I was very diappointed.I found very little money saving tips in this book.I wanted to find ways to have everything I want and still save money. This book mostly tells you to cut things out or ask guests to do stuff for you. I would not recommend it at all.

I bought and read this book when my youngest daughter began planning her wedding. She had 3 years to plan so we had a lot of time to consider the suggestions in the book. She planned her wedding with the guidelines suggested in the book. I dont think it would have been as helpful if we had less time to plan. This book is not going to give you a detailed list of how to spend only 5000. It gives you ideas on how to cut cost in areas that are inconsequential. It still takes time to locate reasonable vendors, and you HAVE to either cut down on your guest list or offer a less formal reception. I would recommend this book to anyone that needs to keep costs down.

I bought this book when I was planning my wedding by myself, six years ago. It was very helpful to me to have on hand. I found many money saving tips that I put into use. My wedding was a $5000 wedding, exactly, thanks to this book!

I regret ordering this book. I've rated it two stars instead of one, because overall, the book is a decent and helpful wedding planner. The problem is it fails to adequately address the subject for which it's named: elegant weddings on a budget.

Another reviewer commented that it should have been titled "How to Have an Elegant Wedding." (Not for $5,000 or less). I wish I'd heeded that advice!

I purchased this book to obtain suggestions and advice regarding how I can cut costs while still planning an elegant wedding. The first chapter does address the issue of money, but it simply states: "Set a budget, and stick to it." ??? Almost every wedding planning book does that!

There isn't much elaboration on the low costs, or ways to achieve low costs, other than some random statements from vendors and newlyweds, such as "Don't spend money on wedding favors. We decided not to have them, and don't regret it."

There were also a few tidbits of advice that are so obvious they border on insulting: "Flowers will be more expensive around Valentine's Day & Mother's Day." And, did you know that you can save money on attire by renting a gown or wearing your mother's? :-x

I do like the way the book was written - the author is part of a mother/daughter wedding coordination team. She describes many real life examples of weddings she's been involved in, but rarely as it relates to money!

I'm clearly disappointed because I expected this book to offer some kind of guidance, or maybe even some trade secrets, about how to find or negotiate bargains with wedding vendors. All I got was one chapter about how to slash categories from my wedding (e.g., videography, flowers, alcohol, etc.), followed by a wedding planner that failed to give specific money-saving advice.

Save your money: This is a well-written wedding planner, but offers very little specific advice or tips for the bride on a budget.

Having never been involved with any wedding planning, this book has been a life saver!! I have read and re-read the book many times as well as, shared it with my mother and my fiancý. The checklists of questions for venue, florist, baker, etc. are invaluable. It has been the best wedding purchase to far and I highly recommend it to anyone!