Plan a Shoestring Wedding
10 ways to have your fairy tale and still have money.
by Heidi Russell Rafferty
Ways to Save on the Wedding
Here are a few tricks from experts like Rogers and a couple of military spouses on planning sparkling weddings on a shoestring budget.
1. Plan for your guests. Your first priority is to bring to life some magical item for your guests’ enjoyment. One of Rogers’ clients recreated a Martha Stewart “bubble cake” and then built the rest of the event around it with bubble machines everywhere. “All you need is that one first little idea of what you love and then you can do so many things without spending a lot. It should be just something that makes it special to the people who are there,” Rogers said.
2. Make it your own. Choose a favorite painting, a movie scene, your family’s country of origin – anything that defines who you are.
3. Rate your priorities. Decide which things lend to your fairytale and scale back on what is less important. “You’d be surprised how differently people feel,” Rogers said. “Some say the cake is most important thing, and there are others who say, ‘I don’t give a flip about the cake. I’d just as soon have a store-bought cake, but I want beautiful flowers.’”
4. Choose less expensive reception options. Rogers said the top expenditures are the guest list and the seated dinner. For one thing, dinnertime receptions are more expensive as a rule. Also, people consume more alcohol later in the day. Substitute with a high tea, a champagne brunch, a luncheon or a buffet.
5. Use your family and friend connections. Enlist family and friends for help. If you have a photographer in the family, ask for some free help. Or, if your college roommate bakes a killer cake, ask her to help out as her wedding gift to you.
Ways to Save on the Dress
Nancy Jaeger, bridal stylist and founder of www.USABrideWeddings.com, a retailer that helps military brides plan their weddings from overseas, said you can look like a fairy princess without breaking the bank.
6. Keep it simple. The amount of beading and lace, the cost of the material and the fact that these dresses are hand-sewn increase costs. “The simpler it is, with less beading and less detail, the better,” Jaeger said.
7. Shop at larger chains and online. Large bridal boutiques like David’s Bridal – or going to online sources like Jaeger’s – provide designer looks at a fraction of the price.
8. Select your accessories wisely. Incorporate your dress into your “magical” theme, Jaeger says. Do this through your selection of accessories. “We have gorgeous broaches and when they’re put off to the side on the waistline or sometimes in the front of the gown, it makes it look really rich. You could buy a broach for $39,” Jaeger said.
9. Choose jewelry that works. There is a wide variety of high-quality jewelry available – earrings, bracelets, necklaces and more, made with much less expensive but great quality stones. Jaeger said cubic zirconium, Austrian crystals and freshwater pearls are the latest craze.
10. Choose a shorter veil. Another big cost-saver is to choose a shorter veil instead of a cathedral-length veil. One returning retro look is the “birdcage veil,” a dainty duster over the face. “Or, go for the super trendy feathers and flowers headpieces. These are worn instead of the traditional tiara/veil combo and are really beautiful, unique and best of all, affordable.” Jaeger said.
How Heidi Saved:
Like other military brides, I didn’t have much money for mountains of flowers. But I loved the romantic Bostonian parade in the Civil War-era movie, “Glory.” So we decorated with generous yards of flag bunting. We also placed two red roses in inexpensive blue vases, which cost much less than table centerpieces.
My reception was at a historic Kentucky farm home, to recreate a genteel, Civil War-style ambience. My Army sergeant groom and I skipped a reception line and instead greeted guests at the home’s front door; similarly to the way a 19th century-era couple would have welcomed and thanked people for coming to their wedding. This set the mood for a warm and cozy gathering focused on family and affection, which was the “magic” I desired.
I had an early-day wedding at 10:30, followed by a luncheon reception. We reserved a small restaurant and fed 60 adults for $25 each. We had a separate room for 30 children. The kids ate chicken fingers at a reduced $10 per person rate. My aunt became the wedding coordinator, a cousin was the minister, his wife shot video and my childhood piano teacher became a soloist. Her husband, who played the trumpet, handled the wedding march, an old college classmate played the organ and a colleague who is also a photojournalist took the photos.
How Allison Saved:
Alison Buckholtz is author of the newly-released book, “Standing by: The Making of an American Military Family in a Time of War.” She talked about how she saved money with her wedding.
I married my Navy husband in 2001 and had to plan a wedding in 2 ½ months after he proposed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I cut back on flowers and a got a less expensive cake so I could spend more on a professional videographer and also accommodate a larger guest list. I also had to find a wedding location near metro Washington, D.C., a high-cost proposition.
City hotels were expensively priced, as well as valet and parking services. So I opted for a hotel-based wedding and reception in suburbia, where there was plenty of free parking. I also chose a noon ceremony, immediately followed by a luncheon on a Sunday – an unpopular day for weddings. After the wedding reception ended at 4 p.m., family members gathered in sweats and bathroom robes in a hotel suite for a pizza party. After a fun, exciting and intense day, it was a great way to unwind with the family and pizza. To me, that was the start of our life as a family. I went for one of the most unique, affordable, yet priceless gowns – my mother’s.