Wedding bells without the bills
Does a wedding really have to cost $20,000? No way, say many creative brides.
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And what about what the bride wears on her big day? Some brides are starting to wear two dresses - one for the ceremony, and one for the reception.
But most brides - especially those who are budget-minded - are happy when they find just one great dress for a reasonable price.
Sherman Risdahl bought her dress from J. Crew for $120. Froelich found a designer dress she liked, but was quoted a price of $3,500.
She ended up getting it for half that when, after some Internet research, she had a friend scout out the dress at a discount store in New York after seeing it on their website.
Not only was the dress less expensive, but "it took two weeks less than if I had gone with the original dress shop where I found it, so I was even impressed by that," she says.
In the end, the idea of budgeting doesn't mean making a bride and groom's big day any less special for themselves or their friends.
"It was so stress-free," says Sherman Risdahl. "It was not a burden for anybody, it was unique and original and totally spoke of us."
Cake
What makes it expensive: Round layers (which feed fewer people), intricate designs and decoration, more than one flavor.
How to save: Have a square cake of a single flavor decorated with real flowers and ribbons. Ask a friend or family member to bake the cake.
Dress
What makes it expensive: Costly fabrics, custom designs, top-of-the-line specialty shops.
How to save: Ask if alterations are included in the price of the gown. Buy the dress off the rack at a nonbridal retailer and choose less costly fabrics. Consider catalogs, outlet stories, eBay, or upscale resale shops that carry designer clothes. If there's a talented seamstress in the family, pick out a pattern and ask if she would be willing to make it. Borrow a dress from a friend or family member. Many brides enjoy the opportunity to wear their mother's or grandmother's gown. Choose a simple headpiece or make your own with materials from a craft store.
Flowers
What makes them expensive: Using flowers out of season; using large quantities of flowers; large bouquets.
How to save: Think of creative ways to use fewer flowers, those that are readily available, more bouquets composed of just a single flower, and centerpieces that use candles, fruits, ribbons, and other materials in addition to flowers. Consider carnations, which are inexpensive. Use silk flowers in arrangements that will be viewed from afar. Adding a mirror to an arrangement will make it look larger. Hold the wedding in a garden.
Food
What makes it expensive: Buffets, costly foods.
How to save: Go heavy on the hors d'oeuvres and light on the entrees. Have a sit-down dinner with less expensive ingredients. Have a punch and cake reception, or serve only hors d'oeuvres.
Invitations
What makes them expensive: Engraving, colored ink, adding a stamp to the response card envelope.
How to save: Use thermographed invitations with black ink and include a stamped postcard for response. Leave out the envelope liner. Don't order more than you will need "just in case." For very small weddings and with intimate friends, some brides are using e-mail and the telephone to invite and communicate with guests.
- Adapted from 'Wedding Chic,' by Nina Willdorf, and other sources
