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Till Debt
Do Us Part Ask
for recommendations from friends, then meet with the photographer
to go over his or her sample book and rate schedule. If you're on
a tight budget, ask whether the photographer will shoot the
ceremony and formal shots but skip the reception. Then encourage
your guests to take reception pictures by placing disposable
cameras at each table.
If you're hiring a still photographer to preserve your wedding
memories, consider asking a reliable friend to videotape your
wedding instead of hiring a videographer.
The dress of your dreams
Average cost: $800
Sure, haute couture gowns from top New York designer Vera Wang
start at $10,000. But even the average gown's price is approaching
$1,000. No wonder Filene's Basement draws a crowd when it
discounts wedding gowns - including designer labels - to $199.
Brides-to-be gather outside Filene's before dawn. When the doors
open, they race to the sales racks and grab several gowns at a
time to try on or trade with other shoppers for a dress more their
size and style. "This sale is not for the meek," says spokeswoman
Patricia Boudrot, who has seen shoppers fight over a dress. The
Basement will have its next wedding-gown sale at its Boston and
Chicago stores in May.
No matter where you live, you can save on a dress by ordering from
Discount Bridal Service (800-874-8794). The Baltimore mail-order
company says it sells dresses direct for 20% to 40% less than
retail. For example, a St. Pucchi wedding dress with a six-foot
train, which sells for $3,500 at a midwestern bridal shop, costs
$2,600 from Discount Bridal Service - a savings of 26%. And at
just Once, in New York City, dresses by top designers that retail
for $2,000 to $10,000 rent for $300 to $800. "Renting a
top-of-the-line dress, including alterations and headpiece, would
cost as much as buying a bottom-of-the-line dress," owner Fran
Ross says, "and you don't have to pay to clean it afterward."
Playing your song
Average cost for music:
400 for a disc jockey, $1,000 for a band
For your reception, expect to pay at least $700 for a four-member
band. The most expensive dates are in December, when have a flurry
of holiday parties, and in June, when bridal couples compete for
their services. The slowest month for musicians is January.
Audition any entertainer you might hire for your wedding or
reception. Most musicians will provide a demo tape - sort of a
greatest-hits collection. You should also ask to attend an event
where they are scheduled to perform to see what they sound and
look like live. A disc jockey may cost half as much as a live
band, but be sure to get a wedding specialist. A wedding DJ should
wear attire appropriate to the occasion and offer a wide array of
song selections.
Say it with flowers
Average cost: $800
The best way to save on flowers is to choose blooms that are in
abundant supply at the floral wholesaler. A single orchid flown in
from Hawaii can set you back $20. For the same amount, you could
buy a bouquet of bright red, orange, yellow or pink Gerbera
daisies. Instead of lilies of the valley, which don't travel well
and are therefore costly, try alstroemeria, miniature lilies that
bloom in 20 pastel colors. Freesia, a small flower available in
white, yellow and pink, is a sweet-smelling substitute for
more-expensive flowers. Tulips are plentiful from Christmas to
February. If you're getting married in a church or synagogue,
consider having your flowers from the ceremony serve double duty
at the reception.
Inviting invitations
Average cost: $350
Crane & Co., founded in 1801, wrote the book on wedding
invitations. The impeccably correct Crane's Wedding Blue Book
(Simon & Schuster, $12) answers common questions about how to word
a wedding invitation. But a Crane invitation is costly. One
hundred engraved invitations with envelopes and reply cards costs
$716.50. If you request thermography, which gives the
raised-print feel of engraving but less-crisp lettering, the cost
falls to
$457.
Other printers may lack Crane's pedigree, but they offer
look-alike
invitations for less. Carlson Craft, of North Mankato, Minn., for
instance,
sells 100 engraved invitations for $442 ($278 with thermography).
Like Crane, Carlson sells through a network of retailers,
including stationery and department stores.
The American Stationery Co., in Peru, Ind., takes orders for
invitations by mail. Their cards are more sentimental and less
starchy (sample cards are embossed with lovebirds or hearts and
flowers) but a whole lot less expensive. A set of 100
thermographically printed invitations, reply cards and envelopes
costs less than $100. For samples and a catalog, call
800-428-0379.
With this ring...
Average cost for
bride's and groom's rings: $1,000
You can buy beautiful wedding bands on almost any budget, says
Antoinette Matlins, co-author of Engage tent & Wedding Rings: The
Definitive Buying Guide for People in Love (Gemstone Press,
$14.95, plus $3.50 shipping; 800-962-4544).
"Expect to pay for a simple gold ring anywhere from $125 up to
$1,000 for a really heavy, very well made and finished
18-karat-gold ring," she says. "A 14-karat-gold ring is a little
harder and may actually wear better than a higher-karat gold
ring," even though it costs less, Matlins says. There's no
standard rule about where you'll find the lowest prices.
Comparison shop at mall jewelers as well as independent stores for
wedding bands of similar width (measured in millimeters) and
weight.
Tokens of thanks
Average cost: $200
Members of a wedding party traditionally receive tokens of
appreciation from the bride and groom. These gifts should capture
the spirit of the occasion, but they need not be costly - or
stuffy.
Till
Debt Do Us Part
Lyle Henry of Beltsville, Md.,
bought his five groomsmen and his ring bearer basketball jerseys
from their favorite pro teams before his 1994 wedding. Because
he bought six, Henry was able to negotiate a 20% discount on the
shirts, which cost $32 each for the men and $10 for the
youngster. The gifts were a hit and built on the group's
existing camaraderie: Henry's friends wear them when they get
together.
Why not elope?
Average cost: $300 or less
Given the complexity and expense of a traditional wedding, it's
no wonder many couples choose a quick trip to the courthouse.
It's an especially popular
option for those taking their second trip down the aisle, so to
speak.
Couples on a budget and in a rush can get married any time of
day or night at A Little White Chapel in Las Vegas - the only
wedding site with a drive-up
window.
"The drive-up is $30. If they choose to be married inside, which
most of them do, it costs $55," says owner Charolette Richards,
who estimates she has
performed 500,000 wedding ceremonies since she set up shop in
1959. The basic package includes chauffeured limousine rides
between the couple's hotel, the Las Vegas marriage license
bureau and the chapel. The marriage license is an extra $35.
"If they want flowers, photos, video, tux, wedding gowns,
wedding cake - we have all of that," Richards says. All told,
the tab would come to $250.
Still too extravagant? In Prince William County, Va., it costs
only $20 to have the marriage ceremony performed by the clerk of
the court, as 847 couples chose to do last year. "People come in
everything from gowns to blue jeans," says court clerk David
Mabie.
Another 98 couples paid $30 plus mileage to have an after-hours
or weekend ceremony, so friends and relatives could attend. Even
with a party afterward, your costs would be well under $1,000.
Carol and Al Sowell of Winchester Bay, Ore., offered their
daughter, Debbie, $10,000 to elope last year, figuring it would
save them money over a wedding. They were right: She turned down
their offer and spent $15,000 last May for a storybook wedding
with 300 guests.
"Most girls grow up dreaming about their perfect wedding day,"
Debbie says, "and I guess I was no different. Money is only
money, but your wedding is once in your lifetime."
On a brilliant Saturday last
August, Wanda Olszewski and Christopher Sloop exchanged vows
before 170 family members and friends in a country church near
Pylesville, Md. Wanda was radiant in her white gown; Christopher
stood tall in a tux. The reception lunch at the parish hall was
punctuated by corny toasts and dancing cheek to cheek. Finally,
the bride and groom made an unforgettable exit, soaring into a
cloudless sky aboard a rainbow-hued hot-air balloon.
It was everything a wedding should be - and a lot less. The
average U.S. wedding costs a stunning $15,400, according to
Windsor Peak Press, an
independent bridal research firm that provided average costs for
this story. The Sloops' festivities set them back less than half
that.
They saved a bundle on catering by enlisting the culinary talents
of family and friends. They got creative in smaller ways, too:
Wanda and Christopher
snipped blooms for the reception centerpieces at a nearby flower
farm. Wanda bought her wedding dress for $250 at a consignment
store. Guests toasted the
couple with white zinfandel instead of champagne. And the balloon
trip was a gift from Wanda's brother and his wife.
"We had to pay for our wedding, and it wasn't like we had money to
spend," recalls Wanda, 27, a science teacher. "And we didn't
want to go into debt."
