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.
