Wedding Dresses are expensive. Period! Usually if you find a
dress under $500, you are getting a REALLY good deal! We knew that we didn’t
have much of a budget for Erica but we wanted her to get something nice. The
Bridal Store was going to be the last place we looked because we just didn’t
have the money to go there. So we started at Macy’s. Erica had mentioned that
she wanted a nice dress and we knew it would be a little harder to find since
she had a baby on the way.
While we were at Macy’s one of the first dresses we found
was a pretty blue empire-waisted dress. It was simple but nice. The empire
style gave her room for her baby bump and I figured we could add a few ribbons
and jewels to dress it up. The blue was perfect for our outdoor color scheme as
well! She fell in love with it and we were able to get it for about $75.
Next, we looked for a flower girl dress for her daughter. My
mother-in-law was with us and she found a beautiful ivy dress on sale. She
wanted to buy it as a present for Erica as well. So here we were blessed again!
The Titusville J.C. Pennys was going out-of-business so we
were able to find some matching inexpensive ties for the boys. Then we went to
the thrift store and found a suit for her husband-to-be and dress shoes for
her son. She found shoes for herself as
well as her daughter at Payless. I believe they were the B1G1 deal. We spent
less then $150 on all the clothes and shoes for the whole family of four. I let
her borrow some jewelry and I did the girls hair the day of the wedding.
So here are some suggestions to save on clothes and
accessories:
- Don’t rent the mens' tuxes. Find a GREAT deal and have the men buy matching suits. This way the guys can keep their suits (and re-use them).
- Check out the $99 Wedding Dresses Deals at David’s Bridal. A lot of times, they only have a few styles in only a few sizes, but give it a try. I was able to buy mine for $99.
- Check out the thrift store – You can usually find suits and sometimes wedding dresses as well.
- If you find a dress you like, go on Google, Craigslist and eBay and see if you can find it for less. Sometimes brides try to sell their wedding dresses and you can find a great price for the one you like.
- Shop around. Don’t go with the first dress you find. Look for deals!
- Shoes – DON’T BUY THEM AT THE BRIDAL STORE! They are usually MUCH more expensive there. Go to Payless, Walmart or a cheaper store. Also think about wearing cute white flip flops. You want to be comfortable on that day and if your dress is long, people will never know what you are wearing underneath. You could wear slippers if you wanted to.
- Accessories. – Look at some costume jewelry stores like Claire’s, Charming Charlie’s, Target. Once again, most people won't notice the jewelry; it’s only supposed to "add", so buy sometime cute but inexpensive.
- Hair – Friends! Yes, usually everyone has at least one friend who is great with hair. You can get ideas on Pinterest and work on it ahead of time to make sure it works out. Also remember that with pictures and late weddings, your hair might fall down or the curl can fall out. So having a handy friend along that can fix it is better than paying the hairdresser’s expensive fee and then not having them around when it needs to be fixed.
- Nails – I might indulge here, that’s just me. But instead of getting a manicure or a pedicure, did you know that you can go get your nails just polished. A lot of shops will charge only $10 to get your toes painted instead of the usual $30 for a pedicure. OR you can spend $5 and buy your favorite nail polish and DIY!
Are you starting to see how weddings are VERY expensive? Make cuts. Most people will not remember your
wedding in a year from now. I know that sounds cruel, but, honestly, the only
thing you will have is your pictures and memories. So make it fun, stress free
and inexpensive. Enjoy yourself! Look pretty but don’t worry if it’s not perfect.
The marriage is what really counts and remember the day after is VACATION
TIME!! Honeymoon!
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