Honeymoons

5.

kit brides

The Westin Hotel not only
agreed to give rooms for free to out-of-town guests, but they also
threw in the honeymoon suite as well.

Business Editors/Lifestyle Editors

LOS ANGELES----"Never tell the hotel
that you're on your honeymoon.
Shopzilla, which has more than 12,000 wedding products in one
location, can help couples navigate the overwhelming wedding product
choices on the market and save money too, " says Helen Malani, chief
shopping expert, Shopzilla. While 69% spent what they expected to
pay , amazingly, 17% of men and 21% of women said their wedding or
reception was under budget and 36% of them said that not having a
preference for branded items brought costs down.:

Shopzilla , formerly BizRate. Shopzilla, Inc.

keepsake bingo

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Margo
Donohue at 212-630-5815 or margo.

receptions bachelorette

" They set a date for August 30, 2003 and decided to try using
their publication, Booking Matters Magazine (a free monthly literary
magazine they own and run together) as a tool to entice potential
vendors."
The determined bride -to-be has sent out over 2,500 e-mails to
prospective vendors.

Top Expenses -- Expected and Unexpected

The top highest-expenditure items reported were:

1.
"The Web is a key weapon for couples to keep soaring wedding costs
from swallowing their budgets.

Preparation Pays Off Online

Women use the Internet more on wedding-related expenses with 29%
of them researching honeymoon plans on the Internet vs. Shopzilla also features powerful comparison
tools and BizRate consumer reviews of stores and products, the Web's
largest and most trusted consumer feedback network .

superstore favors

Though some may find the
practice dubious, Jones may stand for a growing trend of budget-minded brides
and grooms who see bartering for goods and services a valid form of modern
commerce.

* Things really took off when ABC's Primetime Live did a story on
sponsored weddings featuring the couple.
* Christina enjoyed the challenge of finding sponsors for her May 14,
2005 wedding and sent a press release to the local media in Atlanta
stating they were a couple planning the "largest sponsored wedding. For
more information go to http://www.com . Couples feel like they say the word
'wedding' and prices double. The Web helps even those odds , making
sure you get your money's worth," said Denise and Alan Fields,
consumer advocates and authors of "Bridal Bargains + The Bridal
Passport. With an index of over
30 million products from more than 50,000 stores, Shopzilla uses
ShopRank, a proprietary patent-pending algorithm, to help shoppers
instantly find virtually anything on sale from anyone, anywhere on the
Web at the best price.

receptions kit

* Eventually, he bartered more than $10,000 worth of deals-everything
from a local brewery to the tuxedos to a discount on a newly opened
reception hall that was eager for the publicity. Almost 30% of men and 23% of women indicated they would
have a smaller, more intimate gathering. The average is 5.

something bachelorette

After watching a TV news segment
about sponsored weddings, Todd decided to give it a try for himself. Men
most often reported that their rings cost less than expected (18%)..

-- More planning time means more time to budget. also operates the
BizRate consumer feedback network and powers shopping search for many
of the Web's largest consumer sites including AOL, Lycos, Time
Warner's RoadRunner, and many others.shopzilla.com

cake capsule

"

Spending Patterns: Over vs., was based on a point-of-sale survey with a sample of 677
married, divorced or widowed persons (257 male, 420 female) from May
5, 2005 to May 9.

newly decorations

The June/July 2005 issue of Modern Bride features a special report
on sponsored weddings and profiled three sets of couples who begged and
bartered in order to get discounted-or, in some cases, almost free-receptions.

Nuptial Fast Facts

Today's Bride Worries About:

-- Exceeding budget - 66%
-- Forgetting a crucial detail - 50%
-- Party not being fun - 40%
-- Guests not showing up - 25%

-- Hallmark

Most Searched for Wedding Items on Shopzilla:

-- Wedding dresses
-- Wedding shoes
-- Wedding rings

-- May 2005

Tips:

-- June is the most popular month to have a wedding. 50% reported taking
1-6 months to plan their weddings.

-- butlerweb .

array attendant

Facility rental

6. Photographs

7. Wedding flowers


Men and women have different perceptions about wedding costs.even if that just
means using sites to check prices on small items to make sure local
stores aren't gouging them. The most frequently mentioned
wedding-related item bought online is:

-- Honeymoon travel (17%)

-- Invitations and thank you notes (13% )

About The Study:

The study, conducted by BizRate Research, a division of Shopzilla
Inc .

keepsake capsule

* Todd + Debbie had hoped to spend about $5,000-$10,000 on their June 5,
2004 wedding when they realized that the catering bids alone for their
expected 150 guests were $10,000 .modernbride.

