Become your own budget wedding planner with this classic book—fully revised and expanded...

Become your own budget wedding planner with this classic book—fully revised and expanded to include advice on personalizing your event and using online planning tools

Designing a wedding that is priceless and perfect for you has never been easier. No matter how many guests you hope to invite or what kind of setting you choose, you don’t have to take on big debts to achieve your big day. 

For more than a decade, Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000 has helped couples craft unique and meaningful celebrations while saving money on every aspect—even the high-ticket items. Completely revised, updated, and expanded with more than 25% new material, this edition reveals the secrets and resources for planning a wedding like a pro.  You’ll learn how to make every detail and every dollar count with:

·         All-new chapters on envisioning your ideal event as well as using online resources and apps to find the most creative options and the best deals 

·         A questionnaire to help you decide—as a couple—on your top priorities for the day

·         Strategies for making—and keeping to—a budget 

·         Dozens of unexpected ideas for booking a low-cost venue

·         Tactics for negotiating with caterers, florists, musicians, and photographers

·         Advice on which elements you can DIY to save thousands (without risking your sanity)

·         Menu plans, recipes, and many other low-cost alternatives for the food and drinks 

·         Tips for finding stylish attire at a fraction of the cost

·         Real-life couples’ wedding stories, including complete budget breakdowns

Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000 proves you can create a celebration that everyone remembers forever, and still end up with plenty of money for the happy future.

*My Thoughts*

When I deployed in 2010,my wife took a course and is now a certified Bridal Consultant. It thought this book might help her out not only when helping others plan their wedding, but alsot help her(us) plan our vow renewal ceremony for our 10 yr anniversary. 

After skimming through the book, I gave it to my wife. We both found book to be wonderful! It has real-life solutions for brides-to-be. The average wedding in the U.S. costs tens of thousands of dollars and that simply too much if you ask me(and even if you don't ask, haha). In the 5 years that my wife has helpd couples plan their wedding I have learned that the he bridal industry takes advantage of brides who want their day to be a "once in a lifetime" event. Kathleen Kennedy helps you do just that, but with budget conscious ideas. This book is not about cutting corners. It is about making priorities and planning a wedding that truly reflects who the bridal couple is; that, as Kennedy explains, does not have to break the bank.

*Disclaimer*
I received this book free from bloggingforbooks.org in exchange for my review. 

Book Review - Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen "Is there anything more satisfying than a well-made Asian dumpling?"

Plump pot stickers, spicy samosas, and tender bāo (stuffed buns) are enjoyed by the million every day in dim sum restaurants, streetside stands, and private homes worldwide. Wrapped, rolled, or filled; steamed, fried, or baked–Asian dumplings are also surprisingly easy to prepare, as Andrea Nguyen demonstrates in Asian Dumplings. 

Nguyen is a celebrated food writer and teacher with a unique ability to interpret authentic Asian cooking styles for a Western audience. Her crystal-clear recipes for more than 75 of Asia’s most popular savory and sweet parcels, pockets, packages, and pastries range from Lumpia (the addictive fried spring rolls from the Philippines) to Shanghai Soup Dumplings (delicate thin-skinned dumplings filled with hot broth and succulent pork) to Gulab Jamun (India’s rich, syrupy sweets). 

Organized according to type (wheat pastas, skins, buns, and pastries; translucent wheat and tapioca preparations; rice dumplings; legumes and tubers; sweet dumplings), Asian Dumplings encompasses Eastern, Southeastern, and Southern Asia, with recipes from China, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Tibet, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. 

Throughout, Nguyen shares the best techniques for shaping, filling, cooking, and serving each kind of dumpling. And she makes it easy to incorporate dumplings into a contemporary lifestyle by giving a thorough introduction to essential equipment and ingredients and offering make-ahead and storage guidance, time-saving shortcuts that still yield delectable results, and tips on planning a dumpling dinner party. 

More than 40 line drawings illustrate the finer points of shaping many kinds of dumplings, including gyōza/pot stickers, wontons, and samosas. Dozens of mouth-watering color photographs round outAsian Dumplings, making it the most definitive, inviting, inspiring book of its kind.

-My Thoughts-
I am a foodie, so I absolutely loved just about everything in this book. It brought back memories from when I spent 6 months in Korea. I cannot wait for my wife and children to try some of the items in this book. The photos are gorgeous and the recipies are easy to follow. If you are looking for a new cookbook, I highly recommend this book! 

*Disclaimer*
I received this book free from the pusblisher in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions on my are my own. 

Plump pot stickers, spicy samosas, and tender bāo (stuffed buns) are enjoyed by the million every day in dim sum restaurants, streetside stands, and private homes worldwide. Wrapped, rolled, or filled; steamed, fried, or baked–Asian dumplings are also surprisingly easy to prepare, as Andrea Nguyen demonstrates in Asian Dumplings.

Nguyen is a celebrated food writer and teacher with a unique ability to interpret authentic Asian cooking styles for a Western audience. Her crystal-clear recipes for more than 75 of Asia’s most popular savory and sweet parcels, pockets, packages, and pastries range from Lumpia (the addictive fried spring rolls from the Philippines) to Shanghai Soup Dumplings (delicate thin-skinned dumplings filled with hot broth and succulent pork) to Gulab Jamun (India’s rich, syrupy sweets).

Organized according to type (wheat pastas, skins, buns, and pastries; translucent wheat and tapioca preparations; rice dumplings; legumes and tubers; sweet dumplings), Asian Dumplings encompasses Eastern, Southeastern, and Southern Asia, with recipes from China, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Tibet, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Throughout, Nguyen shares the best techniques for shaping, filling, cooking, and serving each kind of dumpling. And she makes it easy to incorporate dumplings into a contemporary lifestyle by giving a thorough introduction to essential equipment and ingredients and offering make-ahead and storage guidance, time-saving shortcuts that still yield delectable results, and tips on planning a dumpling dinner party.

More than 40 line drawings illustrate the finer points of shaping many kinds of dumplings, including gyōza/pot stickers, wontons, and samosas. Dozens of mouth-watering color photographs round out Asian Dumplings, making it the most definitive, inviting, inspiring book of its kind.