Sara’s sister got married in the Bahamas a few weeks ago. They had their honeymoon vacation before their wedding ceremony because of the waiting period there, and had set up a registry of stuff to do on their vacation rather than household goods. Honeymoon registries are a growing industry, and Sara’s sister chose a small company we won’t name. Sarah bought an activity for the couple and also paid a $10 handling fee. In return for that $10, the registry company sent a check to the sister’s home in Indiana rather than getting the money to her during her trip when she could actually use it. What was the $10 handling fee for, then, exactly? [More]
weddings
Wedding Venue Got A Liquor License, Changed BYOB Policy On Us
By 9.11.12
Redd and his fiancé started their wedding planning about a year ago. They wanted to have both the ceremony and the reception at the same venue, and found one that seemed ideal. Catering was available, but since the facility didn’t have a liquor license, they could bring in their own alcohol. They could save a lot of money that way, since Redd brews his own beer and other types of booze are cheaper to purchase yourself than to buy from a caterer. Months after they signed the contract and paid in full, they learned that the venue had obtained a liquor license. Facility staff insisted that they had the right to change the contract after it was signed, and the Redds would have to purchase their booze from the venue. [More]
Wedding Venue Refuses Refund For Canceled Ceremony, Even Though It Books Replacement Event
By 8.6.12
Cancelling wedding plans can be a huge financial nightmare, especially if you’re already locked into big-ticket, non-refundable purchases. But if one of your non-refundable buys — the venue, for example — is able to fill the spot your cancellation leaves vacant, could you make an argument that you deserve some of your cash back? [More]
Save Money On Your Wedding By Saying “I Do” On Friday The 13th
By 7.13.12 — Updated: 4.9.13
In case you couldn’t tell by all the safes falling from the sky onto people who just slipped on banana peels, today is Friday the 13th. And in spite of all the advances modern culture has made in dispelling superstitions, it looks like marrying couples would rather not start their lives (or at least the next few years) together by saying their vows on this date. This means that bargain-seeking brides and grooms may find some deep discounts… if they’re willing to risk it (insert scary theremin sound here). [More]
Am I Supposed To Tip At An Event With An Open Bar?
By 7.9.12
When most people go to a bar, they take care to tip the bartender and/or the wait staff. But for many people, that courtesy seems to go out the window when someone else is picking up the tab, as guests assume that the tip has also been taken care of (or just don’t think about it at all). But are they making the right assumption? [More]
Alaska Airlines Cancels All Your Wedding Guests’ Flights, Forgets To Tell You
By 6.22.12
Rochelle has a destination wedding planned this November in Mazatlan, Mexico, and she and most of her guests planned to travel on the same Alaska Airlines flights from Seattle. They reserved this travel far in advance. Too far in advance, apparently. Alaska Airlines has since cut their number of weekly flights to Mazatlan, forcing the couple and their guests to find different flights on different days. The schedule change prevents some guests from attending altogether. The problem: the airline didn’t actually tell the couple about this, instead letting them find out from another guest who booked her travel through Orbitz. [More]
I Would Prefer That My Name Be Spelled Correctly On My Wedding Album
By 6.12.12
Annemarie has been playing phone tag with the small, family-owned photography business that she hired to document her 2008 wedding. No, that’s not a typo. The couple was busy purchasing a house, having a baby, and doing new-married-couple things. They got back in touch with the company and finally received a beautiful album in spring 2011. With her name spelled incorrectly on the cover. By the time the photographer got around to contacting the company that produced the final album about options, they…had gone out of business. Annemarie is stuck, and doesn’t know what to do when almost four years have passed since the wedding, most of those spent playing phone tag with the photographer. [More]
United Screws Up Couple's Reservation, Says It Still Might Be Travelers' Fault
By 4.24.12
When a couple en route to their wedding in Las Vegas arrived at the airport yesterday, they found that United had no record of their ticket, in spite of having paid for a ticket and receiving a confirmation number from the airline. [More]
White House/Black Market Return Policy Sticks Me With A Pile Of Bridesmaid Dresses
By 3.8.12
Buying bridesmaids’ dresses from a place that isn’t a bridal store can save you money and expand your style options, but their return policies aren’t designed with weddings in mind. Lyndsay bought her attendants’ dresses from the chain White House/Black Market, but needed to return them when a pregnant matron of honor meant changing all of the dresses. While the chain advertises “no hassle” returns, there’s plenty of hassle if more than 60 days have passed since the purchase. Since that’s how return policies work. [More]
Hidden Costs Of Being A Bridesmaid
By 2.23.12
Maybe the phrase “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” is less a lament of singledom and more of a complaint about being forced by a succession of friends to make unreasonable financial sacrifices in the name of their big day. Women who are asked to be bridesmaids are forced through a gauntlet of brutal financial and time commitments, and should bear those costs in mind before accepting a request from a bride-to-be. [More]
Should Wedding-Related Businesses Be Allowed To Refuse Service To Same-Sex Couples?