You, too, can cut the cost of a wedding without robbing it of its
magical qualities. Some of your earliest decisions can make all
the difference:
THE DATE.
Everyone, it seems, wants to get
married on a Saturday night in june. If you choose a Sunday
afternoon in September, you won't pay bid-up
prices on everything from food to photography.
THE PLACE.
If you select a reception site
that lets you hire an independent caterer, you can solicit bids
for food and drink - the costliest components of the average
wedding.
THE BUDGET.
Set a limit and stick to it.
Splurge on those things that are most important to you - whether a
designer dress or a no-holds-barred guest list - but keep other
costs in check.
You can't control all the costs of a wedding: Tux rentals are
fairly standard, for instance, and you don't want to skimp on your
donation to the officiating clergy. But on pages, roughly in the
order in which you will plan the elements of your big day, are
nine ways to save money - and a tenth option that could really win
your heart.
Where love blooms
Average cost of reception site: $1,600
When John Windsor, 42, and Katrin Schlaeppi, 33, wed last summer,
they exchanged vows and held their reception in The Conservatory,
a Victorian greenhouse in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. "It
was intimate, it was very scenic both inside and on the grounds,
and it had a tremendous atmosphere," john recalls.
The Conservatory rents for $1,250
on a weekend evening, compared with $1,600 for a church or
synagogue and a hotel. Ten other sites in San Francisco parks can
be reserved for $125 to $225, including the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip
Garden and the rotunda of the Palace of Fine Arts. Call your local
parks department to see if your city offers similar bargains.
Historic homes also make a unique yet inexpensive setting.
Elizabeth Zisa married Norman Jones in September 1993 on the lawn
of the Isaac Winslow House, a clapboard colonial mansion in
Marshfield, Mass. They paid $500 (since raised to $600) for the
use of the mansion's high-ceilinged tearoom, where they held their
reception, plus the refurbished barn, 11-acre grounds, kitchen and
rest rooms. "The price was incredible," remembers Elizabeth. "I
called a lot of places I'd heard of and been to, and most of them
were out of our price range." The Joneses found the Winslow House
in a Massachusetts state pamphlet,
Historic Places for Historic Parties. See if your region has a
similar guide, or ask local caterers for ideas.
Toasting with taste
Average cost of food and drink: $8,400
Food and wine for the reception eat up more than half of the
average wedding's total cost. The most obvious way to save is to
limit your guest list. But you may be able to invite more friends
if you serve lunch instead of dinner. That knocks 15% to 20% off
food costs.
When selecting a menu, choose fresh local fruits and vegetables
over out-of-season delicacies. A buffet usually saves you money,
but if you order delicacies such as crab claws it can cost more
than a sit-down meal with a chicken entree.
Wine and liquor costs can top $10 per guest if you feature an open
bar. To whittle that down, you might join the trend to limit
selections to wine, beer, soft drinks and sparkling water.
If champagne is on your list, you can substitute a good domestic
sparkling wine. "In the $10-to-$15 range there is a lot of
wonderful stuff," says Bruce Sanderson, tasting coordinator for
Wine Spectator magazine. Some top-rated bubbly from the magazine's
taste testing last December: Chateau St. Jean Brut Blanc de Blancs
at $11 a bottle and Culbertson Brut at $12. By the case, the price
falls 10%, and a wholesaler can save you even more.
No reception would be complete without a cake, which usually costs
$1 to $4 per serving. Most couples want a multi tiered showpiece,
even if it provides more servings than they need. But Teresa
Rowbottom, 24, and Patrick Frye, 34, of Carlisle, Pa., solved this
dilemma - and saved $293 on the four-tiered wedding cake served at
their reception this March - by having the baker fake the bottom
two tiers: Though they looked like the real thing, they were
Styrofoam coated with icing. "We were really picky about the look
we wanted,"
says Teresa, "but we thought this cake was absolutely gorgeous."
Photographic memories
Average cost: $1,500
Tempting as it may seem, don't depend on a family shutterbug to
photograph your wedding, says Alan Fields, co-author with his
wife, Denise, of Bridal Bargains: Secrets to Throwing a Fantastic
Wedding on a Realistic Budget (Windsor Peak Press, $10.95, plus $3
for shipping; 800-888-0385). "If your uncle forgets to use the
flash, you're not going to have anything," Fields says.
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