Layout:
Home > Wedding Frugality, Part II

Wedding Frugality, Part II

March 11th, 2007 at 08:20 pm

"I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. A boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say 'I do.' I was wrong. That's getting married. A wedding is an entirely different proposition. I know. I've just been through one." - Father of the Bride

One of the biggest expenses in a wedding is the attire. What'cha gonna wear? Me, I wanted a wedding gown. Big, white, lacy, sparkly... you know the deal. Once in our lives, all us girls dream of our own Cinderella days and most of the time, that happens at our wedding.

I wanted a gown. I did not want to shell out the big bucks associated with it. I can sew, but not well enough to take on a wedding dress.

I searched eBay and newspapers, all sorts of places where people were selling used, excuse me, certified pre-owned gowns. Nothing. So, I had to bite the bullet and go to David's Bridal. The gown I got cost me $500... BUT, that was on sale. AND, I didn't fall prey to their sales pitch of wanting me to get the shoes, veil, headpiece, gloves, and so on.

THAT is what I wanted to warn you about. If you decide to go to a bridal shop, PLEASE either go in there with a game plan (i.e., I'm buying a dress ONLY, nothing else) or go with a support team who will help you stick to that resolution. Because let me warn you... that wedding dress mojo is really hard to overcome. Something happens to us when we try on one of those dresses, and we can't say no to ANYTHING. Trust me, I've seen it happen. It almost happened to me.

I went to David's Bridal to pick out a few dresses to try on. The sales associate just fussed all over me, about how stunning I looked and that she had THE thing to make me look absolutely perrrrrr-fect. She came back with a veil ($250), a headpiece ($300), shoes ($75), gloves ($50), a handbag ($60), a wrap ($125), and had me try them on. Of course, they looked beautiful. And it was really hard to say no.

DO say no. Drill it into your head. I learned that the bridal shops lure you in with their dresses but they really make their money with the accessories. That's why David's Bridal has those $99 gown sales so often.

That $250 veil and $300 headpiece? You can get the same exact thing at Wal-Mart for around $20. I bought a 99-cent headband from Michael's and hot glued on some tiny flowers and rhinestones. I hot-glued some tulle onto a hair comb for the veil, to which I also ironed on some rhinestones for sparkle.

The shoes? I wore flip flops (50 cents) that I decorated by hot-gluing on some flowers and rhinestones. Let me tell you that my feet were SO comfortable that day! I would have been in pain if I'd been standing around in heels all afternoon.

A handbag? I had my mom hold a small makeup/emergency bag for me. I figured that on my wedding day, I probably shouldn't trust myself to carry around anything of much importance, anyway. I probably would have forgotten a handbag.


See our fake flower bouquets?


Bridesmaid dress? JCPenney clearance sale. My bridesmaid and I wanted to get something that she could wear again, so we decided on a cocktail dress instead of a full-length monstrosity. The cost was $40 and I believe she got her shoes at Payless.

The groom, best man, usher and ring bearers (my two boys) wore khaki slacks, blue dress shirts, ties, and navy blazers (already staples in their wardrobes).


Three handsome devils!

4 Responses to “Wedding Frugality, Part II”

  1. Ima saver Says:
    1173647380

    You all look just beautiful!

  2. scfr Says:
    1173660520

    So clever to make your own headpiece, veil & shoes! From the picture, you would never know you said NO to the expensive items from David's!
    Well done. Your husband is a lucky man!

  3. jodi Says:
    1173663250

    Absolutely beautiful - well done!

  4. KEALINA Says:
    1173684318

    very cool... we got married last year and had a budget wedding too so i can definately understand... i made my veil and headpiece too and have to say yours look great...

Leave a Reply

(Note: If you were logged in, we could automatically fill in these fields for you.)
*
Will not be published.
   

* Please spell out the number 4.  [ Why? ]

vB Code: You can use these tags: [b] [i] [u] [url] [email]