Area wedding consultants say that with some strict budgeting and creativity, area brides aren’t letting inflation or the rising cost of fuel tank the day of their dreams.
“The trend I’m seeing is toward less decoration on the altar, simpler ceremonies with the reception being the highlight of the wedding,” said Peggy Holder, owner of Peggy’s Petals Complete Wedding Service.
“I see mores brides coming in with budgets now, about 50 percent,” said Tonya Hickey, owner of Cake Gallery. “I know several people who have dropped grooms’ cakes just because of budget issues.”
The average wedding budget is $14,250, according to The Wedding Report, a wedding statistics and market research company, but the average spent is $28,800. The report shows that across the country, couples only budget about half of what their weddings will actually cost.
“My dad set a budget because my parents are paying for the traditional bridal expenses,” said Paulette Nieves, who is marrying Travis Schievelhud in April 2009.
Miss Nieves said the couple began planning now “because we’re trying to get it done before UT football season.”
“I thought I had an incredible budget to deal with, but now I’m finding we’ll work to stay in the budget. Everything I had in mind I’m finding is very expensive,” Miss Nieves said. She added she has already had to exclude her gown from the budget in order not to go over.
Amanda Williams, events planner with Divine Designs, says she has seen “a definite decrease” in money being spent on weddings. She adds that although hiring a wedding planner may seem an additional expense, it actually saves brides money by eliminating trips to numerous bridal vendors.
“The wedding coordinator has their overall budget. By the time they come to me, I know about what they want to spend as far as decorations, then we target what fits their budget and how we can stretch their dollars.”
Virginia and Camp Craig of Corpus Christi, Texas, fell in love with Chattanooga — and each other — while they were summer camp counselors here. She was from Jasper, Ga., and he lived in Jackson, Miss. Mrs. Craig said one would travel to Chattanooga while the other was working a camp, and they would date on weekends in the Scenic City.
They decided to marry in the town where they fell in love, repeating their vows July 7, 2007, at Baylor Chapel.
“One of the first things we did was get a wedding planner. It was worth every penny because she knew prices there,” said Mrs. Craig.
Mrs. Craig said the two had done graphic-design work during college. They cut their printing expenses by designing their own invitations. Mr. Craig created the invitations, save-the-date cards, labels for welcome gifts left at hotels for out-of-town guests and their wedding program. He also created their wedding Web site.
“Graphic designers charge $40 to $80 an hour, so we saved a lot of money and knew exactly what we were getting,” Mrs. Craig said.
According to theknot.com, the bulk of the every wedding budget is spent on the reception, as much as 65 percent. While national trends show more brides are choosing to hold afternoon weddings to avoid serving dinner at their receptions, local consultants say that isn’t the case locally.
“People are enjoying receptions more now than ever,” said Ms. Holder. “If a girl wants a 5 or 6 o’clock wedding, there is nothing wrong with choosing hors d’oeuvres even at that hour.
“The last wedding I did, the bride presented an all-dessert reception for an evening wedding. She said she wanted everybody to feel like a child again,” Ms. Holder said.
“Couples are starting to plan further out so they know how much money they need to save,” Ms. Williams said. If sticker shock scares them, they are even postponing weddings to have time to save the needed amount, she noted.
Planning ahead is why Casey Prosis and David Swindall attended the recent Premier Bridal Show. They are marrying in September 2009.
“We’re planning a year ahead so we don’t have to rush when it gets closer to time. We’ll have everything planned out and can be relaxed at that time,” said Mr. Swindall.
