Don’t Pay Retail for Wedding Dresses

You do NOT have to pay retail for your perfect wedding dress — I don’t care what you budget is! Want to know how?  There are numerous options when it comes to shopping for your wedding dress.  But as the saying goes, “nothing ventured, noting gained,” and it’s the same when looking for affordable wedding dresses! It’s likely to take some time and effort, but that’s no problem — we’re on a mission; so, either lace up your comfortable shoes or, as I do, just leave your PJs on and do what many brides are doing today and that’s shop online.

Shopping for wedding dresses remain the most mind boggling job of the whole wedding planning process, and I believe that’s because it’s an emotional purchase!  We want to look and feel extraordinary for our self, our groom, and our relatives and friends… it’s just part of it.  However, in your heart you know that if you use some of the money for the down payment on your house or the tuition for your grad school, it will make you an unhappy camper in the end – so whether your search is for affordable wedding dresses on the glamorous side with lace and pearls and big bouffant skirts or you are looking for princess style informal wedding gowns – cheap, these tips will help you in that search!

1. Don’t go to the “bridal section” of a department store — much better deals are to be found looking for wedding dresses that pose as formal evening wear or even prom dresses.  Without the “tag” of wedding dress on them, you can save hundreds of dollars.
2. Consignment shops or high end second hand shops are another great option to look for wedding dresses.  Most of them won’t even accept merchandise unless it’s in absolutely pristine condition.  Go back often if you don’t find something the first time around as they get new items every day, and definitely meander a distance away if need be to drive to stores in areas of affluence.
3. Thrift stores are another option you would be surprised what you can find at.  Informal wedding gowns cheap, does not necessarily mean cheaply made at a thrift store; in many cases you will find a real gem.  Don’t shy away from a wedding gown that is perfect in every way, except being in need of some repair – these repairs, for a tailor, are most likely minor.  And like consignment stores, go back often and check locations that are in affluent areas.
4. If your timing is right, look for wedding dresses after the month of June because that’s when many wedding dresses go on sale.
5. Ask about the sample or floor model gowns.  Some discontinued wedding dresses are very inexpensive compared to most other bridal gowns.
6. EBay is another great venue for finding inexpensive gowns.  However, and there’s a big however here, you need to be careful because you are mostly dealing with individuals as opposed to companies and in an effort to create needed funds they “might” be a little less than honest.  I think this is a viable source but would only use it if the seller is local and you can look at the dress before buying.  Or, at a minimum it must have a photo of the dress from every angle.
7. For local advertising, try the Penny Saver, Craig’s List, and newspapers, these are all great sources and since it is local you are able to go look at it before buying – or if they say you cannot come to them to see it, don’t buy it!
8. What about renting your dress? Some clothing rental stores have wedding dresses in stock and you might even find a store near you that rents weeding dresses. Some shops may be willing to order a brand-new version of one of the used ones in the store – you’ll still be renting it, but you’ll be the first to wear it.  On the downside, you probably won’t find the selection you’d find at a bridal store, warehouse outlet or online, but you can expect a 90% discount on your bridal gown if you rent it – that’s a $1000 gown for $100
9. Borrow a dress – don’t cringe at this thought. Remember that you will be wearing the wedding gown for a single day, so what’s the harm in borrowing it? I know this isn’t always easy to do, but if you want to trim down expenses then borrowing can be a viable option. So, if you have a family member or friend who is close to your size and who flaunted an elegant and stylish gown on her wedding then you are lucky! Ask that concerned person if she is willing to share, and who wouldn’t want to bring their dress out again and see someone they care about get use from it.  Don’t worry if it’s not a perfect fit, wedding dresses usually can be altered up to 2 sizes in either direction.
10. If brand new is important to you, then I think the best way to find brand new yet inexpensive wedding dresses is to shop online.  You’ll find all styles of wedding dresses online from an elegant Scarlet O’Hara big-hooped skirt style to fashionable informal wedding gowns, and compared to retail, you’ll find them pretty cheap − I don’t mean cheaply made, better I should say reasonably priced! If you are unsure about purchasing wedding dresses online, then you might want to visit our article titled “5-Minute Guide to Buying Affordable Wedding Dresses Online.”

Wedding dresses that look great, at a price you can afford, are easier to find than you might think. The trick is not to allow your common sense to be overruled by your emotions when you go shopping, otherwise you might easily talk yourself into spending more than you can really afford. There is a ALWAYS an economical yet perfect choice when you take the time to research it!  Go get ‘em…

By Cheryl Cox, Editor of YourWeddingDollars.com, See “Note from the Editor” for more information on Cheryl and her credentials.

“Create Your Own Wedding — Own Your Style, Not Someone Else’s — and do it all while keeping money in your pocket!”

How to Save Money Tips – 30 Easy Ways, Part I

Wouldn’t it be great if you were able to increase your wedding dollars budget by saving some extra cash in the months prior to the big day that you could use for the honeymoon or to put toward something you really wanted for your wedding but at first couldn’t figure out a way to pull it off?  Answer? YES!

We found some fantastic savings ideas that I bet you are not doing.  These “how do you save money” tips are great not only for helping you save some extra cash for your BIG Day, but let’s think even bigger than that – we all need to learn how to watch what we spend because we don’t become financially independent by spending all that we have; we do it by finding ways to save and build on what we have!

Since we consider these tips very important and don’t want you to fall asleep while reading all 30 “how to save money tips,” we decided it best to break this up into 3 Parts.

So – How Do You Save Money?  Part I:

1. Cook at home often:  If you both work, on top of finding time to plan a wedding, we understand this can be a bit difficult.  But start out by reducing the times you eat out by one each week and slowly increase the frequency until you find a balance between saving money and getting stressed out.  Find ways to make this doable!  Maybe one time a week you make it a “combined” effort, another time it’s all up to you and the next time it’s all up to your fiancé.  That way there’s only 1 of the 3 times that really felt a little stressful and each of you gets 2 times that it was no big deal.  Go to Trader Joe’s and Costco, they have great pre-packaged meals you can heat up – and they’re good, I should know; we buy them all the time!  Some are better than others; just keeping trying and tasting and you will find some real “foodie” jackpots!!
2. Make your own coffee:  My kids are Starbucks Caffe Latte (non-fat of course) addicts.  It’s not financially healthy!  Don’t get me wrong, I love it myself, and I treat myself a couple times a month, but that’s it.  If you make a daily trip (or both of you  x only 3 times a week) to any local specialty coffee shop, that’s over a thousand dollars a year, and that’s not counting any croissants or muffins you saw while you were there (which play havoc on the waistline as well).  In the long wrong you would be better off purchasing a great coffee maker for $100, a grinder and coffee beans.  You’ll save money, be able to enjoy a cup whenever you want one, and avoid the seeing the bakery goodies.  I’ve found Green Mountain Coffee to be one of the tastiest around and if you purchase through their Café Express, they offer a savings.
3. Brown bag lunch at least a few days a week:  I understand that lunch out with co-workers, the boss, or even a friend or relative is great networking and/or quality time with loved ones, BUT it adds up fast!  Find a balance between saving money with brown-bagging and making “connections” – as they are both important!  I used to order a Cobb Salad with Iced Tea at a chain restaurant across the street from me at a hefty cost of $11.41 each time (not counting tip as it was take out!).  I’ve since come to realize I can buy just as good a salad at Trader Joe’s or Costco for about 4 bucks per serving!
4. Make a list before going shopping:  You’ve heard the term “impulse buying;” well, they call it that for a reason.  We all simply have a very tough time resisting temptations to purchase extras while shopping.  In fact another tip wrapped up in this ought to be:  DON’T go shopping on an empty stomach (that’s one of my main problems)!  But back to the list… without a list, we buy items that we simply don’t need.  Pre-plan your trips to the store by making a list before hand and sticking to it (NO impulse buying), and having a list helps you to get all you need in one trip avoiding another unnecessary trip and the temptation that goes with it!
5. Go grocery shopping while you are in a hurry:  OK, this is definitely a new idea I’m going to use – I hadn’t thought of this before, but it makes total sense!  Armed with your grocery list and little time to carry out the task at hand due to something else you must (or want) to attend to, and you should be In-N-Out (not talking the burger place) with no repercussions lickity split.
6. Watch out for expiration dates on perishable goods.  Might seem simple, and it may not be one of the bigger savers; however, you’d be surprised how many people do not pay attention to expiration dates.  There’s no point buying a gallon of milk if it’s going to turn sour within a couple of days.  The same goes for meat, eggs, yogurt, spreads, deli/bakery items, etc.  There are some people (my husband included, I’m sad to acknowledge) that say you can use a few items a few days after the expiration date; personally, I value my health more than money and would rather avoid buying such items in the first place!
7. Buy in bulk whenever possible:  For non-perishable items, buy in bulk whenever you find something on sale.  Items you can stock up on are cereals, canned goods, rice, pasta, sodas, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, TP, etc.  Shopping at Costco or Sam’s Club type stores can save you quite a bit of money provided you stick strictly to your shopping list when you go to these places.  I have to admit these places get me a bit – I always seem to walk out with one of those big round containers of red vines that were definitely not on my list!  So, be truthful with yourself, if you don’t have the discipline, then going to those warehouse type stores is probably not worth it for you.
8. Buy generic products whenever possible:  Does it really matter whether your cereal is made by Kelloggs or is the store brand?  Does it matter if your milk is Borden or the store brand?  There are a few things I just can’t switch from my brand name product on (I am a Diet Coke fan), but for most other items I don’t mind generic store brands if they can save me money.  Find what works for you, taste the items, give them a chance and then decide which items you can be OK with switching to generic brands.  There are probably more than you think!  Did you know that most of the items you think come from “somewhere” come from “somewhere else”?
9. Use grocery store bags to line trash cans:  This a great tip, unless you have a dog because then of course we need to use our grocery bags for, well, you know what…  But this is the kind of thinking we need to be doing.  Instead of buying garbage bags, line you smaller garbage cans with plastic grocery bags and you not only save money but are recycling at the same time!
10. Bottle your own water:  Drinking water is good for your health – we all know that.  Bottled water is the most convenient as it can provide protection against accidental spills and of course it’s easy to carry around with you.  That said, buy bottled water only once in a while, or better yet, buy a permanent type water holder, and then reuse that bottle to fill with your own water.  If you are not happy with tap water, as I’m not (just a phobia I have) then invest in a Brita Filter Pitcher or something similar – in the long run it will save a lot of money!

