So I am just starting out and would like to know how everyone got started with advertising, What are the best routes? I am thinking of a website my husband is going to design. Any other tips. It seems as if everyone on here is doing so well and having fun at it

1. A good web site with the proper key words so that people can FIND you. You need to make sure that if someone googles "wedding cakes in glen rock", you are first, or at least near the top. The importance of a quality web site cannot be underestimated.
2. A Facebook fan page.
3. Twitter.
4. Word of mouth

Good advertising can be cheap or even free. Good luck!

Here are a couple of blog entries I wrote on websites for a business:
http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/websites

Please also notice one of the comments on the 2nd article "Is your website inviting ....." posted by jmeyer. This is from my son who does some website design work for biz's in town, including a very popular wedding venue. His comment mirror what kelleym says about key words (and the importance of home pages).

This one is a blatent commercial for their website design service, but they make a good point: http://www.marketingtobridesonline.com/

Once you get a website, get listed on as many weddign website as you can. I was listed on over 21 websites and only paid for placement on two of them.

Assuming your legal, start doing the smaller bridal shows, working up toward the big ones. The key is to get to know the other vendors. Booking a bride at a bridal show is just a side benefit. The REAL perq is networking with the other vendors.

I also recommend joining some networking groups (BNI, Rainmakers); join a wedding networking group; join your local Chamber of Commerce (that was a big business benefit for me).

Carry biz cards with you and hand them out EVERYWHERE! I've given them to people in fast food drive thru windows and to cashiers in walmart if I saw they had an engagement ring on their finger!

A recent conversation among wedding vendors on the Wedding Wire forum indicated that newspaper advertising was the WORST way to spend an advertising dollar.