By LISA TOLIN
The Associated Press
Khris Cochran splurged for her wedding seven years ago. The ceremony was in a rose garden overlooking San Francisco Bay. The cake was made by a star baker featured on the Food Network. The honeymoon was in French Polynesia.
Then came the debt. She was $5,000 in the hole before she lost her Silicon Valley job in the dot-com bust."It took years to get out of that debt," she says. "By being so tied to the wedding dream, I ended up in a financial nightmare."
Weddings are said to be recession-proof, but the same can't be said for couples' budgets. As the economy takes a hit, many nearly-weds are looking for ways to scale back on a lavish wedding without sacrificing a special day. What's worth the splurge, and what's a smart save? Here are some ideas for richer and for poorer:
Save: Guest list
You can always elope. Barring that, if you want to save money, trim the guest list. "You really don't need to invite everyone you know or have a party of 20 bridesmaids," says Maria McBride, an editor at Brides magazine and author of "Party Basics for New Nesters."
If you really want a big crowd, consider a smaller wedding with a separate cocktail reception. It beats a 300-person sit-down dinner in both cost and atmosphere, says wedding planner Marcy Blum. "There's no way to go about making it affordable andreally fabulous, unless you're a rock star or someone you know is Kuwaiti." If your parents really want all their friends to attend, or your colleagues at work expect invitations, remember it's your day. A good rule of thumb: Have you had dinner with this person in the last year? If not, and you live in the same city, consider
a cut.
Looking back, Cochran wishes she and her husband had invited only the people
closest to them. "It's not only an instant budget saver but a way to make the whole
event more intimate," she says.
Splurge: Setting
David Tutera, who planned Star Jones' wedding, advises couples to focus their spending on the venue and decor, including flowers. "People walk away remembering the unique experience you create and not the food that you served," he says.
For Eda Kalkay, design and location were the most important decisions for her October 2007 wedding. The 150 guests to her city-meets-country wedding at an estate in New Hope, Pa., were treated to a white fantasy in the woods, with globes of white hydrangea, white candelabra and a surprise performance by a gospel choir. "It was so beautiful it felt surreal," says Kalkay.
If you want a deluxe setting at a discount, ask for a deal on a Friday or Sunday wedding, or cut costs with a daytime affair. And consider alternatives to expensive floral displays, like smaller "tablescapes" of candles and fruit, or centerpieces using a single type of flower, bought wholesale.
Save: Invitations
Cochran, who now runs the Web site DIYBride.com, says invitations are an easy way to cut costs. "Paper is cheap, and most people have a computer, word processing software and a decent printer already at home, which makes invitations an easy way to save some cash and be creative," she says.
Invitations set the tone for an event, but Tutera, author of "The Party Planner," thinks
guests are more likely to remember the last moments of a wedding. Etiquette experts still frown on electronic invitations, so prepare for raised eyebrows if you cut that corner. Instead, Blum suggests cutting down on invitation inserts and heavy stock that waste paper and increase postage.
Splurge: Photos
A wedding is only one day, but the photos last forever. Even on a budget, brides
rarely lament the amount spent on a quality photographer. "We really love our wedding photos and still get compliments on them to this day. She was worth the extra cash we spent," Cochran says. If you're cutting corners, however, you may be able to find a skilled student
photographer who's eager to earn extra cash and build a portfolio. And you can forgo
a videographer. "It's very passé compared to photography," says Tutera.
Save: Favors
"Nobody needs another place card frame, or a bottle of crummy wine with your name on it," Blum says. It may seem like a small expense, but even cheap trinkets add up when you have a lot of guests. Odds are, there will be no complaints if you skip the favor entirely. (Cochran also points to money-wasting extras like toasting flutes as a bad idea.) If you really want to give your guests favors, Blum suggests something edible. "You'd be much better off to have all your bridesmaids or ushers bake cookies and enclose a great recipe," she says. Another nice touch: offering a coffee cake or brioche on the way out for the next morning's breakfast.
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
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