How to Save Money Tips 11-20 will be published in the next couple weeks.  Check back or subscribe to our website to be notified of when Part II is released.

Incorporate more and more of these tips into your life and the savings will add up, and you will be pleasantly surprised to find out that you can actually save thousands of dollars over the course of a year.

By Cheryl Cox, Editor of YourWeddingDollars.com, See “Note from the Editor” for more information on Cheryl and her credentials.

“Create Your Own Wedding — Own Your Style, Not Someone Else’s — and do it all while keeping money in your pocket!”

Our Top 2 Software for Weddings Programs

We researched several of the Wedding Planning Software programs on the market and have come up with our Top 2 choices for software for weddings.  For about the cost of one week’s worth of Caffe Lattes from Starbucks, you could be benefiting from either of these great tools.  OK, I know it’s hard to give up that Latte, but you have a very important event ahead of you, and if you want help keeping track of your wedding dollars, I think the investment is well worth it.

Of course, it may just be me that feels this way, but I definitely find financial and organizational software programs worth their weight in gold.  I’ve kept my finances on Quicken for years and I know it’s saved me tons of dollars by being able to run budgets or quickly getting a reality check on things such as How much did we spend on eating out last month? Wow, that much?  Time to get back to barbecuing some chicken at home…  Much healthier too! OK, enough of that, on to the Reviews; oh, and did I mention that both of these software for weddings offer a 30 day money back guarantee!

1. My Wedding Companion

My Wedding Companion has been producing planning software for weddings since 1995, but the release of version 5.0 has improved an already great program with much more flexibility making it truly convenient to use. And if that weren’t enough, another plus to this software is that it comes with 4 helpful bonuses: an eBook titled Essential Wedding Planning Tips and Checklists, a calligraphy font package, the Ultimate Bridal Shower Guide eBook, and a keepsake eBook called Treasured Moments.

A few of the great planning tools that are a part of My Wedding Companion include:

• A guest manager to help track details for even the longest of guest lists
• A gift manager to store all information regarding who gave what and whether or not thank you cards have been sent; and this manager can track items on your gift registry from a number of stores.
• A budget manager that helps you to stay ahead of the countless wedding expenses (IMPORTANT!).
• A label and envelope manager for printing address labels and customized inner and outer invitation envelopes.
• And many other pages to help organize music, menus, vendors, seating and more.

Quality software from a dependable company combined with added bonuses makes this a program worth looking into further, not to mention having, either of which you can do by clicking here.

2. Smart Wedding

Smart Wedding costs a little more than the other one, but as a much awarded software for weddings program, this wedding planning software really understands what’s important to maintain organization in the midst of such a complicated event as planning a wedding. Smart Wedding covers all sorts of details and allows even the most scatter-brained couples (which of course I am not implying any of my wedding couples are) to stay on top of their wedding plans!

Some of the tools this software package includes are:

• A guest list manager that allows you to divide your guests into meaningful groups such as local or out of town guests, and then include other important details such as their accommodation and transportation needs.
• An events section which helps you plan everything from the engagement party to the actual wedding and all the other parties in between.
• A task list manager which is used to specify who does what and when, allowing the bride and groom-to-be to feel confident that people understand what is expected of them.
• A budget template that can be automatically generated or customized and then used to calculate costs and store details about every wedding expense (IMPORTANT!).
• Not to mention, a RSVP manager, a seating manager, a gift tracker, a stationary wizard, and the ability to print reports about almost anything pertaining to the wedding

Wow — there’s a lot of valuable tools packed into this software for weddings planning program! If you want to find out more about Smart Wedding, or wish to purchase it, just click here.

Either of these software for weddings planning programs offer you the “facility” to have somewhere to sort and store all of the intricate details of planning your wedding – which will help you to stay in control of each step of the process – which better helps you stay on top of watching your wedding dollars, and that is what we’re all about!

Please come back to give us your feedback on your experience with either one of these planning programs. We know the future brides and grooms that follow in your footsteps would greatly appreciate and benefit from your personal reviews as well!

By Cheryl Cox, Editor of YourWeddingDollars.com, See “Note from the Editor” for more information on Cheryl and her credentials.

“Create Your Own Wedding — Own Your Style, Not Someone Else’s — and do it all while keeping money in your pocket!”