Cinderella’s princess gown was tailored by mice. In fairytales, that’s an easy solution! In real life, it’s much more daunting! Finding the perfect gown is very important to every bride to be. Most girls want to feel like a princess as they walk down the aisle to their prince charming. Do you really need a hand-made wedding dress with beads and diamantes? This is where the big cost is and there are several options in cutting the cost Consider wearing your mother or grandmother’s wedding gown – assuming they still have them. Imagine the pride on their faces as they watch you stroll down the aisle toward your future husband wearing the very gown they wore doing the same thing?
Think that gown is a bit out of date? If you don’t like the style, consider hiring a seamstress to update the cut a bit. You can often find a seamstress or tailor for around $100 – well less than the cost of a new, off the rack wedding gown! Why not opt for a second-hand wedding dress? It’s probably only been worn once anyway and you can get a once expensive dress for half the price. Check out consignment shops or thrift stores to see what they have to offer. Better yet, check out ebay.com. Again, if you can get a great deal on a gown and only need some alterations, a seamstress will be only a fraction of the cost to buy the gown outright. Consider buying an evening gown/cocktail dress from a department store. Look around prom season. These days, many prom dresses can look like wedding gowns. A lot of specialty shops will run specials prior to prom hoping to cull their inventory. You can come across a great deal on a beautiful dress and look like a prom queen in the process!
For my second marriage, this is what I did. It wasn’t prom season, but homecoming season. I found the most gorgeous dress off the rack that fit me like a dream. They wanted to get rid of it and I managed to talk the owner into discounting it 40%!You may want to look around for closing out sales or liquidation sales at bridal shops in your area. One word of caution: don’t drive the equivalent of halfway across the country just to find a gown. With my first wedding, they were having a going out of business sale at the local bridal shop. I found a stunning gown that retailed for $800 for a mere $100 just because it was two days before they closed their doors!
Another option is to rent your wedding gown . When my brother got married, his wife rented her gown. It was a stunning number that retailed for over $3,500. She rented it for $75. Sure, she couldn’t keep it, but considering that my first wedding gown is still in the vacuum sealed box untouched for over 20 years, who really cares? I doubt my daughter will want to wear it, although I will certainly steer her toward this option – with a seamstress on stand-by, of course!Consider shopping online at a discount wedding store or even e-bay. You won’t get the pampering you do at a bridal shop, but you can save up to 40% by going this route! You can have the dress altered locally if it doesn’t fit just right.
Finally, you can realize incredible savings on your dream gown by picking one out and asking a local seamstress to copy the design. This probably won’t be the most cost-cutting measure, but you can have a designer gown for about half the cost you would pay directly from the designer. If you find a good seamstress, they should be able to copy the design for a significant savings.What would be even better than that? If you or someone you know sews! Pick out a pattern at the local discount store, buy the fabric and notions, and make the dress your own, for a fraction of the cost!
What about the veil? Many brides these days eschew the traditional veil over the face in favor of a more contemporary design. That’s fine and even beautiful. It’s all a matter of preference! But don’t fall for the inflated prices of a handmade veil at the local bridal shop.I splurged on my first wedding for a to-die-for long beaded veil with a Juliet cap that cost more than my dress. It was a gift from my grandmother, so I didn’t feel guilty. It was the ultimate headpiece for my dream wedding and I love putting it on for kicks to this day!
For my second wedding, I fell in love with a flowing tiara veil on display. The price tag, however, brought me back to reality. Imagine my surprise when my mother found a similar tiara at Claire’s for $1.99 and bought the tulle for the veil at just $.99 a yard! She added satin ribbon to match the satin ribbon on my gown, and a headpiece that would have cost me over $200 adorned my head for a mere $10!
Want to know how to make your own wedding veil? It’s much easier than you think! Follow the directions below and you can have a headpiece that’s amazing!
• Start with a base. Many stores such as Claire’s have cheap tiaras that can serve as your base. If you’re not quite into a tiara, just have on hand some craft wire and some plastic combs to hold the veil in place.
• Have a glue gun on hand. Get some tulle and attach it to whatever base you have. If it’s a tiara, just glue directly to the headpiece. If it’s combs, you’ll need to create a “halo” to attach the tulle to. Add the combs so you can put it in your hair.
• Simply glue the tulle to your base and add any embellishments you want – flowers, baby’s breath, etc. Add accents like ribbons and bows for a special look.
Also consider having simple flowers or baby’s breath in your wedding coiffure. It’s a beautifully simple touch to a beautiful day that will make you look like a goddess in the process!
One note here about hair and makeup. You could splurge and have a beauty shop do you and your bridal party’s hair, but that’s an extra expense that is really un-needed. Once again, call on family or friends to help.
Do you know someone whose hair is always stunning? See if she’ll help you out. Maybe you have a distant cousin who is a hairdresser. See if she’ll donate her services as a wedding gift.When it comes to make-up, the best look is your natural look. Most people want to see the bride dressed up in her finery but looking like the same gal they know. No need to cake on foundation if you normally don’t wear it. Go for some light eye shadow, mascara, a little blush and a pale lip color. You know how to do your own makeup – do it on your wedding day too.
Now that you’re outfitted, what will your groom wear? WHAT TO WEAR --- FOR HIM
The traditional choice for the groom is a tuxedo. Where I come from, buying a tuxedo is virtually unheard of. Renting is probably the way to go to realize the ultimate savings on the groom’s attire. If you were to buy a tuxedo, the average cost would be somewhere between
$300 and $500. This is not exactly the way to go when trying to save money on a wedding! If you do want to buy your tux, check in thrift stores, consignment shops, and online to find discounted tuxes. Buying off the rack will run you a lot more money. Renting a tux will run anywhere from $50 to $100 typically. That rental will include everything your groom will need to look like Prince Charming. This means cuff links, shoes, vest, and tie. Many places offer the grooms tux rental free when the wedding party rents from the same store. Be sure to ask about a perk like this.
If your groom wants to own his own tuxedo, we suggest a local thrift store or consignment shop. You may also want to consider a discount wedding store or even online at e-bay again. Yet another great consideration when outfitting the guys in your wedding party is to have them wear nice suits or even casual slacks and a nice shirt. Not every wedding party has to be ultra formal; it’s all up to you! Now that you and your groom are outfitted, let’s talk about those loved ones who will be standing up with you. What they wear can be just as important as what you wear!
The general rule of thumb for guys is that they will mimic what the groom is wearing. If the groom wears a tuxedo, they will wear similar tuxedos as well. If the groom is outfitted in a suit, they will wear similar suits.
Remember our previous tip about renting tuxedos. Usually a rental shop will give the groom his tux rental for free if the groomsmen rent their tuxedos at the same shop. This can result in huge savings for everyone concerned!
As far as the bridesmaids are concerned, there are several more options to consider. First and foremost, the style of dress you want them to wear. Traditionally, bridesmaids are expected to pay for their own wedding attire. Because of this, you, as the bride, should use good manners when deciding on what your attendants will wear. Please remember that not all bodies are built alike and not all dress styles look good on all types of people.In my second wedding, my attendants included my 14 year old daughter (size 0), my baby sister (size 4), and my best friend who would be 8 months pregnant on wedding day (normally size 7, but at the time of the wedding, size who knows!) My sister found 3 dresses exactly the same on clearance at a department store in the exact sizes we needed. Two of them were little bitty for her and my daughter, the third one was bigger for my friend but which we altered to fit her “condition”. Total cost for all 3 dresses --- $50!
Shop around are the key words here! See what you can find with the parameters you have in mind! And please remember that pink chiffon rarely works well at other places besides a wedding reception! If at all possible, pick a style that will enable the bridesmaid to wear the dress at other places and other times. This will make them less reluctant to plunk down big bucks for a dress they’ll wear once and have it hang in their closet until their next rummage sale!
If you know someone who sews, pick out a pattern and fabric at your local discount store and stitch up a masterpiece. Just as our tips for finding a wedding gown, check out the bridal shops and see what you can find off their racks. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discounted price. Many times, they will grant your request just to clear their inventory!
