Wedding Savings

A TUX FOR HIM

Okay!  That’s enough about the female persuasion for right now.  Let’s talk about attire for him.  It’s important as well, you know.  Let’s face it!  The man’s attire is not as important in a wedding as the woman’s attire.  Who would dare argue with me on that one?  However, tuxes are an important side issue.  More and more people are opting to buy tuxes because they figure they’ll use them over again during the course of a marriage. 

            I hope the brides aren’t thinking all eyes are going to be on them on D-day!  I hope that’s not what you’re thinking!  They guys play an important role in a wedding.  They are the first people your guests see.  Be sure to pick out a tux that conveys the tone of your wedding.  

It’s a good thing that tuxedo’s are a little more classic today than in yesteryear.  Do you remember the ruffled shirts and bow ties from the seventies?  Well, they are out now!  Nowadays, you can look forward to seeing more conservative shirts, vests, ties and cummerbunds. 

RENT OR BUY?  

I bet you were wondering how you should handle the question over tuxedos.  Should you rent or buys is another good question.  Tuxedo’s like a wedding and bridesmaids dresses help to set the tone for your overall wedding. Tuxedo’s cost anywhere from $300.00 to $500.00 depending on where you buy them.   

You will pay about 30 percent of the price of a new tuxedo if you rent a tuxedo.  It’s also not unusual to be able to buy a good tux in the same place that the bride is buying her gown at.  A lot of businesses are making it really convenient for you.  If you buy the tux in the same place as the bridesmaids dresses, then it’s easier to match up colors.  

          At the very least, I’ve noticed some tuxedo shops are open next door to or in the vicinity of dress retailers.   I think this will also make it easy for you to match the dress to the tuxedo along with the style and colors.  Colored tuxedos are quite popular these days.  You can find colored tuxedos in green, lavender, sage, periwinkle and purple.  Now, those colors will have everyone talking! 

It’s my personal preference to go ahead and buy a tux if you’re going to go to at least three formal functions during your first year of marriage.  You can wear a good tux for years. 

TO SUIT OR NOT TO SUIT

A lot of grooms are saying to heck with tuxedos!  They are going for the idea of wearing a fine suit on their wedding day.  Picking a suit over a tux for a formal wedding is a growing idea.  Remember, I talked to you about following your own style.  Well, let’s suppose that your guy is not a lover of tuxedos.  A black on black suit can and will give him the same dashing effect!  

ACCESSORIZE HIM 

If your man is anything like my man then accessories are not even in his vocabulary!  Fix him up on your wedding day and every woman will want him!  Make sure the shoes have colored coordinated socks.  The shoes that you wear with a tux or suit can lace up or slip on depending on your personal preference.   Make sure the shirt has rhinestone, stainless steel, silver or gold cufflinks.

You can help your wedding party look good by finding dresses, tuxedos and other attire that compliment them.  You should look at the color, style, fit and feel of the material as well.  You’ll also want to keep in mind the theme of your wedding that we talked about in Chapter One.  Let’s look at how we can save money on wedding attire.  

SAVE MONEY BY RENTING 

          I know you’re wondering.  Rent a wedding dress?  It’s not as strange as it might seem.  A lot of brides are saying to themselves.  Will my daughter really want to wear my wedding dress at her wedding 20-30 years from now?  More than likely, NOT!  It use to be a grand tradition to get married in white, and spend several hundred dollars to preserve a wedding dress.  However, more brides are opting not to wear mom’s old wedding dress.  

BUY A PROM DRESS

           Who can really tell if a prom dress is a prom dress?  Prom dresses like wedding dresses are all formal.  In addition, prom dresses are usually priced lower than the dresses that are slated for weddings.  Don’t ask me why, that’s just how the designers, retailers do it.  Look at the prom dresses before you order dresses for you wedding party.  You may be in for a big surprise. 

WHAT KIND OF DRESS?

 You have your choice of buying the dresses for your wedding or renting.   Let’s look at what kind of dress would be right for your wedding.  You have been thinking about your wedding dress more than likely since you were a little girl.  Now is the time to start really looking for one.  Before you can decide what kind of dress you want to buy, you have to first decide on what kind of wedding you are going to have. 

