Wedding costs are a numbers game. Two extra Bridesmaids is not just two more dresses - it also means two extra groomsmen, four extra "thank-you" gifts; additional fittings, meals (not just at the reception), probably an extra hire car... It helps if they contribute financially - you have, make it clear that you can't afford to dress them: let them know early in the process - when you invite them to be in the Bridal Party - that they will be expected to hire/buy their own outfits. Part of the fun of getting ready is the shopping and fitting, and you can still have that pleasure together!
Typically, bridesmaids dresses match - but I have been to a few weddings where each bridesmaid dressed individually, their outfits including an element to make them obviously part of the bridal party.
If you only have it for the wedding day and never expect to use it again, look at the purchase with a critical eye. Be careful of "tradition" - a lot of these so called traditions are nothing more than inventions designed to sell more to brides.
Anything that is a "one-off" purchase is a candidate for economising. A dress you will never wear again; table decorations and "favours" - do you really need 20 pairs of salt and pepper shakers shaped like doves, and will your guests enjoy the day any less if they don't get to take home a little china frame with your menu in it? Personalised wedding favours do seem to be the in thing at the moment, and it may be really important to you, but you really don't need more than one - if you have personalized napkins, you don't need personalised matches, lollies, place cards, menus and bookmarks too. Select just one.
Consider the couple who put a bottle of Dimple Haigh on every table (about $500), a china frame for every guest (say, $600), hired a limousine to get to a park near the wedding venue, and then a horse-drawn carriage for the last 3 kilometres. It was very nice, but that was more than a year ago, they are still in financial difficulties and they are still asking for time to pay for their photos!
You can save a very significant amount on the wedding gown if you do not insist on getting it from a Bridal Boutique. There are other options to having a designer dress made - or even buying off the hook at a Bridal Store - and no, "budget" is not a bad word. There is nothing second-class about economising. And staying with the "seconds" theme, think second-hand. Your mother's wedding dress (or your fiancée's mum's gown) might cost something to alter, but what a lovely choice!
Other "worn once only" sources are the classified ads (papers and on-line) and eBay; and I have to mention that I was in a Salvation Army store two weeks ago where I saw no fewer than 6 wedding dresses - none above $50 and all immaculate.
The Internet is a great source for buying new bridal apparel too. I meet brides taking advantage of these very low-price options all the time, and I haven't met one who was unhappy they did - only one word of warning: order earlier than you think you have to. Not only can deliveries be slow, but sizes are not always a reliable guide to fittings when you buy from overseas suppliers, and quality, while surprisingly good, is not something to be taken for granted... you may have to resew a seam or strap, which you don't want to discover on the morning of your wedding.
For the men, the reverse might be true - some tailors are actually cheaper than rentals, and if you choose the right style, that suit can become part of your regular wardrobe. Bargain.
Men don't spend as much on shoes, but special shoes for the bride and her attendants are one of those "traditions" that your parents never heard of. If you were a shorter gown, smart shoes are important - but "Smart" doesn't have to mean "designer" and, under a longer gown no-one is ever going to get more than a glimpse anyway.
Back to the numbers game: reduce the guest list and the budget may come back to black without you having to do anything else. You can invite many more people to the ceremony than to the reception, and really, it is the wedding ceremony that makes you man and wife - the reception is just a pricey party!
To avoid putting anyone's nose out of joint, plan a barbecue for when you get back from your honeymoon or another suitable date. When you send out your wedding invitations, send a note to the "second list" at the same time, inviting them to your post-wedding celebration; make it a big deal. They'll love you for it.
Next post, I want to talk about savings you can achieve at the reception.
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