Imagine tying the knot in one of New York City’s most famous and historic churches! We just heard that Riverside Church in Manhattan will be holding a raffle during its annual Wedding Open House, in which one lucky couple will win a FREE wedding ceremony beneath the Church’s soaring arches. Here’s the scoop:

WEDDING OPEN HOUSE
RIVERSIDE CHURCH
490 RIVERSIDE DRIVE, BETWEEN 120TH & 122ND STREETS
SATURDAY, MARCH 6, FROM NOON TO 2 P.M.

At the Open House, you will also have a chance to meet Angela Gregory, onsite wedding coordinator, and tour the Church’s chapels and reception spaces, sample wedding cake and join in a champagne toast.

(FYI, the Budget Guru lives in the neighborhood and has attended many events at Riverside Church—it is a truly special place!)

Posted by Susan at 10:40 a.m.

Visit cnd.com, essie.com, opi.com and nailtini.com for more information.

Posted by Maureen at 10:19 a.m.

Find out more about these dresses:
oscardelarenta.com
priscillaofboston.com
jennypackham.com

Posted by Naima at 10:58 a.m.

Recently, the Budget Guru was in contact with cake tailor Lauri DiTunno, of Cake Alchemy here in New York. (We featured Lauri’s supercreative confections in our 2010 Wedding Trends story.) True to form, the BG asked Lauri for a couple of quickie cost-cutting tips, and she whipped these right up:

Hello all! As you read this I am sitting in the Internet Cafe on board the Crown Princess, one of Princess Cruises' magnificent ships, just off Roatan, Honduras, a lush, green beautiful and peaceful island. Yes, part of my job is to explore fantastic opportunities for you, including where to marry and honeymoon.

This is day four of Princess Cruises' first ever "Romantic Summit" cruise, perfectly timed to coincide with Valentine's Day this past Sunday. So far it's been a whirlwind of activity. There is so much to see and do on this floating city, which has everything you could possibly want including fabulous restaurants, pubs, lounges, a casino, state-of-the art Lotus Spa, outdoor movies, indoor theater, entertainment galore, fun classes, pools (including an adults-only pool) health club and so much more!

Yesterday we were in Grand Cayman where I ventured out in a catamaran to swim with stingrays! (Thanks, Barry [BG's President and my boss] for recommending this...it was incredible.) Yes, I was definitely a bit nervous at first but these gorgeous creatures were gentle, graceful and friendly. Our guides helped put us at ease as they led the way into the sea and instructed us on what to do and where to pet the stingrays. Tomorrow we will be in Cozumel and I plan to continue my aquatic adventures and swim with dolphins...something I always dreamed of doing. Then we sail for a day and on Friday, we'll anchor in Princess Cays, Bahamas.