How to do a Vancouver Wedding on a Budget: Picking a Dress
Posted by: buzz in events, family, weddingBe sure to check out the complete Vancouver Wedding on a Budget series of posts.
It’s not about the wedding, it’s about the marriage. I proved that the first time. Now, as I get ready to walk down the aisle a second time, I’m steadfast against making the same mistake. I would rather invest in the marriage than the wedding.
Jen and I have fun on the weekends watching Rich Bride, Poor Bride on Slice. Bridezillas pouting because they want $200 tiaras, grooms needing flashy Ferraris, surrounded 250 people they don’t even know guzzling signature cocktails and grazing the midnight buffet.
One couple last night had 2 budgets. He wanted $25k, she wanted $45k. They settled on $38 000 and spent in excess of $52 000. On one night, perhaps 8 hours, of fun. It’s insane.
So as Jen and I plan our wedding, we’re trying to do things reasonably. To that end Jen has been scouring Craigslist for wedding dresses. There are some bargains to be had, but most dresses run about $600 and then need about $300 in alterations and even more for your accessories. Plus you get someone else’s ju-ju. Jen is big on the ju-ju. She wants everything fresh and new with clean karma. I was surprised she was willing to look through Craigslist.
What do you think? Guys rent tuxes, would you wear a rented gown, or buy a used one?
In the end, after trying on dresses at just 2 stores, but scouring the web and magazines for weeks, Jen has picked her dress - and it’s a steal. She gave herself a budget of $1000, but has managed to get it all for less than $500.
Angeline Bridal Boutique on Hastings near Boundary makes their own dresses. They sell them to other stores who mark them up. Buying here means buying direct, means no middle person, means Jen got a perfectly stunning simple dress for a great price and no ju-ju.
We’re trying to do the entire wedding for less than $7 000. We’re paying for it, and I’d like to have a honeymoon in Tahiti (which could cost $7 000 itself), so let’s see how we’re doing.
BUDGET: $7 000
garments: $500
Next up is the invitations. I wouldnt mind doing them myself, I’ve got a fab picture of the Eiffel Tower from the day we got engaged. Just looking for ideas to get the wedding script down the right side.
Where did you get your invites done? Who has good ideas on how to do them inexpensively?
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Do online invitations. They are cheaper and better for the environment. For a select group of folks who don’t use the web, make a printable invitation and take it to your local Kinko’s or Staples. I’m sure they will have some appropriate paper.
Buzz,
Making Memories with Scrapbooking. Hastings & Willingdon in Burnaby. You can make your own invitations. They even have a sample book you can browse, if you are lacking the creative touch.
I like that.
Wonder if i could get it past the Mrs-to-be? you know how girls are.. .
We did the budget wedding too, but had many people say it was the best they have attended. We printed our own invites at home using the specially made stationery at Staples. Doing so allowed us to use the same design I made to make labels for the wine (you brew’d) and for CD labels and covers. We used CDs of our wedding music as the combination take home gift/place markers, each couple had a CD with our design and info on the front with their names on the bottom of the label placed at their designated table so they knew where to sit.
We made our own invites. Printed the deets on vellum, and had Kinko’s cut them (under $10! for the cutting!). Tied the vellum to a pretty blue paper with ribbon. Simple, easy, cute.
We spent about $8000, honeymoon included, and were married in Burnaby. You can do it!
I’m with you Buzz on investing on your marriage, not the wedding. My second wedding had a budget of $5000 and we came in under! Nothing fancy….nuptials on the beach, the whole party of 35 walked along the boardwalk and had a wonderful meal at a restaurant will watching the sunset.
I bought my dress for under $500 by ordering a new bridesmaid dress in ivory (I was going for simple). And can I suggest Hong’s Nursery in Surrey for the flowers? They came out gorgeous. And yes to Making Memories with Scrapbooking! I have seen them make them for clients….just gorgeous work!
Good Luck with the wedding planning!
Another good option is the Paper Ya on Granville Island…now, I don’t know if they can do printing, but they had amazing paper to purchase. We did all of our invites for under $200…and don’t bother with reply cards (so old-school). I think a phone number and an e-mail address do the trick!
The Flower Factory on Main Street does spectacular flowers for reasonable prices…we stuck to flowers only for bouquets etc., and did a lot of candles everywhere else. It looked classic and made everything glow in the photos.
We spent under $9,000 and our wedding was memorable for the great toasts, hilarious antics of our guests and quiet moments between me and my hubby. I wouldn’t have changed a thing!
We’re trying to do a budget wedding too. Our venue, the Heritage Hall on Main Street, is a bargin, Lydia’s dress is going to be around $500. I’ll probably buy a suit, not a tux, but then I’ll have a suit I can reuse which will be the same with Lydia’s dress.
I agree with you, the big budget weddings that leave the bride and groom in debt run contrary to the historical point of weddings. In the past they were to celebrate the start of two people’s new lives and the gifts given were to help set them up for their lives together. Held at a relatives house they were a community celebration, and mostly potluck and thus put no fiscal hardship on the young couple.
These days they seem to be just a showy way to demonstrate how cool/rich someone is. Being neither cool nor rich I’m feeling okay with skipping that.
Hi,
I saw these posts and thought I’d reply. I recently launched an online bridal gown consignment store which is free to buyers and sellers. The idea is along the lines of craigslist, but custom tailored to brides. It’s http://www.smartbride.net. We’re just gathering gowns at this point, so it’s really ground-level, but hopefully it’ll develop into something helpful for the community.
For brand new gowns, maybe check out sample gowns/sample sales, or there are some REALLY nice consignment stores around (there is a nice store in Langley on the one way of Fraser Highway called Treat Bridal: http://www.treatbridal.com. Or, depending on how simple the gown she could buy a beautiful dress in white ‘off the rack.’ Your wife is welcome to have my gown but it is circa 1998 LOL. I don’t even think my daughters would wear it. I spent around 800 dollars back in tha day but I wished I would have rented or bought consignment. I don’t even love it anymore. My sisters gown is in a heap on the floor of her closet. My youngest sister is getting married in January 2009. She is BUDGET/BARGAIN queen. Maybe you both could chat with her. She got her gown off the rack at Champagne and Lace in Abbotsford. Good deals there too, they had a rack starting at $299 dollars and there were some very nice choices. She chose one that was around the 800 dollar mark too. Heck she could always consign it away after she wears the gown…! That way you are getting some of the $$ back.
As for invitations…do you have a friend that is graphic designer?! Maybe they could help. My sister (the one getting married) ordered hers online. They are really nice, and inexpensive but not personalized with a photo or anything. They ordered their through: http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com
Best of luck to you both! Exciting times, and fun to challenge yourselves with a low budget, but one that can be done most fabulously with some creativity!
Cheers, and congrats!
Cathy
MEMORIES
Heritage hall on Main…Gord’s daughter got married there …20 plus years ago , awesome place …we did a Hotel Vancouver Social suite event , Ground Hog day , 1985 , dinner to follow in the ball room next door and invite of the guests to the Panorama Roof for a dance and more libations for 72 guests (total $ 5000.00 and within our budget of the day ) ….wedding suit, wedding dress to be worn at lots of parties to follow , including our 20 th here in Salmon Arm …same body weight for both , even if things did shift a bit , ha, ha . Gord and I met at the Panaroma Roof, Jan . 2001….as I said MEMORIES ….I am clear , I do not have any advise …but thanks for listening to our story …Nel.
We got our invitations from Blue Skies and Daisies and were soooo happy with them. It is based in Vancouver and run by two of the most wonderful women ever. They were great to work so easy going and friendly. They are very talented artists and really listened to what we wanted. They have great stuff. You could go for a postcard sort of invite and that would be less expensive.
[...] trying to do this wedding on a budget, I’ve explained that [...]
Hey Buzz,
for dress try this http://www.champagneandlace.com/brides.html . many of my clients were happy with the prices… and about flowers, if you are interested i can email you my packages..it starts from $190… let me know
May Tahmasebi
Sunflower Florist
1359 Richards Street,
Vancouver, BC
604-676-7677
Visit us at
http://www.sunflowerflorist.ca/