Wedding Costs Shared
By Both Bride, Groom
By ANNETTE BUCHANAN
Emerald Managing Editor
There's no ceiling on poten
tial wedding expenses. Costs can
soar as rapidly as the spirits of
the bride-to-be. Nevertheless the
expenditure for an adequate wed
•ding need not rival the national
debt despite anguished cries from
father.
Expenses aren’t one-sided
though. The groom may well dis
cover that he is spending as much
as the bride’s family. And many
more-or-less independent college
or working men discover that
they are footing the bill, not mom
my and daddy. The bride thinks
she has problems! Just wait until
your chosen one realizes what his
obligations are.
Everyone of those nice “Bridal
Books” is very explicit—on cus
toms, propriety, tradition, wed
ding ettiquette—and they all dis
agree. If Emily Post says white
Amy Vanderbilt will say black.
You can almost count on it So
pick one authority and stay with
it, for better or worse.
Estimate Cost
When the bride’s father first
hears that word “wedding” he
starts contemplating dollars—by
the thousands. He could save the
whole family a lot of trouble by
estimating before he contem
plates.
That’s the first step—estimate.
Hour much can the family afford?
Never- mind if it sounds insignifi
cant. You can plan a wedding for
$500 or less—and it beats going
into debt.
The bride and her family face
certain major costs: wedding
dress, flowers, invitations, cake,
photographs, and church costs.
The groom and his family have
a listof their own: rehearsal din
ner; flowers for the bride and the
mothers, boutonnierres for the
men, clothes rental, bachelor din
ner, and THE HONEYMOON.
B6th the bride and the groom
will have to buy gifts for their
attendants and for each other.
That’s right guys, its'not enough
to give her yourself, she deserves
a present too. But the bride’s gift
to the groom is optional. . . .
So, those are the items, now
for the money.
Shop Around
The bride will find beautiful
wedding dresses for $200 or $300.
Shop around for a while though,
there are some nice gowns for
about $60. Or if there’s a seam
stress handy, a dress can be made
at a good saving. And don’t over
look the possibility of renting a
dress. Remember it’s only worn
once.
Flowers come next. Again,
costs can run into the hundreds.
BUt: tell the florist your problem
and he will come up with some
thing perfectly adequate for about
$80.
The cake and invitations are
two good items to save money on.
Consider getting a small tiered
bride’s cake plus sufficient sheet
cakes to serve guests. Remember
that only two-third of those who
attend the ceremony will stay at
the reception long enough to
eat.
Genuine engraved, deckle
edged, parchment invitations with
enclosures are beautiful. But
many of the new processes look
like engravings at less than half
the cost. And its. no longer a
serious breach of etiquette to
disregard enclosures.
Photography
Photographs can be a problem.
Color is nice, but remember that
you get what you pay for, and
cheap color is likely to be bad
color. It is better to stay with
black-and-white. And don’t have
a friend photograph your wed
ding unless he’s a professional.
An amateur just can’t do an ade
quate job—don’t take the chance.
Church costs aren’t very flex
ible. But if you are a member
of the church you plan to be mar
ried in, you can save as much as
one-half. Non-member costs at
one church are $75 for the wed
ding, including organist, custo
dian. services of the hostess, and
room for the reception.
Catering costs (through the
church) are about $50 for the
first 100 guests, including coffee,
tea, cream, sugar, mints, nuts,
silver, china, and crystal.
The groom can cut costs in
several areas, often depending on
local customs. The rehearsal din
ner is often optional, in some
communities it too is given by
the bride’s parents. And it does
n't have to be a sit down dinner.
It can be an informal buffet at
home or a dessert.
Flower Choice
Flowers must be in keeping
with the others used. Again let
the florist help you out. He knows
where you can save money and
hell tell you.
The bachelor dinner is also
optional. Sometimes it is given
by the best man rattier than by
the groom. Traditionally, the
groom rents clothes for the men
and buys the accessories for them.
This still holds true in many
parts of California, but further
north, in Washington, the men
! expect to pay for their own. Ken
i tal costs run about $10-$12 for
semi-formal or formal wear.
Finally, the honeymoon. Don *
cut it entirely. But remember
there’s no need to go to an ex
pensive resort You aren’t going
to notice anything anyway. One
couple went to Yosemite after
their June wedding. When they
returned the next year for their
first anniversary, they were
amazed at all the people there
They were convinced they had
the whole park to themselves the
year before. Not too oblivious. . . .
So there you have it—costs, re
sponsibilities. It looks so simple.
It’s not. It's hell. But it can be
done. And it’s worth it. I think.
Someday. When it’s all over. 1
should live so long.
It is worth it.
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