A wedding gown is often one of the most expensive aspects of the day itself. Every bride has a vision of what she wants her dress to look like. She may have even planned it for years. Many brides spend hours in the months before their wedding leafing through wedding magazines. These are often filled with designer wedding dresses which are luxurious and elegant. They are also incredibly expensive, and for a bride who wants the look without the price tag, there are ways to accomplish it.
Every year new dresses are introduced. Each designer of gowns works hard to present a new selection of original creations year after year. For a bride who is interested in designer wedding dresses she is likely to know what’s new and what’s not. Chances are no one else at the wedding will. For this reason it’s often possible to find a dress from last year’s collection at a fraction of the cost of the new designs. The bride will still look just as stunning, she’ll be wearing a designer label, and she’ll also have more money left to spend on other things.
Typically a few months before the wedding, the bride, her mother, the attendants and a bunch of friends make the rounds at the local bridal boutiques. It’s here that all the females in the bride’s life get their first glimpse of her in her wedding gown. Many women fall in love with the first dress they try on. This is natural as almost every wedding dress looks beautiful. However, it’s important to try on many so you can be sure that you’ve found the ideal dress for you. Ask the salesperson to choose both designer wedding dresses and more inexpensive versions so you can have a variety.
Another common occurrence during this traditional wedding dress shopping outing is everyone having a different opinion on what looks best. Many brides want to step away from the stuffy look of a high collar with long sleeves and a train. Instead they tend to find designer wedding dresses that are strapless and off the shoulder more appealing. At the end of the day, the only opinion that really counts is the bride’s. Since it is her wedding day and hopefully it’s a once in a lifetime occurrence, she must choose the dress she falls in love with. After all, she’ll be looking at herself in wedding pictures for years and years to come, so she needs to be happy with her choice.
Once the dress has been chosen and paid for, it will likely need to be altered before the big day. Even designer wedding dresses need a bit of tucking and pulling here and there to make them a perfect fit. It’s advisable to visit the seamstress a month before the wedding and then again a week before for a final fitting. This ensures that on the big day, the dress fits like a glove.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Affordable weddings
As a wedding and event planner, I am subject to more than my fair share of indignation and rage. You see, until people plan their first wedding, they never think about how much weddings cost. They want to have affordable weddings, yet they also want to have all of the glitz and glamor. The problem is that, even if you buy affordable bridal gowns, affordable wedding cakes, cheap bridesmaid dresses, and all the rest, it will still add up to a lot of money. The bottom line is that, if you want to have an affordable wedding, you have to be willing to make sacrifices.
I am not saying that having affordable weddings is impossible. If you are willing to have a small wedding ceremony with only a few of your very closest friends there, you can do it for quite a reasonable price. The problem is that, if having affordable weddings is your intention, you have to plan everything around it. That means that you have to have a small guest list, make reservations at an inexpensive place, have an affordable wedding dress, rent a tuxedo for the groom, and generally scrimp and save at every opportunity. Some of my clients have actually taken their own wedding photographs to save on the cost of hiring a wedding photographer!
The bottom line is that the most affordable weddings are done in a judge’s office. Everything else that you do costs extra money. Some families go into debt for years because of what they spend on holding a grand, elaborate wedding. To me, it seems like a pity. When I meet clients who really want to have affordable weddings, I tell them to have them in the back yard. That way, they can save on wedding reservations. If they are really ambitious, they can even cater it themselves. If there are going to be more than thirty people there, however, this is usually not a very good idea.
I guess that it all depends on what you expect from your wedding. When I first got married, all I wanted was a simple ceremony to dedicate my love to my wife. If this is all that you want as well, it will be quite easy for you to plan an affordable wedding. If, on the other hand, you want to have an elaborate party with all of your friends and family, you will have to pay for it.
I am not saying that having affordable weddings is impossible. If you are willing to have a small wedding ceremony with only a few of your very closest friends there, you can do it for quite a reasonable price. The problem is that, if having affordable weddings is your intention, you have to plan everything around it. That means that you have to have a small guest list, make reservations at an inexpensive place, have an affordable wedding dress, rent a tuxedo for the groom, and generally scrimp and save at every opportunity. Some of my clients have actually taken their own wedding photographs to save on the cost of hiring a wedding photographer!
The bottom line is that the most affordable weddings are done in a judge’s office. Everything else that you do costs extra money. Some families go into debt for years because of what they spend on holding a grand, elaborate wedding. To me, it seems like a pity. When I meet clients who really want to have affordable weddings, I tell them to have them in the back yard. That way, they can save on wedding reservations. If they are really ambitious, they can even cater it themselves. If there are going to be more than thirty people there, however, this is usually not a very good idea.
I guess that it all depends on what you expect from your wedding. When I first got married, all I wanted was a simple ceremony to dedicate my love to my wife. If this is all that you want as well, it will be quite easy for you to plan an affordable wedding. If, on the other hand, you want to have an elaborate party with all of your friends and family, you will have to pay for it.
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