By Guest Blogger Brian Leahy, Founder of The Groom Says

I’m no Kellie Pickler hater. No, I’m not a fan of her music … but I also have nothing against the American Idol contestant turned musician or her new songwriter hubby Kyle Jacobs. I’m genuinely happy for the newlyweds.

But I learned last week that Pickler (actually, her husband) is selling their 3-minute wedding “music video” on Jacobs’ underpopulated iTunes page for the price of $1.99 … the cost of the Roman Catholic Confession app … the cost of a single issue of Jet magazine. And I can’t quite figure out the logic. The couple didn’t want to post it on Pickler’s website as a gift to her fans? Or if exposure is what she’s looking for, she could have pulled a Katy Perry and projected it onto the giant cloth behind her at an awards show that’s seen by millions of people. Instead, it appears the couple is recouping their wedding costs, $1.99 at a time.

Give me your money!

We could have bought the video to see if it was a worthwhile purchase, to give it an honest critique, to see what the 33 five-star reviewers are raving about. Instead, we chose to preview the video for free and then compile this list of 25 things we would rather do with $2 than download their wedding footage.

Here goes:

1.  Rent bowling shoes
2.  Feed a stranger’s parking meter
3.  Raid a garage sale for puzzles and used undies
4.  Tip a bathroom attendant
5.  Overpay an electric bill
6.  Order a Dutch Apple Pie and a side of onion rings off the BK Value Menu
7.  Go through the same toll twice
8.  Misplace it in the couch
9.  Get buzzed on three cans of Simpler Times
10.  Land on Mediterranean Avenue (undeveloped, of course)
11.  Make 200 wishes
12.  Add double the avocado to a foot-long Subway sandwich
13.  Donate it to public radio
14.  Return a library book eight days too late
15.  Blow it on nickel slots
16.  Copy a house key
17.  Get a bottle of Starbucks’ Ethos water
18.  Pump half a gallon of premium gasoline
19.  Send it in with 2 proofs of purchase for a pre-ripped Hulk Hogan t-shirt
20.  Dry clean our tube socks
21.  Play 8 rounds of Street Fighter
22.  Send a 2-oz letter containing a rigid object to Fiji
23.  Upgrade to a Stuffed Crust pizza
24.  Convert it to even fewer Euro
25.  Download Bieber’s wedding video

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Brian Leahy is founder of The Groom Says — a safe haven for grooms who need a hand with wedding planning and brides who need a hand with their grooms. Check out the blog for some laughs and inspiration, and be sure to follow The Groom Says on Twitter.

Let’s get this list to 50! What would you rather do with your $2? Tell us in the comments section below.

Beatles fan? Meet the Magical Mystery Tour cover band.

By Drew Stoga, GigMasters.com

Having trouble finding the right type of band for your wedding? Looking for something a little bit different? Something your guests will talk about for years to come?

Have no fear, GigMasters is here with five types of unique wedding band that will have your guests saying “best wedding band ever.”

1. Reggae
Grandma might not be down with the island sounds of reggae, but just about everybody else is. Reggae has the added bonus of being extremely easy to dance to – all you have to do is sway around a little bit, which will be about all some of your guests can handle.

2. Cover Band
Most wedding bands do covers, but do they dress like the bands they cover? Probably not. Indulge your superfandom by hiring a Beatles, Blues Brothers or Grateful Dead cover band to rock out at your wedding.

If you're into zydeco, check out the Mark St. Mary Louisiana Blues & Zydeco Band (based in California, but willing to travel).

3. Zydeco
It may not be the first think that comes to mind when you think “wedding” but zydeco is upbeat, danceable and fun. It is exotic enough to impress your friends and family but familiar enough that everyone will have a blast.  Bonus points if you plan a Mardi Gras-themed wedding!

4. Bluegrass
One of the best weddings I have ever attended took place in a barn in Northern Maine. What made it so great? The bluegrass band that cooked for hours on end. I think every single guest spent the night on the dance floor plus I had a great excuse to drink moonshine.

