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Engaged couples cut wedding expenses
during tough times

Johanna Henao/MUJW
Tina Bradley, master designer at Allen's Flowers, arranges a wedding floral design on July 17. Multi-purpose arrangements, which can be used for both the wedding ceremony and the reception, are often implemented to reduce wedding costs.

By JOHANNA HENAO
Klein Collins High School

COLUMBIA — Catherine Fischer is getting a lot of her wedding presents before her wedding day.

Friends and family are helping her have a low-cost, simple wedding. Fischer's sister will do the bride's and bridesmaids' hair, and other friends and family members will help with the catering and music. Fischer won't have her nails done for the big day, and she will have simple flower decorations.

Like many, Fischer, 26, is looking to keep costs down during the recession. Fischer is using family and friends to lower her expenses for her July 25 wedding in St. Louis, and there are other ways for couples to keep costs from spiraling out of control.

The average wedding in Columbia costs $17,134 to $28,557, not including a honeymoon or engagement ring, according to costofwedding.com. For the first quarter of 2009, the average wedding cost $19,210, the lowest in a decade, according to the site. Several businesses have felt the cutbacks.

"Brides are spending 60 to 65 percent on what they used to spend on a wedding," said Ruth LaHue, store manager of My Secret Garden.

"Economy has affected the weddings," LaHue said. "The same amount of weddings are happening, but most brides are using three or four bridesmaids instead of seven. There is still some extravagance on some details on the weddings. What we're seeing a lot of is if they're having a big reception, we would decorate half the tables with big centerpieces and the other half with more simple ones."

Some brides have used the same flower arrangement for the ceremony and the reception, said Darla Manley, master designer at Allen's Flowers.

In addition to saving money on flowers, couples have resorted to using iPods instead of hiring bands or disc jockeys.

An increase in iPod use has affected business for Greg Hill, a wedding entertainer.

"The idea of a DJ is to play the right music at the right time,'' Hill said. "Using an iPod as a resort is like going to Goodwill to buy a dress."

Cutting back also means smaller guest lists.

"The guest list has come down,'' said Barry Homan, who owns Alpine Park & Gardens, which hosts receptions. "I think invitations are being sent, but people are not coming because they do not have the money to afford all the transportation, the gifts and the hotel fees to attend the wedding."

The recession has also taken a bite out of wedding cakes. Becky Robinson, an event planner, said ordering a simple cake can save about $200. Robinson is getting more orders for smaller cakes, which are two tiers and serve about 50 people for $75 to $125.

Fischer, a manager at Shakespeare's Pizza until she moved back to St. Louis this week, didn't skimp on her wedding cake, but her dress is another matter; she spent about $500 for her dress.

"I ended up buying two dresses since they were both very cheap, and after I chose the dress I wanted to wear, I put the other dress up on eBay," Fischer said.

Fischer has sold the dress; she also saved money by having her reception at a site that includes catering.

"It took a long time searching for a good place that could give me a good deal for the reception, but at the end it was worth it," Fischer said.

After a year of planning and only a few days until her wedding, Fischer had some advice for future brides to help them enjoy planning their wedding: "Don't stress about it. If you stress, it only makes it worse. By not stressing, you will have more fun and enjoy your wedding."