How to save money on a wedding… any tips?
I’m getting married in 2012 and my friend just spent 50,000$ on her wedding alone.. Pretty much a down payment on a house. We are getting married in Whistler BC, and are unsure of where yet… My boyfriend wants his EX sister in law to plan our wedding cause hers cost 8000$ but, that’s a bit cheap and it was because she had an unwanted pregnancy and planned her wedding in 2 weeks.. pretty much dollar store stuff and a dress from value village… Im very into designer names unfortunately like Alfred Sung And Vera Wang and Christian Louboutin for shoes So anyone wanna give me some reasonable tips! Thanks a ton for all your answers!
I kind of forgot how to “resolve” a question.. anyone wanna tell me?
I owned a bridal store and whenever I offered a discount on a sample, girls looked at me with horror. Here’s a little tid bit. The “brand new” gown you insist on ordering and paying full price for, has been worn by several models on several runways or lent by the designer to bridal stores for trunk shows and those have been tried on by several people too. Designers DO NOT dry clean the gowns once they are returned, they are spot cleaned and put back on the size rack, where when you place your order.. guess what dress will be shipped to you???? Yep you guessed, the sample you frowned at only now you are paying full price for it. Also if you buy the sample at the store, most stores will repair, alter and spot clean at little or no extra charge. Your Accessories; head piece, veils and so forth??? ALL OF THEM and I do mean all of them are EXACTLY the same quality, unless you are buying real jewels, diamonds, etc. So if head piece A looks similar to B, but B is $50.00 less.. take B.. you’re getting the same thing.
Trunk shows are your friend. Friends who have been through a recent wedding make cheap and great wedding planners. Buy early, buy cheap. A gown (bridal, MOB, BM, FG) almost always ships from China and on average takes 4 months without rush fees. Most shops will tell you 6 to 9 months without rush fees. But some shops if you order last seasons’ pieces at least 9 months before your wear date and you’ll keep the gown with you (meaning they don’t have to store it) they will give you a discount, but you must ask for it. Also, the more gowns and Accessories you order at one shop, the more discounts you get. You can negotiate with the owner to give the bride the discounts instead of dispersing throughout the bridal party.. though it will not bode well for your BM’s friendships with you!
recycleyourwedding.com this is a great website try it out. Big label designers also have trunk shows, check their websites.
THE ONE AREA THAT IS NOT WORTH SKIMPING ON… A REALLY, REALLY GOOD SEAMSTRESS FOR ALTERATIONS ON ALL GOWNS, take some regular clothing to one (preferably ones that need work done on the bust line) and try them out, DO NOT MENTION THE WEDDING until after the alterations are done. A $100 wedding gown can look like a million dollars with the right alterations or like you ripped it off a dead corps with an untalented seamstress. And remember, while it’s stressful to plan the wedding, your marriage is more important! Hope all goes well for you and enjoy it, try to take a step back on your big day and just look around with your new hubby, more than likely that will be the ONLY moment you remember of your big, expensive wedding. You’ll be too busy with everything else.
Vera Wang introduces White Exclusively at David’s Bridal
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