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Since being engaged (4 days
) I have been so excited to buy Bride magazines WELL WELL WELL what a complete waste of money and time! I am so incredibly beside myself disappointed. In the entire magazine the only 3 PAGES that were worthwhile were the pages re: honeymoon locations!!!!!
How do you girls feel about Bridal magazines? Do you gain inspiration from them OR do you gain more inspiration from somewhere else? If it’s the latter where do you gain your inspiration from (ie, The Knot, Wedding Channel, Weddingbee etc..?)
For me, magazines were a good starting point. But once I started to figure out what I wanted, I didn't buy them.
FH got me a subscription to Modern Bride, Brides, and Elegant Bride for valentine's day (a man after my own heart...lol) and it was $21. Now, elegant bride and modern bride are no longer in production, but I still think it's a pretty good deal for at least one magazine per month. Newsstand price? No way is it worth it.
they are pretty worthless. I hated all the ads in them. In fact I was so mad about the ads that in one of the issues I recieved I pulled out every single ad. If there was an article on one page and an ad on the back I would leave that in the magazine. When I was all done pulling out the ads the magazine only had about 20 pages left in it. And there wasn't any useful information on those pages. Weddingbee is so much better than any magazine, and it's free!
I enjoy reading the bridal magazines but to be honest they are a bit worthless. I love the articles that actually have to do with wedding planning and ideas and real weddings, but 3/4 of the magazine is usually ads that are the same in every magazine. I got more inspiration from Ceremony Magazine (only in SoCal printed once a year) because it showed real weddings and vendors in my area and other than that the other inspiration I got was online at theknot gallery and on Weddingbee!
I got engaged in August and immediately subscribed to the Brides/Modern Bride deal.. and I think it was definitely worth it! Even just for squeal opportunities with the girls, and to start thinking about planning. I don't really look at them any more but that might change :)
I think they are pretty worthless. I got an Elegant Bride magazine subscription for free, so I took it. They said they would replace it with Brides since they are shutting down, but I have yet to see an issue of Brides. I've purchased about 6 others and I just et frustrated that it's all dress ads and not much else. I did purchase a UK flowers mag that was great, but pricey.
Worthless. I've been engaged for 6 1/2 months now and I bought 1 about 3 weeks post-engagement. It had no useful information in it.
You can get anything a bridal magazine can tell you online, for free.
I looked through them because they were fun to look through- not because I got a lot of helpful information from them.
The only one I buy is Martha Stewart weddings. That's the only one I ever get any ideas from.
I found them to be good for visual inspiration at first (and also it was fun to buy them when I first got engaged) but I started just seeing the same stuff over and over again so I stopped buying new ones and stuck to the web.
@amariem25 - - - thank you so much for sharing that story. I found myself wanting to do that exact same thing last night ARGH
@legalbee - - - ooohhhhhh that’s a great idea!!!!
@naangel55 - - - I am in Seattle and we have a pretty local Bride magazine so that too is a good suggestion - buying a local magazine and learning about Vendors......
When I 1st got engaged I got a ton. And now I have too many. I just threw away a bunch. I stopped buying them one I got my dress. So IMHO, I say no, save your money and look online.
I'm a magazine addict, so I loooove them. But they're really pretty worthless once you know what you want. :-)
I liked looking at Brides magazine, it was the only one I liked. However, I didn't like the fact that 75% or more of the magazine is ads for dresses. They did have some good articles in there though!
when i first got engaged i found them useful. i find it easier to have things in my hand and to be able to tear it out than to have it on the computer for some reason, so for looking for dresses and flower inspiration it was nice. but now that i'm pretty much planned, i'm done with them.
I enjoyed them for the ads- most of the ads are for wedding and BM dresses and I used it to get an idea of what I was looking for in a gown and BM dresses!
Useful primarily for dresses and not much else.
Heehee, I think it's a little bit of both...Although there is almost no useful info in them they're still awfully fun to buy and look through! I've got TONS lying around my apt, I can't stop buying them!
I haven't found anything useful in them... I like the wedding blogs a lot better for info!
THIS blog is the best...but i like looking through the magazines because every now and then something really strikes me, and for my ny wedding, New York Magazine Weddings magazine has been actually pretty helpful, especially as a jumping off point
I got a bunch handed down to me from a friend who got married last year when we got engaged (actually a few months before we got engaged!) I've bought a couple since we got engaged myself, but now the only one worth buying for me, is Martha Stewart Weddings. It's the only one that I ever get any ideas from...and it's so pretty!
