shoes will not discolor, but if they are cheap shoes with glued on satin, the glue may yellow and give the shoes a yellowish color.

Wedding shoes are special occasion shoes and the demand isn't the same as a flip flop or pair of cute boots.

Wedding shoe buying tips:

Shop early and keep your options open. Shop so that you have your shoes in time for alterations because your hem length on your dress is dependent on the size of your shoe heel. You may need to buy the shoes before you order your wedding dress if you are having your dress ordered with your hem length.

Some brides decide to wear a color to match the accent on their wedding dress. If you decide to do color, make sure you wear color accents in your jewelry to tie it all together.

Don't rule out leather shoes. There is no rule that your wedding shoes have to be fabric. Fabric shoes don't breathe like leather and don't stretch like leather.

Look for a shoe that supports your foot and ankle and that you can stand and dance in for long periods of time.

If you choose a heel, look for a shoe that has padding in the ball of the foot so your feet don't start to burn and hurt.

Strappy shoes can cut into your feet after standing a long time and cause blisters.

Feet will swell as the day goes on. Buy them large enough to accommodate dancing and happy feet. You can put in a comfort gel pad and take it out as your feet swell.

Buy shoes that you can wear all day. Taking off your shoes at the reception looks tacky and will make your dress too long. You risk falling or tripping if your dress is too long, not to mention having your feet stepped on with your dance partner.

There is a huge difference in quality in wedding shoes. Price doesn't always indicate quality. Sometimes you are paying for the designers name. Sometimes you are paying for silk shoes versus satin or polyester fabric. Some of the same shoes that are unaffordable in silk can be ordered in a less expensive fabric so you have the same look at a more affordable price.

If the shoe rubs your foot, pinches or feels like it won't bend, don't buy it.

If the shoe is too big at the heel of the shoe, see if adding a heel pad will make a difference or try a shoe size down. If you walk out of the shoe, don't buy it.

If the shoe is too narrow, don't buy it, you will be miserable. Some wedding shoes come in wide widths, some don't. If you wear a very narrow width, it may be unavailable except in the most expensive custom shoes. Consider buying a leather shoe if your foot is very narrow.

After you buy your shoes, make sure you break them in. Wear them around the house with a pair of socks to make them comfortable. If they have a leather sole, make sure you take them to a shoe shop to have a non skid pad put on the bottom so you don't fall. Bring along some self adhesive moleskin to the reception that can be applied to the part of the shoe that is rubbing so you don't get blisters.

Rose Trifero is an internationally known expert in the field of weddings and bridal fashions. She has been involved in the industry for over 30 years and has written and been quoted in national bridal magazines including Vows, the magazine for bridal professionals. She is also the force behind http://www.Beachbridetobe.com a source of information for destination weddings and http://www.Weddingloco.com, a free wedding planning source.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rose_Trifero

Looking for the perfect flat or small heel wedding shoe?

Its hard to find the perfect small heel or flat wedding shoe. A lot of brides don't want to limp around in 5 inch heels on their wedding day. Other brides want a small heel so they don't tower over their groom and others just want comfort. But along with comfort, they want style in their wedding shoes. We've searched for cute and comfortable low heeled shoes and flat wedding shoes with style. Some even come in wide widths! Check them out:

Camelia by Pink Paradox London have a 1 1/4" heel and are available in wide widths also. Check out the rhinestone buckle. This is style!


Andie by Coloriffics, one inch kitten heel, cute rhinestone accent done in satin. This is available also in wide width.


Coloriffics Lindsay, 1.5" kitten heel, available
in medium widths only.


Lilly by Pink Paradox London has a 1 1/4" heel with rhinestone accents on the vamp of the shoe.
Very affordable at under $40 US, is available in medium widths only.



Touch Ups Monaco, a sturdy 1 3/4" heel
and they are available in WIDE widths..
woo hoo!





How cute is this flat? Heaven by Pink Paradox London, medium widths only, has braided crystal rhinestones. This would make a great shoe for a beach wedding!



Adorable flat with rhinestone and crystal accents by Pink Paradox London.
This is called Bubbles and comes medium width only.



The ultimate flat, done in white or ivory duchesse silk by Benjamin Adams. The inside is kid leather, its a handcrafted shoe with genuine Swarovski crystals. Medium width only, this is a stunningly styled shoe!

Life Throws a Curve Ball, So Does Wedding Planning

Yes, I've been missing in action because life threw me a huge curve ball. Suddenly, I have custody of a teen aged relative. I don't know how it happened, it just happened. Guess it was part of a bigger plan for my life. "Kyle" needed a home, security and parents. Maybe dealing with brides and bridezillas prepared me for dealing with a teenager. Maybe I just had an extra bedroom. Whatever, I'm rolling with it.

Life is funny, when you think its all planned out, something happens and you have to adapt. The same with wedding planning. Just when you think its all coming together, something happens and derails the plan. You either roll with it and go to Plan B, or you make yourself a miserable mess. Learning how to roll with the punches makes life and wedding planning a lot easier.

So what if the tuxes are a shade off from the maids dresses? How important is that in the context of your marriage? I've seen grown women melt into mushy puddles over tiny details that really are not noticeable and I want to grab them by the shoulders and tell them to get a grip. Pick your battles, pick what stresses you out and roll with the rest. Its the only way to get through life and its the only way to get through wedding planning. Because, its not the wedding, its the marriage that matters!

Update! 2009 Wedding Trends are Rocking!

The trends in weddings are changing just like the times are changing for all of us.
We are seeing smaller weddings, nontraditional weddings and destination weddings as a response to the economy.

• Colors: From the Wedding Report, the brides in the next 18 months are choosing cool colors over warm colors for their weddings. Blue dominates over any other color, we are seeing a lot of brides leaning toward Tiffany blue . The next hot cool color is the purple family followed by greens.

• Cost: The average cost of a wedding has dipped 12% to $19,212. Demand is lower for limos, with many couples choosing to rent a luxury car for the day instead of a limousine. Demand is also down for videographers, with many people choosing to have a professional photographer take their wedding pictures and have their family or friends video the wedding.

• Eco Friendly: Many weddings are "going green" with eco friendly invitations, organic foods and eco friendly favors.

• DIY weddings: Many brides are doing it themselves. She is tackling jobs herself instead of paying to have it done in order to save money. It can range from printing her own wedding invitations, to making her own centerpieces and anything in between.

• Destination weddings: A lot of couples are foregoing traditional weddings and having destination weddings. The trend to destination weddings is because many couples have blended families, don't want the hassle or just want a quiet wedding in an exotic destination. Read more about destination weddings here.

• Fashion Trends: Ready to wear influences what is happening in weddings and the trends trickle down. Here's what is hot in ready to wear that you can expect to see in weddings soon.
  
• More tiaras, yes, tiaras for everyone in your wedding party.
  
• Scarves worn with the dresses. Scarves are everywhere, even in the summer.
  
• Textured footwear: Animal print shoes or animal embossed shoes for the bridesmaids instead of satin dyed to match shoes.