Excerpts from Article "Wedding Savvy" Published April 2006

Brides-to-be know what they want and where to find bargains.
There are traditional brides and there are modern brides.
Then there are brides who are somewhere in the middle.

Essentially, no two brides are the same. But every bride wants her wedding to be perfect, just as she imagined.
What makes a dream wedding? It's all in the details -- the originality and special touches that make the day unique.
These days, coordinators are adapting to accommodate brides' needs such as offering partial packages.

For instance, Lara Casey (of Bliss Event Group) said she first has the bride and groom discuss their budget with her. Because hers is a full service event-planning company, Casey will then go over with the couple what she can provide at that budget. The bride and groom have the option of choosing just one or a few of the services instead of the whole package.

"We work our fee into their budget," she said.

"It's pretty standard now to have a wedding Web site," Casey said. "It's an easier way for people to get information about registries, accommodations, and so on. People put a lot of effort into them."

Casey said she believes this will be the turnaround year for the industry with a return to vibrant weddings.

"Last year, people were hesitant in going all out for their weddings because of the hurricanes," she said. "But now, people are really in that celebratory mood this year. ... Everyone wants something that no one else has done before. They want something that's modern and fresh."