thelittlewhitedress.ca

Top 10 Tips to Getting the Most Bang for Your Wedding Planning Budget Revealed!!

Attire can very easily be an area of a wedding budget that blows over very quickly. If you’re trying to save some cash for yourself and your bridal party take some of these suggestions into account!

Shop smart. That might seem obvious…but seriously. Use your head before you use your wallet! Come up with all of the possible options of how you can get yourself and your attendants their wedding day outfits and then decide which is going to be the best option for you and your fiancé!

Let’s start with your bridal party…

Have the groomsmen wear a suit that they already have. Or if they don’t have the right colour, and you’re a stickler for matching, they can go out and purchase a suit that’s the right colour but is within their own price point so they don’t feel pressured to buy something too expensive.

Bridesmaids can either all wear a similar dress shade – some may already have a fabulous dress that will work and they may be happy to have an occasion to wear it again, or some might want to hunt for something new! But either way, they are able to spend as much or as little as they want as long as they stay within your specifications. If you do have a vision of all your ladies in the same dress that’s totally fine…but stay away from bridal shops for this purpose. Go to a fun little boutique or even a store at the mall and purchase the dresses there! You will find more fashion forward styles and get a lot more bang for your buck. P.S. there are some tres fabulous outlet stores that you can check out and get gowns for a steal! Personal fave – the BCBG outlet store in Mississauga…If you haven’t been there – you must go!!!

Use Etsy to your advantage! I swear this site has more stuff on it than you could ever hope for – plus, some shops will even do custom pieces. Does your grandmother or your fiancé’s grandmother sew?! Chances are that at least one of them does! So pick out some fabric and a really cute pattern and ask her if she’d do you the honour of making your bridesmaids dresses (it could be her wedding present for you!). You could even have her make ties for the groomsmen too!

And forget about trying to match everyone’s shoes! The fact is that everyone’s feet are different and most of your friends would probably rather wear a pair of their own shoes that they know are comfortable! Or would like to at least buy the shoes from a store they know they love. If you want to suggest that they stay in a certain colour scheme that’s great, or if you want them all to wear heels or flats that’s a fine request too – just give them the opportunity to choose their shoes and their tootsies will thank you.

Heck – non-matching dresses and non-matching shoes…as long as they’re all carrying a bouquet, isn’t it fairly obvious that they’re a bridesmaid?!  I think it is.

So whether you’re going to be the one purchasing the outfits for each of your attendants, or you’re going to have them pay for it themselves, these are all great ways to keep the costs down.

Now – for the bride and groom…

If you’re going for the ‘drama’ factor of having multiple looks on your wedding day (aka changing into a reception gown), consider some of the fabulous convertible gowns that are out there these days!! Vanessa Minillo rocked a fabulous convertible Monique Lhuiller gown for her wedding to Nick Lachey last year and I think she was onto something!

A piece of advice. DON’T…I repeat, DO NOT purchase a dress that is on sale or that you think you like enough to wear on your wedding day. Not only will this stress you out, but it is foolish to think that even though you don’t love it or it’s not what you were envisioning, that the price tag alone will make you fall in love with it. Not the case. And more often than not a bride that purchases a gown on a whim, or because it’s on a great ‘one day only’ sale ends up in a pickle later on when they realize they still don’t love it and they’re going to have to buy yet another dress. So save your ‘sale’ money that would be wasted on a gown that’s not the one and put it towards the gown that IS the one when you find it! And you will find it.

And for the lucky groom – I will suggest similar things as I did for the groomsmen. However, it’s his ‘big day’ too, so if he wants a new suit, I think he should be allowed to have one! Personal tip – check out the Harry Rosen outlet (right beside the BCBG outlet in Mississauga – I’m not kidding. It’s almost not even fair) and be wowed at the fabulous designer suits that you will find. And at the end of the day – having a designer suit it tailored to fit will cost a heck of a lot less than a made to measure.

Happy Planning!

What do you think of these alternative wedding attire options?!

Leave me your comments below!

For more Inspired Bride articles that will go right to your inbox, sign up for your FREE eReport “How to Get the Most Bang for Your Wedding Budget”!

I hope this article has helped make you an Inspired Bride!

© 2011 Kate Vanderlugt, www.thelittlewhitedress.ca

Want to use this article in your Blog, E-zine or website? You can as long as you include this complete statement: 

Wedding Planning expert Kate Vanderlugt publishes the “Inspired Bride” weekly e-zine. Get your FREE eReport: “How to Get the Most Bang for Your Wedding Budget” at www.thelittlewhitedress.ca/freeereport