The Broke-Ass Bride's Wedding Guide empowers couples with the simple philosophy that it's not about how much you spend but how you spend it. As author Dana LaRue says, "You're only planning a party, so have fun with it." You don't need to give up your savings, the possibility of a downpayment on a house, or your sanity to plan a celebration that is meaningful and inspired. Here, Dana shares her advice on what to consider before hiring vendors.

Be careful not to let your desire for camaraderie overshadow your confidence in showing potential vendors that you know your stuff. There may be no guarantee they’ll respect your knowledge, but at least they’ll know better than to try pulling the wool over your eyes. Great expectations yield great results, so be confident and it will inspire them to have confidence in you.

Clearly, to show them that you know your stuff, you’ve got to know your stuff. The best way to get comfortable speaking on their level is to understand their product or service, inside and out.

Your goal is to get a great sense of their personality and style, which should be your first qualifiers in terms of finding a good fit. Once you’ve narrowed it down to a top three candidates for each service, query each for a price quote, indicating your preferred dates and needs, and be sure to let them know if you’re flexible on those details in exchange for lower fees. Keep an eye on how long it takes each to respond, how thorough their response is, and how receptive they might seem to working within your budget.

Before you contact anyone, go in armed with the following questions answered.

It's not every day that a wedding ceremony receives a standing ovation! 

Father Ray Kelly stunned newlyweds Chris and Leah O'Kane when he broke out into song during their nuptials in Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland. His sensational, tear-jerking rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" has taken the Internet by storm — as of press time, it's been watched over 2.8 million times since being uploaded on April 7th:

The tune in question is one of the most covered songs of all time — everyone from Bono to Susan Boyle has put their personal stamp on it — but Kelly customized the lyrics to fit the sacred occasion. Check out more popular wedding songs here ►

Father Kelly tells BBC News that locals know about his musical talents, but this unsuspecting bride and groom were from different parishes. "We had the rehearsal on Thursday evening and at the end I said, 'sure maybe I'll sing an aul song for you myself' — Leah grinned and said 'OK sure' but I don't think she was taking it too seriously," he says.

The moonlighting rock star is currently working on his third album, the proceeds of which will go towards charity. So would he give up priesthood to perform full-time? "I enjoy singing but I love what I'm doing as a priest. The way I look at it is, it's a gift one has, and if you have a gift you use it." 

Our fashion team is reporting live from the bridal runway shows in New York City! You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates. Here, get a quick look at the new wedding gowns by David's Bridal.

The embroidery on this gown is just stunning:

How beautiful are these gowns?

We love the clean lines on this dress:

Our favorite mini fashionista (our fashion editor's daughter) chose this gown as her top pick: 

A sweet and sexy dress:

One of the first major wedding tasks that I tackled with my fiancé, Jesse, was the guest list. As a wedding planner, I knew how important it was to start with this step! The guest list has the single largest impact on the wedding budget, from the size of your venue to the meal you serve to how many table centerpieces you'll need.

Here are some helpful questions we asked ourselves throughout this process to help make it as easy as possible:

1. What is your ideal guest count range?
Jesse and I decided that we would like to have around 100 to 150 guests. We want our big day to have an intimate vibe, but we also realized that since we have larger extended families, those relatives would take up the majority of the seats if we tried to stay under 100, so we bumped it up to 150!

2. Where do you want to draw the line with extended family?
After compiling a list of all our relatives we plan on inviting, we ran it by our parents and grandparents to make sure there wasn't someone we were missing who should be included. We also wanted to get their feedback on whether we cut off our invites at an acceptable place since our relatives may go to them first with questions.

For my dad's family with eight living siblings, it was my aunts and uncles, with the exception of a few cousins that I see on a regular basis for holidays. If we would have gone much further than that, then our list would have had 75 people from his side alone! My mom's side was easy — she only has four sisters and I have grown up with all of my cousins so we kept it to aunts and cousins. 

Loverly is the heart of weddings: a visual inspiration search engine designed to help brides discover ideas, people to hire, and things to buy. Loverly makes finding beautiful wedding inspiration easier than ever! Their images are powered by the best wedding publishers and wedding shopping partners on the web. Find Bridal Guide on Loverly >>

Bold prints — including chevrons, florals, and world patterns — are one of the hottest fashion trends of 2014. The look has definitely migrated to the wedding world, and we especially love the increased presence of floral patterns at this year’s fêtes. Take your print game to the next level with these floral-inspired wedding ideas.

1. Set the tone for your floral-themed affair with the perfect invitation.