Tips from Couples Who Have Tied the Knot; Survey of Once Married Couples Reveals How They Would Do It All over Again but Differently

keepsake decorations

Wedding rings

2. Gown and shoes

4.

array brides

Shunda Blocker + Jamill Leigh, Atlanta, GA.donohue@fairchildpub.
Women most often reported that their dress and shoes cost less than
expected (28% of women reporting, but only 11% of men agreed ).

-- The traditional "rule of thumb" is that there should be one usher
for every 50 guests .

kit moments

* Shunda and Jamill wanted a "nice ceremony and reception for maybe 50
people.

Christina Vincelli + Jevon Gantner, Atlanta, GA.

* So far she has secured a total of 18 vendors but is still looking for
sponsors for the catering, her dress and a few other big-ticket items.

The Modern Bride June/July 2005 issue is available April 19, 2005..

Most researched items are as follows:

27% of women and 15% of men researched wedding invitations and
thank you notes

24% of women and 13% of men researched the facility rental

23% of women researched their wedding gown and shoes

21% of women researched wedding party gifts

In contrast to the relatively high proportion of consumers
researching wedding-related items online, a smaller percentage
actually make a purchase.com

About Shopzilla, Inc.

superstore shower

Jones used the clout of her television show, ABC's The View, to actively seek
sponsors for different aspects of her wedding.com), the most powerful comparison shopping search site
on the Web. A
third (33 %) of men and 42% of women reported that if they could do it
over again, they would approach their ceremony and reception
differently.
"Couples who are planning a wedding need not worry about looking
back and saying, 'could-a, should-a, would-a' like the 16% of men and
8% of the women we surveyed about life's expenditures who wished they
had spent less on the wedding to save for a home, car or education. 2005.04 months.

capsule bachelorette

shopzilla. Under Budget

On budgeting for the big day, 85% spent less than $10,000 for
their ceremony or reception.com, is the most powerful and
easiest-to-use shopping search site on the Web.

attendant bachelorette

This category contains retailers of shower and party supply products primarily related to weddings.

charms superstore

Interestingly, nearly the
same proportion (27% of men and 24% of women) reported they would hold
a larger reception.

assortment superstore

Catering/alcohol

3.
However, among the 13% of men and 11% of women who had spent more
than expected, 36% reported that having more attendees than originally
intended escalated costs.

assortment printable

Modern Bride Explores Sponsored Wedding Trend

-- Shopzilla

More Tips:

-- Order 10 - 25 additional invitations than what you think you'll
need in case you forget someone.

favors receptions

They eventually received over
$60,000 worth of sponsorships.

Why the Regrets?

New trends and the desire to have saved money are often the causes
for regrets. Try and plan your wedding
in other months to avoid the high demand . For more
information, visit www.

array favors

com. They just inflate the prices higher for
those guests," said one survey respondent in a study of 677 married or
once married respondents conducted by BizRate Research for Shopzilla
(www. Today, engaged couples search for wedding ceremonies in
different places like zoos and gardens, black-and-white
photo-journalism style pictures, couples showers, longer , more exotic
honeymoons and platinum rings, to name a few. Today's brides and grooms are
Internet -savvy and know how to get a good deal. Every week
Shopzilla prepares millions of shoppers to make smarter, more
confident purchases and send them directly to the checkout page of
thousands of online merchants.

keepsake brides

Todd Weiss + Debbie Lay, Kansas City, Mo. Founded in 1996, the Los
Angeles -based company is profitable and privately held.

array favors

According to Shopzilla, which has more than 30 million products
and 50,000 stores, everyone seems to have some wedding regrets.

superstore something

NEW YORK, In November 2004, Star Jones married Al
Reynolds after one of the most written-about engagements in recent memory . 22% of men. This is
followed by May, August and September. It's more expensive to reorder
additional invitations later.

capsules bachelorette

---

- - kjjkjk

Loading...

(Note: These pages use the Atlas Content Safeguard System (ACSS) and require that Javascript is enabled for viewing.)