University of Delaware Office of Public Relations The Messenger Vol. 5, No. 1/1995 Helping the cost-conscious bride-to-be When Sharon Blahitka Naylor was a freshman at Delaware, she wrote seven letters to American servicemen stationed overseas. She'd never had much contact with people in the military, but the program-sponsored by Dear Abby to spread cheer to American men and women away from their families at the holidays-seemed like a good one. It turned out to be especially good for Naylor. Less than four years after mailing the letters-and just two months after graduating from Delaware in 1991-she married Ron Naylor, who had been stationed in South Korea when he picked hers from a massive pile of letters. Perhaps it didn't come as any great surprise to friends and family that Naylor would have written such letters. Since the third grade, she's had her sights set on a writing career. Today, Naylor is a free-lance writer who pens for national women's and teens' magazines. She's also written a book, 1001 Ways to Save Money...and Still Have a Dazzling Wedding, that is sold in bookstores around the country. Published by Contemporary Books in Chicago, 1001 Ways is a step-by-step guide for brides-to-be. Naylor spent four months during her senior year at Delaware-while also earning a 4.0 grade point average as an English major-writing the first draft of the book. At the same time, she was planning her wedding-a formal church ceremony and reception with a five-course dinner and dancing. "I was lucky. My dad offered to pay for the wedding, but it was my job to figure out what I wanted. I tried to find the best values, and I did a lot of comparison shopping," Naylor says. For example, she found the $2,000 gown she wanted for $300 at a small bridal shop. A helpful book that covers every aspect of planning a wedding, 1001 Ways begins with an introduction called "General Cost-Cutting Rules." The book's 43 chapters cover every detail to cross a bride-to-be's mind. "My editor didn't expect the book to have a second printing, but now it's in its fifth printing. When I got my first copy, I cried. It was something I'd been dreaming about and working on for a long time. The first time I walked into a Barnes and Noble bookstore and saw 10 of them there on the shelf, that was really exciting, too," Naylor says. The talented 20-something, who gathered information for the book from personal experience and interviews with friends and recent brides, will appear on Lifetime Television's Our Home as a wedding expert. Sharon and Ron Naylor's romance is storybook. They began as pen pals, although it wasn't long until the friendship blossomed to include telephone calls and videos and presents sent through the mail. The long-distance love affair became reality when they met for the first time in the summer of 1990-2-1/2 years after Naylor sent her holiday greeting. After one day together, the couple was engaged. One year later, they were married. The Naylors have moved a number of times since they married because Ron, now a military police officer, gets transferred frequently. Although they now live in Fort Dix, N.J., they expect to relocate soon because the government is closing the base. Traveling is not a problem for Naylor, whose job moves with her. With a computer, fax and telephone, she can do her work anywhere. She writes from, and about, life experiences. Her stories about relationships, finances and family and health issues have appeared in national magazines, including Woman's Day, Bride's, Better Homes and Gardens, Complete Woman and Teen. She keeps abreast of trends by talking with friends and family members and by reading about 20 magazines each month. In addition to her magazine and book writing, she plans to branch out into other avenues. A screenplay she wrote is making the rounds with agents in Los Angeles, she plans to write a children's book and she's considering developing a cookbook. Naylor says she plans to give a percentage of her first royalty check from 1001 Ways to the University's English department. "I have to acknowledge where I started and learned how to write," she says. -Marylee Sauder, Delaware '83