My advice - make sure you have something to organize your details. I went looking for planners online because I didn't want something handwritten that I would have to erase or re-write. I found software, but it still didn't meet my exact needs. So I made my own in an Excel workbook - based off of a planner I did come across online. If you're interested in using it, here is a link for it. I'd love to know what you think of it if you use it, so please let me know! It has a tab for your guest list, a timeline, a budget, and tabs for every other detail about your big day. Here is a link to a few screenshots, otherwise, here is the download link.
I'm a practical girl, and it's very hard for me to imagine spending $15,000-20,000 on one day. Granted this is my wedding day, something I plan on doing only once in my lifetime, but I just cannot justify spending that kind of money! I'd rather spend that on a house down payment, etc.
When it comes to planning a wedding, you'll notice that as soon as you add the word "wedding" to anything the price goes up. A friend at work was getting married and checked into a limo. He asked how much per hour, etc. and when the limo company asked if it was for any special occasion, my friend said, does that matter? The answer was "yeah, it does." Isn't an hour an hour? Of course you can't just rent a limo by the hour for a wedding - you need to buy a PACKAGE. So keep this in mind!
One of the first things I'm sure you're planning to do is go shopping for a dress. I probably don't need to warn you to brace yourself for the sticker shock. Wedding dresses can be outrageously expensive. I had heard about the $99 rack at David's Bridal, but when I checked it there weren't many to choose from, or they were really just not at all what you'd be looking for. So if you're lucky maybe you will be able to find one of those on sale, but don't count on it. I soon realized that I'd have to check the regular racks if I wanted something nice.
(Another bridal shop idea - if you're looking for something less formal, you may want to check the bridesmaids dresses out too, and see if they can make the dress in white, ivory, etc. It might save you some money going that route vs. a true wedding gown.)
Then there's the size issue. I've been working out for over a year and I know I have slimmed down. It was very hard for me getting over the fact that I wear a 12-14, but needed a 16-18 in order to get a dress that would even zip up! Way to make a girl feel good about herself! And being a bride with a budget, looking at paying $600+ for a dress, and figuring on another $200 or so for alterations....geesh, it was putting that dress right out of my ballpark. I know this is my wedding and all, but I can't justify forking out $1000 on a dress I will wear once in my lifetime.
In addition to the local bridal stores, I also tried looking at my local department stores, but wasn't able to find anything remotely resembling a wedding gown there.
So on to plan B. Online. There are some places you can get designer/bridal store dresses at a discount. I looked at the following sites before I found my dress, which we'll get to in a little bit. The first link below carries a lot of the dresses that bridal shops carry. They also custom-make the dress to your measurements, so you don't have to buy a dress and then have it altered. I was still a little nervous if I could trust that it would fit me. You can try the sites below, or do some internet searches for bridal gowns or wedding gowns.
www.cheap-wedding-gowns.com
www.nexteve.com
www.dress-queen.com
Next, you could get creative. Like I said before, add the words "wedding" or "bridal" to anything and the price goes up. So DON'T add these words! Instead, search using keywords like:
- white gown
- ivory gown
- white evening gowns
- ivory formal wear
When it comes to the veil, these are also rather pricey at the bridal stores. (And I won't even get into the tiaras - one I tried on was more expensive than my dress!) This is something you could probably make yourself if you're ambitious. I wasn't THAT ambitious although it probably would have been easy, had my dress been white. I needed a latte colored veil to match my dress and I managed to find the perfect veil at www.veilshop.com. If you need to see colors first you can send for a sample which costs $5, but they give you a credit when you place your order. I was very pleased with how my veil turned out, and they also had good customer service. I recommend them. You can also try www.whitedovebridal.com. If you're not looking for anything fancy, I know they even carry at least one type of veil at my local Michaels craft supply store. Be sure to use a coupon!
I created my own comb to embellish my veil. I'm going to be working on a product line of veil embellishements soon - stay tuned....
I hope this helps you in your search for the perfect dress!
