Portfo lio Your Special DaY at a Special price avoiD impulSe purchaSeS the best way to stay within budget is to control
your spending early in the planning process. Typically, couples spend the most on the venue, food, and drink (50 percent), the dress (2 percent), photography (5 to 10 percent), and music (10 to 15 percent), with flowers (10 to 20 percent), stationery (1 to 5 percent), rings (1 to 5 percent), cake, officiant, transportation, gifts, and beauty (1 to 5 percent) not far behind. “It’s very tempting to upgrade different aspects of your event in the final weeks,” says Thorpe, whose company, Girl Admiral (girladmiral.com), specializes in creative approaches to wedding planning. “Avoid these impulse buys; when the bills come in, you’ll be happy you did.”
chooSe a NoNtraDitioNal DaY the most expensive time to get married is on a
Saturday evening, with the priciest months being May, June, September, October, July, and August (in that order). Booking something “offseason” or “off-night” like a Monday, Thursday, or Sunday can save you a lot of money. Take The Globe in Larchmont. Book on a Saturday night and expect to pay between $15,000 and $20,000; book on a Saturday afternoon, and the entire space costs between $8,000 and $10,000 (globegrill.com). Being flexible is key to ensuring an economical wedding, stresses Imberman. Winter is the most economical time to get married. Consider a day other than a Saturday or a daytime rather than an evening wedding. Kathleen Ruscigno saved big bucks by getting married the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. “Because everyone has that Monday off from work, it was like having a Saturday wedding but for Sunday prices,” she says. Bride-to-be Susan Squillante is saving money by getting married in February, another off-peak time. She also cut her guest list to keep costs in the $30,000 range. (Sunday during a holiday is also a great time, say experts.) "Afternoons often can be a bargain,” says Imberman. Savings: $6,000 to $10,000
coNSiDer aN “all-iN-oNe” veNue find one location for your ceremony and reception
to avoid having to provide transportation between venues recommends Kate Harrison, author of The Green Bride and a newlywed herself (who says she saved thousands by going green). Consider, too, a venue that has all of your rental needs included in the base cost for renting the venue,says Harrison. And, if you don’t like the venue’s chairs or linens, negotiate. Also look for a place that doesn’t need a lot of décor, like a historical site, as this will save on flowers and other decorations. Savings: $5,000
Be creative with FooD skip the champagne and let guests toast with
Prosecco, often $10 to $20 less a bottle. Rosita Fichtel of Larchmont did this successfully for her daughter’s May wedding. Alcohol is a big expense, notes Leah Ingram, author of Tie the Knot on a Shoestring, which is why she suggests reducing the length of your reception and not announcing a last call for drinks. “This could cause a rush on the bar, which, if you’re paying for an open bar, can increase your alcohol bill significantly,” she says. Or, suggests wedding planner Thorpe, just use a signature drink as the main liquor drink and have beer and wine (billed on consumption) after the event. “This helps to reduce the cost of a full bar but still manages to be elegant and fun.”
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Other ideas: opt for a cocktail wedding rather than a five-course dinner, serving finger foods and passed hors d’ouevres. Another possibility: consider a brunch over an evening event. Savings: $1,000 to $5,000
Be creative with Your cake on average, 20 percent of guests don’t eat wedding
cake, which costs an average of $5 per slice. Many pros suggest buying a smaller decorated cake for wedding photos and having a plain sheet cake in the kitchen to serve guests, or simply buy a small cake (not necessarily a “wedding” cake) and serve an assortment of desserts for each table. Mother-of-the-bride Fichtel bought a $60 10-inch cake for the bride and groom (along with her own wedding toppers at the vintage store Carol Charney in Larchmont), then, on each table, she had an array of desserts—everything from flourless chocolate cake to lemon tartlets—served by New Rochelle caterer Dinner in Hand (dinnerinhand. com). She guestimates it saved her about $400. If you’re hell-bent on a large wedding cake, consider one with buttercream or cream-cheese frosting instead of expensive fondant and go with an independent baker who bakes out of his or her house rather than a full-fledged bakery. Savings: $200 to $1,000
Be a “Do-it-YourSelFer” print your own invitations. or snag an artist
friend like Kathleen Ruscigno did. When newlywed Rachael Diamond, who got married in Mamaroneck last October, was close to her budget, she designed her wedding program on her computer and printed the programs (pictured below) at Kinko’s. “I personally hole-punched 200 of them, bought the ribbons, and put them together. It saved me hundreds of dollars.” She and her fiancé (now husband) also drove around Westchester to various addresses that held importance to them, took photos of the numbers, uploaded them on Kodak Gallery, then printed them out in sepia and put them in frames she found at The Christmas Tree Shop for $1 each. She used those as her table markers—another expense saved. Rosita Fichtel also wrote out the cards for the tables for her daughter’s wedding in frames she found at a craft store. “I didn’t think it was necessary to spend money on those," she says. "Plus, I think it added a more personal touch." Savings: $200 to $600
aSk FrieNDS For help as soon as you get engaged, update your facebook status
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to mention your upcoming nuptials, says Ingram. See if family members or friends might be able to help you save money. This is how Kathleen Ruscigno saved hundreds of dollars on her invitations; she asked her friend Katie, a graphic artist, to design the invites. Susan Squillante is saving about $1,500 having one friend do the video and $200 having another friend do her makeup. Savings: Approximately $1,000 to $2,000
Scale Back oN FlowerS conventional flowers for a typical wedding cost, on
average, $2,000 and are usually shipped in from South America, covered in pesticides, and sprayed with artificial scents, says eco-friendly bride Harrison. Local, organic flowers cost $200 to $400. Ingram suggests finding a wholesale flower company (e.g., Main Wholesale Florists, mainwholesaleflorist.com, or East Coast Wholesale Flowers in Norwalk, Connecticut, eastcoastblooms.com). Usually a designer on-site will take on your event at a fraction of the cost of a more expensive florist. Monica Chimes of Monica Chimes Floral in West Harrison (914-428-7212; monicachimesfloral.com) suggests using a large, inexpensive flower, such as a Gerbera daisy or sunflower, that takes up a good amount of table space. Another option: order from an online source, which cuts the middleman and saves brides about 30 percent off their floral costs. Chimes also suggests having your bridesmaids carry either one single lush or striking flower like a Peony or very small bouquet of Cymbidum Orchids or even Mini Calla Lilies. Savings: $500 to $1,600
BuY Your GowN oN eBaY the cost of an average wedding dress can be astronomical
($2,000 or more). That’s why experts suggest seeking alternative routes like eBay, donate and recycle websites, thrift shops, and plain old bargain hunting. Most of the big bridal shops have huge sales once a year. Check the local paper and websites (e.g., rkbridal.com, thebudgetfashionista.com, nymag.com), or our favorite, The Bridal Garden, a nonprofit bridal boutique with designer and couture wedding gowns for up to 75 percent off retail prices, bridalgarden.org). Consider looking in unconventional places and off-season—after New Year’s Eve, for example. Rebecca Thorpe found her wedding dress “at a tiny boutique that looked like nothing special. I just popped in, looked in the discontinued styles, and found my dress. It was originally two thousand five hundred and I got it for eight hundred and fifty with minimal cost for alterations—around two hundred.” Kate Harrison, our green guru, found her dress in the sale rack at the back of an Asian boutique and was able to snag a gorgeous pair of Vera Wang heels for $50 on eBay, which, after the wedding, she resold to another bride for $50. Emily McCarthy, who recently moved from Tarrytown to Suffern, New York, got her Amsale dress on eBay for $1,500—less than half its $4,000 value—in mint condition. “Make sure you check the seller’s reputation by reading the feedback comments to avoid getting swindled,” she says. “Also, ask how it will be shipped and whether or not it will be insured.” Also, know if the photos on the site were taken after the wedding (to make sure there are no stains). Others swear by bravobride.com, a website on which you can buy and sell gently used wedding, prom, and special-occasion attire. Also popular: woreitonce.com, oncewed.com, savethedress.com, idonowidont.com, and preownedweddingdresses.com, which feature pre-owned, “lightly loved” dresses at substantial savings, in all sizes, styles, and prices. The J. Crew website (jcrew.com) also has beautiful dresses, often in the $300 to $800 range. And if it doesn’t fit, you can return it to a brick-and-mortar store. Also check out
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you can achieve similar looks at different price points. centerpieces courtesy of diana gould.
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