® The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, September 28, 1994 13 How to keep wedding | . costs under control By Elizabeth Scheibner Copley News Service You've made the decision to get married. Now you're faced with the arduous challenge of planning a wedding that meets all your ex- pectations but doesn’t send you or your parents to the poorhouse. Unless you've already done your homework, you’ll probably be shocked at how expensive it is to get married. According to Bride's and Your New Home magazine, the average cost of a wedding to- day is about $16,000. While this fig- ure may astound you, there are ways to cut expenses by as much as one-third without taking away any of the fanfare. (> ' The first thing you should do is establish a realistic budget and de- termine who will be responsible for which expenses. This will avoid misunderstandings and hurt feel- ings down the road. , Fortunately, there are no longer rules about who pays for what. Al- though the bride’s parents typical- ly pay for the wedding, more and more couples are footing the bill themselves. It's also becoming ~~ common for the bride’s and groom’s parents to split the wed- ding expenses. ' Once you agree on a budget, the next step is to determine what is most important to you and your fiance. You may decide, for in- stance, that having a sit-down din- ner is more important to you than going on an expensive honeymoon. (Make a list of your priorities and rank them in order of importance. + As a rule, the reception will be about half your total budget; flow- ers, photography, music and the bride’s attire will each represent about 10 percent; invitations are approximately 4 percent, and mis- cellaneous items account for about 6 percent of the total cost. + Keep track of all your expenses. Even minor purchases such as the ““'guest book or toasting glasses should be accounted for so that you'll know if you're staying within your budget. If you have trouble keeping things organized, you may want to invest in a software pro- gram called The Wedding Planner. It keeps track of everything from invitations to budgets and is avail- a Pictorial Wedding Stories Skilled Professional Photographers PHOTOGRAPHY Serving Wyoming Valley For Overy 40 years 138 S. Pennsylvania Ave. 824-0906 able for IBM-PCs and compatibles. A lot of people assume that wed- ding consultants are for those with an unlimited budget, but this isn’t necessarily true. Consultants will work within your budget and, be- cause of their vast knowledge and experience, can actually help you achieve a more lavish wedding than you could afford on your own. Most consultants include their fee in the total budget rather than add- ing it on. The reception, of course, is your biggest expense. If you want to keep costs down, you may want to consider having your wedding ear- ly in the day rather than in the evening. Hosting a breakfast or luncheon is considerably less ex- pensive than a dinner. An even more economical way to go is to offer light hors d’oeuvres. Another way you can save is by offering a no-host bar and letting your guests pay for their own drinks. If that doesn’t appeal to you, you might want to consider serving a champagne punch, which is considerably less expensive than mixed drinks. If you have the flexibility to get married any time, plan an off- season wedding. You'll often re- E23 & i i Call 823-3400 Ask for George OPEN © TUES.-SUNDAY 5:00 AM. TO 9:00 P.M. 290 S. River St., Plains 'BY THE CRQSSVALLEY BRIDGE |, Photographs o All Kodak products * Printed in our lab with the latest in computerized processing equipment Albums ¢ Library or perma bound * Only the finest White can be right for the maids as well as the bride, as demonstrated by this group outfitted by Blum Bros. ceive reduced rates during the fall or winter months. You can also save money by having a weekday wedding. Reception sites vary considera- bly in price. Do as much research as possible before selecting a loca- tion. Hotels are generally the most expensive, while reception halls are typically the most affordable. If your family belongs to a social club or community organization, you might ask if you can rent the facility at a reduced rate. If you're having a small wedding, you might consider having your reception at home. If you've already started perus- ing the bridal shops, you know that wedding dresses typically cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000, while more elaborate dresses can run as high as $8,000. There is no reason you have to spend a small fortune on a dress you'll only wear once. For about $300 to $500, you can rent a gown from a bridal salon. Or you may want to consider wearing your mother’s wedding dress and having it customized to fit your particular taste. Another option is to shop at brid- al closeout sales or purchase dis- counted samples from boutiques or FREE Groom Tux w/ 4 or more ito EGE SE 823-6777 Your TUXEDO SOURCE Call for your Groom's FREE Try-on 16 New Arrivals! alph Lauren Lord West Perry Ellis Pierre Cardin The Dallas Post Fall Bridal Showcase / | i ' ' ! ! ' 1 ! ' ! { ' ! L i t { { | i i | ! | - 26 New Fancy Ties & Cummerbunds} Corner of N. Main & Union St. Wilkes-Barre (Near Kings College) 1 t's so beautiful. I'm going Ochman COINS & JEWELRY 18 Church Street Dallas, Pennsylvania Next to CVS (formerly Rea & Detrick) A Mon., Tues., Wed., Sat. 10-6; Thurs. 10-8:30 « Fri. 10-7 Next to CVS (formerly Rea & Derick) 18 Church St., Dallas 675-5872 department stores. You might even look into having your dress custom-made. It’s often less expen- sive than you think, and you’ll end up with a truly original gown. When it comes to decorations, a great way to cut expenses is by enlisting the help of family and friends. Rather than buying al- ready-made table decorations or centerpieces, ask your friends to help make them. You can also save money by asking a friend or rela- tive to film your wedding as op- posed to hiring a professional vi- deographer (who may charge up to $1,000). For some couples, the honey- moon is the most important aspect You are cordially purchase your bri largest variety carries the A 2 E as the bes for you and your en Featuring the excl dal jewelry at aii ze & More t sele tire wedding P of the wedding. For others, it’s sim- ply an opportunity to get away for a few days and unwind. When plan- ning your honeymoon, be creative. The most expensive honeymoons are not necessarily the best. Often couples have more fun when they choose a nontraditional honey- moon, such as a white-water raft- ing trip down the Colorado River. If you're not sure where you. want to go, you may want to con- : tact a travel agent and ask about | special packages for honeymoon- ers. Often you may be eligible for additional perks such as room up- grades, complimentary cham- pagne, free rental car, etc. : Fost 4 we 0 invited t0 ad Om OQ —- = of styles and colors = VP 2S usive line of IAVAN B Austrian Crysta 7 Mother of Pearl i Silver & Clip Traditional & C0 ur speci & Pierced Gol ntemporary al bride-to-be discount extra special with C222 Hours: Saturday 1 Layaways Available « Visa, Maste og Monday thru Friday 10-8 ot 0-6, Sunday 12-5 rcard & Discover Accepted . 823-3458 654-4606 yl The Gg eozge Taras ok O zchestra "MUSIC THAT MAKES THE MEMORIES" Glenn Miller, The bw isan Pama Bros. and More! v ¥ MUSIC FOR ALL OCCASIONS « BIG BAND SOUNDS oh ; bridesmaid | dresses you'll love | to own and wear gain nd again... | | | oo BRIDE & PROM " § Now Offering Discount Wedding Fackages { ayaways Avaitable | 312 W. Broad St. Hazleton 1205 Wyoming Ave. Forty-Fort 454-1303 287-7674 ' | GEST N 0D.€ 1) D [0 Ieey | 1 J Genetti’s : TUXEDOS : Starting At ; 8 PICLIE | 2S ; nN OVER . — 300 STYLES : FRE DISCOUNT WEDDING | PACKAGE FOR 1994 & 1995 WEDDINGS | : LIMITED TIME OFFER : OPEN MON.-FRI. 11 A.M.-8 P.M. ; SATURDAY 10 A.M.-5 P.M. 823-7658 §
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers