staff writer: sophie machesky
Grace Machesky was wearing an unfamiliarly comfortable gown while walking out of a changing room. Lifting up fabric to make the journey easier, Machesky positioned herself in front of a mirror and the expectant stares of her friends. Her sister’s eyes began to water, and her friends sat in admiration. As Machesky turned to see their reactions, she said to the store owner, “How much is it?”
Making the decision to fund a wedding is stressful. The price tag for a wedding dress is more than often a higher number than the soon-to-be bride can meet. Fairytale weddings may just be that- unattainable and only realistic in dreams. So, is it possible to have a swoon worthy wedding, or is every wedding expense over budget?
A typical wedding will be pieced together from the expenses of venues, ceremonies, marriage certificates, rings, flowers, favors, decorations, stationery, catering, cakes, alcohol, receptions, honeymoons, and more. These aren’t even considered expenses for an extravagant wedding because nearly every wedding consists of these expenses.
How, then, could a bride and groom save on providing themselves with the wedding of their dreams? According to financial expert and coach, George Kemel, the best way to save on wedding costs is by establishing a budget. The soon-to-be couple should decide on a maximum amount of money that they don’t want to go over when purchasing for the wedding. “Plan for how much you’ll spend. Don’t overspend. And for the love of each other and your financial future, don’t take on debt to cover your wedding.” For additional tips regarding specific wedding expenses, click here for Kemel’s advice.
Among Kemel’s advice, there weren’t any tips for dress shopping, and there are many options. This is a tricky choice for soon-to-be brides, having to decide if their budgets can handle the weight of expensive tulle. When Machesky was looking for where to shop, she tried to go the cheaper route, saying, “I went to a consignment store instead. My other friend did something similar, too. She was lucky enough to thrift a wedding dress that was $250 but she had to spend $600 for alterations. My dress was $1,031 and alterations were $300. Even if you find your dream gown, you still have to pay for it to fit you. You have to look around for good places for alterations. One place may charge $300, one may charge $1000. It depends on what they’re doing.”
Weddings shouldn’t be excessively extravagant. Machesky goes on to say “a lot of people spend a lot of money on their wedding day for other people and not themselves… so instead of inviting 500 people, we’re only inviting 22. A more special day for us would be having just our closest friends and family. It’s just one day, it will be special no matter how much we spend. My friend at work just spent $60,000 on her wedding (with dress, food, etc.). My total is going to be less than $2,000. We’re spending less to save more for our future.”
Finding a dress in particular is precarious because the dress may fit on the bride, but the price tag might not fit in her wallet. When I watched my sister (Machesky) glow in the wedding dress that she chose, I knew that there was no going back; this dress was hers, and she was not leaving the store without it. Thankfully, she was able to stay right under budget.
