Erik was getting married. As if that alone isn’t enough of a reason to feel bad for him, Men’s Wearhouse went and twisted the knife by quoting him dress shoes for the men in his wedding party at one rate, then nearly doubling the price when he went in to buy them. [More]
weddings
Couple Marries Inside Walmart
By 9.2.10
Frugal matrimony? Shelf-stocker falls for assistant manager? They met as their hands simultaneously clasped over the last of the same everyday-low-priced item? Possibilities, endless. I wonder if their marriage license got checked at the door. [More]
20 Ways To Avoid The Wedding Industrial Complex
By 7.21.10
Tis the season for weddings, and if you’re reading Consumerist you’re probably not the type to shell out the “average of $19,581” that people claim we spend on weddings. [More]
Wedsafe.Com Insures You Against Wedding Disasters
By 7.14.10
Putting on a wedding is a lot like putting on a show. A very expensive stressful show that’s for one night only. [More]
Do Not Rely On Target To Keep Track Of Your Wedding Gift Thank You Note To-Do List
By 7.13.10
Lauren writes in with a cautionary tale about relying on your gift registry to help you keep tabs of all the people you need to send thank-you notes for wedding gifts. She was married about a year ago and had finally gotten around to sending out her belated thank-yous when she discovered the registry info was wiped clean from Target’s system. [More]
Want To Get Married At Home Depot? How About TJ Maxx?
By 7.8.10
A few months back, we wrote about a couple in Illinois who tried to combine cheap with hilarious by getting married at a Taco Bell. For better or for worse, it looks like that happy couple is not alone, with an increasing number of people walking down the aisles of retail stores and restaurants. [More]
Gulf Oil Spill Putting Slimy Wet Blanket On Beach Weddings
By 6.23.10
The ever-expanding pool of oil once known as the Gulf of Mexico isn’t just crushing the local fishing industry; it’s also caused many couples who had planned waterfront weddings on the beaches of the Florida Panhandle to move their nuptials further inland. [More]
Illinois Couple Married At Taco Bell
By 5.10.10
Some people love Taco Bell, and then there’s some people that love Taco Bell so much they’ll say their wedding vows inside one. Just ask the pair of Newlyweds from Normal, IL, who recently walked down the fast food aisle together. [More]
Boston Bridal Show Was Massive Scam That Duped Over 6,000 Victims
By 3.3.10
This weekend was supposed to be the Boston 411 Spring Home & Bridal Show, but it was cancelled at the last minute. Now police are saying that the entire thing was an elaborate scam that pulled in money from attendees and vendors, raking in more than $150,000 over the past five months. The scammers used a website, Facebook page and Twitter account to promote the event, used PayPal to accept payments, sold fake hotel room reservations and issued fake conference passes. Boston police and the FBI are investigating, but so far nobody has been taken into custody. [More]
Family Heirloom Wedding Bands Enter Kay Jeweler, Are Never Seen Again
By 2.9.10
Mistakes happen, and apparently there was a hole in the UPS box and all the rings fell out. No really, that’s what this customer’s wife was told when she asked for an explanation of where their rings were. Now the customer says Kay Jewelers won’t give him any other information, or even show him photos of the rings after they were sent to the warehouse. They’ll replace them with jewelry up to $500, but nothing higher, and if he wants to find out anything else he’ll have to lawyer up. Here’s his story. [More]
San Francisco Weddings Are Expensive, Milwaukee Ones Are Cheap
By 1.12.10
Weddings in San Francisco run an average of $45,284, while ceremonies in Milwaukee cost only $14,687, according to a terrifying infographic on BridePop. [More]
Company Introduces Bridal-Style Registry For Paying Off Bills
By 1.8.10
BillPayRegistry is a new website where customers can create a list of bills they need paid off, and then have friends and family members make “gift” payments via the website to be applied to said bills. The site takes 5.9% off the gift amount and sets aside the rest in a fund that the registrant can only apply to the accounts listed–there’s no way to cash out the funds, in other words. [More]
Where Should A Good Consumer Register For Wedding Gifts?
By 1.3.10
We post plenty of wedding registry horror stories here at Consumerist. Knowing this, reader Elizabeth would like to know: where are the best places to register? [More]
Letter To Target CEO Gets Newlyweds Registry Discount, Gift Card, Apology
By 10.31.09
After the wedding has passed and gifts are all opened, married couples who has registered at Target receives a coupon for 10% off any items on their registry that they didn’t receive. It’s a nice promotion that gives happy couples a break on that eighth place setting, and maybe the Kitchenaid mixer no one wanted to drag into the reception.
Please Come To, And Help Us Pay For, Our Wedding
By 9.6.09
Weddings can be very expensive, costing on average, $20,000-$30,000. And most couples marrying today are already functioning adults who don’t necessarily need the household goods that have traditionally been wedding gifts. So why not cut the act, ask for cash, and have your guests help you pay for the wedding directly?
Missouri Bridal Shop Of Doom Might Actually Hate Brides, Bridesmaids
By 8.18.09
A funny story from KSDK in St. Louis looks at the bridal store “I Do I Do”—now under new management—and some of the more colorful complaints received by the Better Business Bureau over the past few years. (The store has an F rating with the BBB.) It’s quite likely, based on these complaints, that “I Do I Do” was employing a chimpanzee to make alterations.
1.3 Mile Long Wedding Dress Shows China Is Ready For Gross Consumerism, Too!
By 8.8.09
A Chinese bride recently walked down the aisle wearing a 7,083-foot-long wedding dress that took 200 guests over three hours to unfurl. The $5,800 dress could be a sign of China’s potential to threaten America’s reigning status as the capital of gross consumerism, if only the bridegroom hadn’t personally designed the dress with his family’s help. Explaining the lavish garment, he said: “I do not want a cliche wedding parade or banquet.”
Please, Amazon, Stop Sending Me Bridal Magazines
By 8.6.09
Valerie got married about a year and a half ago. While planning the wedding, she had a registry on Amazon.com, but no longer had a use for it after the wedding. About a month ago, suddenly, mysteriously, she started receiving Brides Magazine. She received three issues in a span of three weeks. Not planning another wedding anytime soon, she has no need for a subscription, and called to cancel. What followed was a voyage into the mysterious intersection of magazines and third-party subscription vendors, since nobody can tell Valerie where the subscription really originated.
