Brides on the cost-cutting edge

MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

LEXINGTON, Ky. — On her big day, nobody had to know that Rebecca Sweeney made her own bouquet. Or made her own table centerpieces or designed and printed her own invitations.

But Sweeney is happy to tell people that her June 20 wedding was largely a do-it-yourself event. Well, do-it-yourself with the help of extended friends and family: her aunt made the cake, her mother helped with the centerpieces, an uncle did the barbecue for the receptions. She and her mother trudged to multiple dollar stores to get baskets to use on the tables. They created centerpieces with mason jars and gingham ribbon.

The Maysville, Ky., bride is part of a growing trend that has more folks putting their own creative spin on their weddings in an effort to save money.

There was a time when people might have pooh-poohed "homemade," but not anymore, said Anja Winikka, editor of theknot.com, an online resource for weddings.

"The DIY thing is indicative of the economy," said Winikka. "A lot of people now feel comfortable talking about how they are going to be saving on their weddings."

"It's very accepted now to say 'I printed my own invitation.' There is just no taboo against that kind of thing anymore," said Jo Peterson, creative director for Michael's.

In addition to saving money, do-it-yourself weddings allow a couple to create something unique.

"It's not always about how much something costs, it's that you were able to create that wedding with your own ideas," said Peterson.

"That's really what a wedding is ... it's the two of you," said Winikka. "Infuse as many details that reflect the two of you as possible."

Sweeney and her new husband, Micah Banks, are naturally pretty handy. For example, they did a lot of the remodeling on their townhouse themselves. But a do-it-yourself wedding was, in part, out of necessity.

They are both recent graduates of the University of Kentucky and have student loans to pay off. Plus, they agreed that their dream honeymoon, a sunny stay in Hawaii, was where they wanted to put some serious cash.

But while they were pinching pennies, they also had to talk about where to spend a little more. For example, for Sweeney, her dress needed to be just so. And Banks wanted to make sure the music struck a perfect note.

There needs to be discussion about where to splurge a little, said Winikka. "Your priorities are where you want to get an experienced vendor that you can really trust."

Even if you want to try your hand at something new, consider getting expert advice, said Peterson. "Not everyone has the ability to tie a bow," she said. "That's where you could go to a store and have a floral designer do the bows for you or teach you how to make a bow."

Seek out inspiration from other brides.

"Go in with your pictures in hand," she said. "It gives you that great idea, it gave you the starting point."

Also, she said, don't order supplies for, say, 50 centerpieces before you know the idea will work. Try it first to make sure you can create what you have in your head.

That will also help with budgeting.

"You are going to get an idea of exactly what it is going to cost you to make," said Peterson, who recently had her own wedding reception, one with a '50s theme.

Sometimes you have to recognize that you are out of your depth. Be reasonable about your expertise and know your limits. The wedding day is not the time to try out your cake baking skills for the first time, said Winikka.

There are a lot of great bakeries that don't necessarily advertise their wedding cakes. In fact, checking out the offerings through local grocery stores can be a great money saver.

Know when to stop.

"Set a realistic deadline. A week before the wedding, what's not done is not going to be done," said Winikka. "Spend that time with family and friends."

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Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2009

Brides on the cost-cutting edge

MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE