You can't possibly have been around the theatre and theatre people for any length of time without having a few friends with skills that might be useful to you.
Costumers - if they don't have the time, energy or resources to actually make the wedding/bridesmaid's dresses, you might still be able to hit them up for alterations (and that alone would save you a good amount of money.)
Set designers - can be wonderful decorators (and are great at working with a budget.)
Techies - have the light and sound board know-how you'd need to pull off just about anything you might want to do (and could potentially be a resource for equipment discounts, as well.)
Anyway, the point is to use the resources you have first and avoid getting into the actual wedding industry if at all possible. My guess is you can pull off a really nice wedding at a fraction of the cost.
The industry itself wouldn't be such a racket if traditional expectations weren't so ingrained into our entire society. The easiest way to avoid the gouging is to tell everyone to Fuck Off, We're Doing It Our Own Way.
One of my brothers got married in his own house, by a preacher friend who performed the ceremony for free and took care of the paperwork, our dad made the cake, and the reception was deli sandwiches in the kitchen. It may not have been the wedding all Americans are taught to dream of, but it was what they could afford. And their true friends showed up anyway.
Where we'll come down, I think, is finding the best possible compromise between cutting corners and doing the wedding she's always dreamed of. We need to make sure we have priorities in terms of spending, basically.
You can say to hell with the industry....sweetiedarlinNovember 16 2005, 01:32:06 UTC
Pointing out that my ceremony/reception that you and D attended cost a total of 6k.
Corners CAN be cut and you'd be surprised just how so. I have a book somewhere that you guys are more than welcome to - called Bridal Bargains.
I handmade my invitations using a kit, i made my centerpieces, made the party favors. etc etc etc. Sounds nutty eh? Well... at least next time I have a) experience and b)will know what i could do differently.
Got lots o little tidbits if you are looking for ideas.
Amen!!! They've only got you for one day (well hopefully!) so they gotta milk it for all it's worth.
Not to belittle your pain in any way, but it's even more fucked up for brides. Have you seen those 1000 page magazines about The Day You've Been Planning for All Your Life! Cause, y'know, boys don't think about it ever. Sheesh.
Just try to remember you do not need one quarter of what they're selling. hell, you don't need _any_ of it - you've got each other. :)
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You can't possibly have been around the theatre and theatre people for any length of time without having a few friends with skills that might be useful to you.
Costumers - if they don't have the time, energy or resources to actually make the wedding/bridesmaid's dresses, you might still be able to hit them up for alterations (and that alone would save you a good amount of money.)
Set designers - can be wonderful decorators (and are great at working with a budget.)
Techies - have the light and sound board know-how you'd need to pull off just about anything you might want to do (and could potentially be a resource for equipment discounts, as well.)
Anyway, the point is to use the resources you have first and avoid getting into the actual wedding industry if at all possible. My guess is you can pull off a really nice wedding at a fraction of the cost.
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A good band would be so ideal.
On the other hand, these days you can just hook up an iPod to the sound system and let the evening's music unfold exactly how you'd prefer.
We probably wouldn't do that, but I know it's an option.
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Corners CAN be cut and you'd be surprised just how so. I have a book somewhere that you guys are more than welcome to - called Bridal Bargains.
I handmade my invitations using a kit, i made my centerpieces, made the party favors. etc etc etc. Sounds nutty eh? Well... at least next time I have a) experience and b)will know what i could do differently.
Got lots o little tidbits if you are looking for ideas.
Reply
Thanks!
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Not to belittle your pain in any way, but it's even more fucked up for brides. Have you seen those 1000 page magazines about The Day You've Been Planning for All Your Life! Cause, y'know, boys don't think about it ever. Sheesh.
Just try to remember you do not need one quarter of what they're selling. hell, you don't need _any_ of it - you've got each other. :)
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