If your daughter is considering a smallish destination wedding, you might want to do your darndest to discourage her from booking hotel rooms through an online discount travel site. For larger weddings held at a resort or hotel, she will communicate directly with the facility and will most likely be treated like a princess by the reservation staff; however, she should know that customers who book rooms through online travel sites are sometimes not treated with the same care as patrons who book through the hotel itself. These customers are also shocked to find that they have no leverage at the front desk when they complain.

If something should go wrong, she may be surprised to find that the hotel management is reluctant (or flat out refuses) to make any concessions, since she actually paid the discount Web site, and not the hotel. The ball is then in the travel Web site's court — will they refund some of her money, or won't they? (It's kind of beside the point, actually, if her wedding weekend has been ruined by the experience.) It's best to leave such important arrangements in the hands of a travel agent or to book through the hotel's own Web site or toll-free number.