 Remember, the exercise from Chapter One where I asked you to envision your dream wedding.  If you completed that exercise then more than likely, you know what you want your dress to look like.  But, wait a minute.  Let us make sure your idea of a dress matches up with the kind of wedding that you are going to have.  

FORMAL/INFORMAL OR NOT

 Are you planning on having a formal, informal wedding or something in between the two?  Do you want to bare your midriff and make a fashion statement or do you want to take a trip into medieval times.  Do not laugh.   You may remember from Chapter One that Celtics and Renaissance weddings are among the most common theme weddings.  Some people have wonderful wedding celebrations of this kind. 

 Getting back to you.  You may not know what kind of wedding you are going to have just yet.  After all, we are just in Chapter Two.  By Chapter Six, I am confident you will have it all figured out.  You may not know what kind, but you have a good idea of how you want it to look.  I believe you will also know the general vicinity of where you want it held.  You may even have your guest list sketched in your brain.  Whatever is the case, it is a thin line between a formal versus an informal wedding.  Let us look at the two.  

FORMAL WEDDING

                 A formal wedding is usually a religious ceremony that takes place at church, cathedral, synagogue, chapel or other worship place.  You can have a full reception with assigned, sometime unassigned dinner seating after the wedding.  The reception can take place at a variety of places including a country club, museum, hotel, cruise ship, etc.  The groom and groomsmen are decked out in tuxedos, suits or other formal wear.  

A formal wedding requires the bride to wear either a white, or off-white floor length gown.  The train should be cathedral or chapel length with a train about the same size. 

SEMI FORMAL WEDDINGS 

          Semi formal weddings take place at either a chapel, garden, scenic or private home.  A semi formal reception can take place at a variety of buffet style or it can be catered under a tent.   The bride’s gown can be white, off white, or pale pastel.  The length of the dress can vary from ankle length to knee length.  

The bride can skip wearing a train with a semi formal wedding.  You can wear a long or short veil depending on the style of the dress.  The groom can dress in a tuxedo or suit.  The groomsmen must wear matching clothes.  Semi formal wedding skip traditions like a receiving line and announced introductions.   

THE INFORMAL WEDDING 

          An informal wedding is basically any wedding that is not formal or semi-formal.  It can happen anytime, anyplace.  You set the stage to make the wedding out of the norm.  I know a couple that got married in the living room of their parent’s home on Thanksgiving Day.   I also know another couple that got married with flowered bouquets in their shorts in the Bahamas.   

The informal wedding is usually short, sweet and very, very, personal.  Sometimes no one else is there but the bride and groom.   As you can see, it is very important to decide what kind of wedding you are going to have when you are looking for a gown.  

TIME OF YEAR

 Winter is not the most popular time of year to get married.  Yet, there are some people who do not mind the cold and snow.  You will want to make sure you are following the standards based on the time of year.  For instance, for a wintertime wedding you will want to wear long sleeves and a higher neckline to help you stay warm.  

It use to be a time when wearing strapless gowns in the middle of winter was a fashion no.  But, times have changed and now it is okay as long as you are warm.   Fur, muffs, boots and gloves are also okay for a bride to wear at a winter wedding. 

Fall weddings are beautiful with the falling leaves as a backdrop.  A bride may want to choose a gown made out of a medium weight fabric like taffeta or raw silk.  Sleeves on the dress are usually kept at three quarter length for a fall wedding.  You will want to have a lightweight train.  A shawl to help keep the wind off your back. 

Spring weddings give the bride to be a chance to show off her style and grace.  It is not unusual to see a bride with a pillbox hat on in lieu of a veil.  The gown can be made out of a silk tulle, or organza material.  A tea length to longer length is also okay depending on what you like.  You can also wear cap sleeves or an off the shoulder neckline.  It is also okay to pull out the open toed shoes are also okay for a spring wedding.
          Summer is the most popular time for nuptials.  You have a variety of dresses and fabrics to choose from if you go with this time of year.   You can have your pick from short, medium, and ankle length dresses.  You can also find styles from halter to backless.  The fabric comes in anything from linen to tulle.  Thinking about not wearing a veil!  Go ahead.  Summer is the time of year for a bride to be bold and beautiful.  You can wear a flower headpiece to a wide brimmed straw hat.   Some brides also opt to go barefoot to sandals.

