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Current DateTime: 10:52:28 29 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 31388230
Expiration DateTime: 11/29/2009 10:54:10 AM
    • Shopper & Investor Deals  25 Nov 2009

        A look at what's likely to happen at the registers once the doors open on Friday, with Richard Hastings, Global Hunters Securities; Richard Jaffe, Stifel Nicolaus & Co. and CNBC's Jane Wells.

    • Black Friday: Bargain or Bust?  25 Nov 2009

        Whether the deals are better than what shoppers will usually see or if it is just another marketing tactic, with Hitha Prabhakar, Style File Group; Brad Wilson, BlackFriday2009.com and CNBC's Jane Wells.

    • Holiday Central  25 Nov 2009

        A discussion of the many ways retailers are preparing for Black Friday, live from K-Mart in Burbank, CA, with CNBC's Jane Wells.

    • Retailers Getting Ready for Black Friday  25 Nov 2009

        Retailers are getting ready for Black Friday, and CNBC's Jane Wells has the play by play. Stacy Janiak, of Deloitte, shares her insight.

    • Amazon vs. Wal-Mart  24 Nov 2009

        What began as a price war between Wal-Mart and Amazon over a handful of books has nos spread to a wide assortment of consumer goods. Lee Eisenberg, a noted retail expert and consumer behaviorist, and CNBC's Jane Wells discuss.

    • Prices to Be Thankful For  24 Nov 2009

        A decrease in food prices is something to be thankful for this holiday, reports CNBC's Jane Wells.

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Current DateTime: 10:52:29 29 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 31388237
Expiration DateTime: 11/29/2009 10:54:17 AM
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In a Recession, Get Married at the Heartbreak Hotel
Published: Wednesday, 9 Sep 2009 | 11:59 AM ET
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By: Jane Wells
Correspondent

Today they're expecting big wedding business in Las Vegas, as 9-9-09 is considered a lucky day to tie the knot. Vegas has always been a cheap and quick way to get married. No expensive wedding, no stressing about a guest list.

Source: 99 Cent Only Store

Nothing, however, may be as economical as a the 99 cent weddings being offered to nine couples this morning at the 99 Cents Only store in Hollywood. [NDN  Loading...      ()   ].

"One of the brides will get married in a gown made only from items sold at 99 Only Stores," the press release announced.

So... the dress will be made from hand towels imported from Bangladesh?

Paper doilies?

A plastic tablecloth?

I've shopped at 99 Cents Only, an experience that conjures up memories of small cans of Vienna sausages. The newly-married couples will also get a free limo ride and "a trip to a romantic Los Angeles location". If you can find a romantic location in LA that's not currently blackened by fire, please let me know.

But the couples saving boatloads of money getting married in the aisles of a discount chain are not alone in their bargain-hunting. Market research published by The Wedding Report says the average wedding costs about $22,000, and that number is down 24 percent from 2007. 

Increasingly, couples are looking to cut wedding costs, sometimes in unusual ways.

For one thing, Elvis is in the house. Gig Masters, www.gigmasters.com a company which books gigs for weddings, says bookings of Elvis impersonators and other unusual acts for wedding receptions are up 17 percent this year. They're cheaper than a ten-piece band. Also, tribute acts for groups like The Beatles are up a whopping 45 percent. Gig Masters says tribute bands can cost $500 less than a traditional wedding band.

On CNBC.com now:

And then there's Vanessa Caldwell and Cole Parker. They're asking friends to pay for the whole wedding. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the two educators/entrepreneurs have set up a website called Dollar for a Wedding, asking their 75 invited guests to donate money to cover wedding costs in lieu of gifts (they've both been married before). "We don't need pots and pans," the bride-to-be tells the newspaper. So far they've raised $700, with a goal of $2,000. Two grand? That's all they need? Turns out the couple has been busy bartering away many other costs--free flowers in exchange for designing a logo for the floral business, a free wedding dress in exchange for business advice.

People this resourceful should be running GM. Put them in charge of reforming healthcare.

However, not everyone's a fan of the Caldwell-Parker plan. "Weddings are not fund-raisers," Jodi Smith of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting tells the newspaper. The general feeling among etiquette specialists is that giving money is fine. Asking for it is not. A Brides.com survey shows 80 percent of respondents think it's tacky to ask for cash gifts, but more couples are doing just that, aided by websites like Rainfall of Envelopes. Brides and grooms are also setting up "money trees", "wishing wells", or resurrecting the old "dollar dance" which used to be popular in immigrant communities.

In some cases, they'll even take PayPal. Now THAT is romantic.

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