Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000
 Kathleen Kennedy
 (Reviewed by The Editor - Rebecca Brown)
 2000 Three Rivers Press, NY USA
  ISBN: 060980460X


There are some things that money can't buy & a priceless wedding is one of them! A priceless wedding celebrates the spirit of the unique personalities of the couple getting married with love, hope, joy & community -- without spending a fortune.

Caterer & event planner Kathleen Kennedy offers insights on how to personalize a wedding inexpensively. She shares her savvy, insider techniques & tips to help couples save money on the many high-ticket items on their to-do list, showing where to cut corners & where to go all out.

In this handy-dandy, eminently readable book are included:

• A questionnaire to help the bride & groom decide on their priorities.
• Tips on how to find & book a great low-cost wedding site.
• Guidelines on how to determine a budget & stick to it!
• Negotiation tactics for dealing with caterers, florists, musicians & photographers.

Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000 covers every single aspect of your special day, including strategies for finding the perfect dress; great ideas for what to serve at the reception; sample wedding vows & readings; innovative decorations & invitations. There are also ways to incorporate children into the ceremony for second marriages & throughout there are inspiring stories of real-life priceless weddings, with their complete budget breakdowns, showing how resourceful couples around the country created their own unique celebrations.

Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000 is the ultimate guide for couples who want their special day to live on in memory & not through bills! It is a useful checklist of what you'll need to think about & would definitely make a superb gift to anyone you know contemplating matrimony! I've given it to my son & his fiancee as they plan their summer nuptials & they're thrilled especially as their plans are indeed unique!

Here's a tasty excerpt:
“I planned a day of celebration, relaxation, great food & good friends that was affordable, enjoyable & memorable. Many of our guests remarked that our wedding was one of the best weddings they ever attended. It cost less than $3,500.

How did we do it? Easy! Our wedding represented who we are individually & who we are as a couple. Location, food & self-written vows were our top priorities. We asked for & received help from friends & family so that they felt really involved in our ceremony & reception. We kept the guest list under control. We invited eighty guests, fifty-five attended & we sent out announcements to another fifty friends & relatives. Our wedding was intimate & personal - several of our guests said that they felt they knew us better when they left our wedding than they did before.”

Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000 should be tossed over the bride's shoulder to the waiting mob, along with her bouquet!

This is Kathleen Kennedy's first book & I hope she's got another under the way! She is a caterer, chef & stylist with more than 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Kathleen worked as a chef/instructor at the California Culinary Academy and was the executive chef at a San Francisco-based catering company. Kathleen has planned & catered weddings ranging in size from 10 to 600 guests. She is also married!

Do check out my Interview with this author - I think you'll like it!


(04/15/01)

Rebecca