5. Dixieland Jazz
If you are one of those ‘tuck your shirt in grooms,’ then why not class things up even further with a Dixieland Jazz band? Not only will the old folks be happy to cut a rug but your best man will have a chance to show off just how far he has come along since his punk rock days.

Happy Planning!

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GigMasters is the #1 online entertainment booking service that guides party planners and hosts to the right entertainment for every type of event. GigMasters believes that great entertainment IS the life of the party and they strive every day to perfect the experience of booking entertainment.

Are you hiring a band for your wedding reception entertainment? If so, did you find one that fits your personality and will leave a unique mark on the wedding? Explain in the comments below.

Some dream of writing the Great American Novel. We’ll just settle for the Great American Groom Guide..

That’s right, we’re pumped to announce that we’ve finalized a deal with Penguin Publishing to author a book on being “the man” at your wedding! The book will focus on the aspects of wedding planning that grooms actually care about. In other words, this definitely won’t be your mother’s wedding planning guide. Hell, we’ve already got some possible titles in mind:

Run!

Grooms: It’s All Uphill From Here

Ball and Chain: A Layman’s Guide to the Rest of Your Life

Alright, in all seriousness, we do want to make this a valuable guide for grooms. Between now and the release date in December, we’re going to be posting updates on the progress of the book. We’ll even be asking for input from our blog readers and social media followers. We’ll start today. Guys, what do you want to read about in a wedding book? Please, be as bold as you’d like. We can tell you how to tip a stripper… all you’ve gotta do is ask.

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today’s groom-approved link roundup has a chance to be one of our best ever. we kick things off with a giveaway from the groom says and  follow that up with a few hooters-inspired links + the usual array of groom tips, laughs and inspiration. enjoy!

(photo - Terry Thurston, Morning Light Photography) MorningLightStudio.com

The Art of Grooming + GROOM GIVEAWAY – the groom says

[An Alternate Take] Why Men Don’t Need to Marry – ask men

Father-of-the-Groom Wedding Day Duties – marriage.com

Tips on Hiring a Wedding Accountant – broke ass bride

How to Speed Plan Your Wedding – the plunge

Hooters Wedding! – wedinator

Already Married? Enjoy a Discount at Hooters – jezebel

How Celebs Do Bachelor Parties: 8 Infamous Shindigs – divine caroline

How to Plan a Blissful Financial Future – hitched

How to Groom for a Proposal – staggered usa

today, we welcome the wedding babe back to tackle another reader question. This week, she gives her thoughts on whether or not the bride and groom should see each other before the wedding.

(photo- joshua gene wedding photography)

Q – My fiancée doesn’t want me to see her before the wedding. She says it’s bad luck. What do you think?

Even if you’re not superstitious, you’ve probably heard that it’s considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before she walks down the aisle. Superstitions aside, keeping the bride’s dress a surprise until the big day can add some mystery and drama to an otherwise carefully planned and scripted day.

Most likely you and your bride-to-be have worked together to plan your wedding and you’re both aware of the majority of the details, so it’s nice to keep what the bride (and maybe even the groom) will be wearing a mystery until the day of the wedding. Depending on your wedding day schedule, keeping the bride and groom separate until the ceremony begins and the bride walks down the aisle could be the perfect setting for the big reveal. But if you’re planning to take some photos together before the ceremony, work with your photographer or videographer to schedule a private moment beforehand where the two of you can see each other dressed for the first time before the festivities begin.

How can you pull it off? Once the bride and groom are dressed and ready, have the men clear out of their dressing room, except for the groom, and the bride can then come in alone and show her fiancé what she’ll be wearing for the day. Even if the bride has seen the groom’s tux or suit, this may be the first time she’s seen him dressed in it. Because this will likely be a very emotional moment between the two of you, make sure it’s just the two of you (in addition to your photographer or videographer, so they can capture the moment). This will be a part of the day you’ll always remember, so it pays to make it special.

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Each week,  The Wedding Babe answers a popular reader question. If you’d like to submit one for consideration, click here.

Are you and your fiancée planning on seeing each other before the wedding? Do you believe that it’s unlucky to do so? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.