I think I was much more interested in the magazines when I first started planning, but now that I've got most of my ideas set, I don't find it as important to look at them.
I had a recently married friend who offered me this suggestion...go to a local library and glance through them to determine if you find them useful or not. I spent an hour or so one afternoon doing just that and decided that while I loved Martha's best...I was happier with blogs (and my pocket book was happier with that decision). :)
Worthless.
I've but a few for sake of no restraint but for the most part, use at a starting point then move on. Blogs are ahead of the trends and updated faster.
The only wedding "magazine" type thing I like and reference often is Real Simples "Real Weddings"
Here is a blog post I've dont on the subject: http://crosscountrywed.blogspot.com/2009/10/future-of-print-media-wedding-style.html
Magazines have gotten absolutely SLAMMED on the boards recently, which makes me kinda sad! I don't LOVE the ads in them, but I've found at least 1 cute thing in each one I've read/ torn up. Alot of the international ones are fantastic. There's an austrailan one called I think Real Weddings? and it's AMAZING sometimes. They're good for looking at a ton of dresses, too. Plus I always wanted to work for one when I was younger, so you know..
@GabGal - - - THANK YOU!!!! Now can you direct me to a helpful Wedding Planning Timeline Guide? 
There are some I love (Martha Steward Weddings and Inside Weddings), but some I think are worthless (Brides, Modern Brides, etc...). I say, find one or two you enjoy the most and then don't bother with the rest!
I'm cheap, so I'll take them out of the library to "read" (we all know its basically just looking at pictures)
Since I can't actually go into bridal stores here, I find them helpful for visuals. But other than Martha Stewart, I don't think most of them have particularly enlightening articles or information.
I bought a "the knot" magazine and it was fun to look at for some ideas but I find the internet to be the best source of inspiration.
KMSull, I'm totally with you on the international wedding magazines! Love flipping through those for ideas and pretty pictures.
I am with KMSULL on this one, I also like the fact that you can go over your magazines a few months later and find stuff you didn't see the first time. If you go to a bridal show I think you get a free subscription to a few magazines. I got free magazine subscriptions from "Brides" and a "Las Vegas Brides" magazines that has lists of vendors in town. You might look into seeing if Seattle had a bride magazine.
@KMsull and @Parfair I agree!!! :)
I find atleast one good thing or idea I like in each...and yes some I don't use as much/like as much but I have been able to pass those on to friends who might be inspired by them more then I was.
Too many ads? eh yes but I still love 'um!!!
i noticed in most magazines that they only show pretty dresses and rings....on every page. well, i already have both of those! so they're pretty useless to me.
Worthless...I like to check out blogs for inspiration. They're free, pretty much ad-less...and super gorgeous too :)
maybe its from all the design boards i had to do in college but I love tear sheets and collaging. I keep a clipping file that i tear from my regular magazines plus bridal magazines. I have gotten a lot of great inspiration pictures and are easier for me to bring with me when i meet with vendors since i don't have a good printer.
You can easily spend a small fortune on them. If you ask around or go on craigslist or free cycle there is usually always someone willing to give away bridal magazines.
Martha stewarts are by far the best as for as DIY and inspiration. I stay away from the city specific ones except when vendors have them free for the taking. I did subscribe to brides and i find that my single friends are fascinated by them and often sit around my living room reading them.
Chillybear, i buy bridal magazines to do the same thing - tear out inspiration pictures. The only wedding magazine i found useful for wedding advice/wedding information is Real Simple Wedding - but its really expensive!
I think getting started with wedding magazines will get you going with ideas on dresses, decor, etc. After the first couple magazines, it all kinda blurred for me - all the dresses were WAY out of my budget so it was a bit depressing. Plus every dress was on a size -2 model of course it's going to look gorgeous - would love to see larger sizes (8+) shown in these mags. And it all seemed the same month after month.
I recommend browsing at a book store and buying LOCAL wedding magazines if you are looking for vendors. Otherwise blogs and the internet are great resources but a lot more surfing!
Considering that bridal magazines are $5-10/each for 2" of dress ads and not much else, they are a waste of money. The info that is in them is not useful and is recycled from past issues. Many magazines draw you in with the promise of informative articles and they end up being $$$$ photo spreads without an ounce of pertinent information.
However, the magazines that are worth the money are local rather than national. They focus on local vendors and weddings which is valuable information that the national magazines (Brides, Elegant Bride, whatever is still in publication) don't offer. The titles will vary depending on the area.
Actually, you can find any information you need, both localized to your area and on a national level, online for free.
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