HOW MUCH TO PAY? 

This is a big question!  I know some people who will bargain show until the find the nicest dress for the most affordable price.  Still, there’s another school of thought that suggests your wedding dress should be the most expensive dress you’ll ever own.  In other words, the sky is the limit when you want a wedding dress.  

You may want to look at my general wedding budget that I prepared for you in Chapter One.  As you can see, I believe the dress, headpiece/veil, lingerie, shoes and accessories fall in the 15% range for your wedding expenses.  However, I say feel free to play around with the numbers!  If you can cut corners in another way, by all means please do.  Designer wedding dresses are the most expensive.  They range in price from $1,500 on up!  However, you may be able to find a wedding dress on sale for as little as $300.00.  

On an average, brides are spending about $800.00 for their dresses.  You can also save some money be wearing your mother or grandmothers wedding dresses.  Yes, people are still doing that!   Bear in mind if you go the “something old” route you will most likely have to pay a little extra for alterations.

Wedding Savings Trend #2

(Couples are saving money by buying wedding cakes, flowers and reception food from the local supermarkets.) 

Well, who would’ve  “thunk” our Wedding Saving Trend #2?   Our research shows that couples are flocking to the local grocer for wedding finger food like chicken wings and cheese crackers.   They are also saving money over catered prices for salads, vegetable platters, etc.  Cake is the biggest buy.  You can save at least 15% by buying your wedding cake depending on the size from a supermarket. 

We’ll talk a little bit more about how to save on wedding reception costs a little later.  But, for right now, let’s talk about saving money on one of the most important stars of your wedding.  Did you really think it was going to be you? 

MEET THE KEY PLAYERS 

Talk to any wedding consultant and they will tell you.  There are several key people that you’ll need to pull your wedding off.   Of course, your parents will be on hand to help if they can.  The minister and musicians is also important people.  However, I’d say your wedding party is very, very important. 

 Next to you, they are the people everyone is going to be gazing at.  What do they have on?  How is the hair and makeup styled?   Shoes, do the shoes match perfectly?  These are all questions your guests are going to ask as they watch your wedding party parade up and down the aisle.  So of course, these are the key players aka stars.  

1     Matron or Maid of Honor

2     Best Man

3     Groomsmen

4     Bridesmaids

 Now, let’s look at how they are supposed to assist you in the days leading up to D-Day. 

The Matron or Maid of Honor is the bride’s right hand woman the wedding day.  She helps the bride get dressed.  She distributes the corsages and boutonnieres.  She fixes the bride’s train during the ceremony.  She is the official witness to the vows.  But, her duties actually begin long before then.  She helps to address invitations and thank you notes.  She helps too. 

The Best Man is the groom’s right hand guy.  He is in charge of making sure everything and I mean everything runs smooth.  He is the official witness to the vows, however he has many more duties.  He pays the clergy He handles the groom’s travel, supervises ushers, holds the rings and marriage license, and delivers the toast. 

The Groomsmen on the other hand have many duties on the wedding day.  They are usually the first people who guests see when they come to the wedding.  It is there duty to meet and greet the guests.  Seat them on the proper side of the church aisle if there is one.  Groomsmen also seat the bride and grooms mothers.  In some cases, groomsmen also arrange for the transportation of the bridesmaids.  Now, if your wedding is so big that you’re having groomsmen and ushers, then it is up to the ushers to seat the guests. 

Bridesmaid’s main duty is to look pretty and happy on the wedding day!  No joke.  If you’re a bridesmaid, consider the job a piece of cake.  You’ll get to run errands for the bride or her mother in the weeks before the wedding, but aside from that, being pretty is their sole responsibility.