By 1.26.12
Same-sex marriage has been legalized in the state of New Hampshire for two years, but a bill before the state legislature could allow businesses, like caterers, florists, and dress shops, to refuse their services to these couples. [More]
Bank Of America Won't Let New Bride Deposit Wedding Gift Checks Because She Didn't Change Her Last Name
By 1.3.12
While a large majority of women in the U.S. choose to take their husband’s last name when they get married, it’s certainly not some unheard-of practice that should wreak havoc at a national bank. But Bank of America employees in Albany decided they could not possibly recognize a new bride as her husband’s spouse since she hadn’t changed her name to match his. [More]
Wedding Caterers Served My Muslim In-Laws Not-So-Stealth Pork
By 12.9.11
Reader S. wrote in with a complaint about the food at the country club where she held her wedding. It would be easy to write her off as a hysterical Bridezilla, but the problem goes deeper than just “crappy food.” Both S. and her husband told the venue during the ten-month planning process that his husband’s family are Muslims who don’t eat pork. The caterers served up rice with pork sausage, potatoes with ham, salad with bacon, and ham sandwiches for the cocktail hour. When called on their error, their response was to take some of the offending dishes away and not replace them. Management has offered S. a $3,000 refund on her $17,000 tab for the event. Is that enough compensation for a mishap that makes S. look this bad to her new in-laws? [More]
Oklahoma Couple Enjoys Dream Wedding At Starbucks
By 12.7.11
In a scene that could be straight out of Best In Show, a couple whose romanced blossomed over cups of Starbucks’ pricey caffeine decided that the java joint was the perfect place to bind themselves together for eternity. [More]
5 Questions To Ask Yourself To See If You'll Need A Pre-Nup
By 11.28.11
Hammering out a prenuptial agreement with your betrothed certainly isn’t the most romantic of moments, but it may just be the decision that saves your financial sanity a few years from now when your life has become hell and it comes time to undo the sanctity of marriage. [More]
Would You Pay Someone $4/Card To Write And Send Your 'Thank You' Notes?
By 10.27.11
If you think that the opportunity to spend money on a wedding ends with the honeymoon, you’re mistaken. A new business wants to unburden newlyweds and others by writing and mailing all those pesky “thank you” notes, for a price. [More]
4 Debt Traps And How To Avoid Them
By 9.28.11
One of the best ways to keep out of debt is to be mindful of the many pitfalls that are waiting to swallow you up, and how best to avoid them. The problem is, some of these debt traps don’t look so deadly until you consider the consequences. [More]
Copy "Wedding Crashers" Prank, Get Charged With A Felony
By 9.20.11
In the movie Wedding Crashers, Owen Wilson’s character pours eye drops into an enemy’s drink to put him out of commission and is rewarded with audience laughter. In real life, a Wisconsin college student does the same to her roommate and is charged with a felony that stuck her with 90 days in prison and 30 months of probation. [More]
