Tuesday, December 23, 2003
About 2.4 million will be planning their weddings this year.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
At $25,000, Lance and Johanna Smith's Aug. 31 Honolulu beach wedding was what bridal magazines would classify as average.
To the San Francisco couple, the event was as it should be -- a dream come true.
"We'd always talked about a smaller wedding," said Johanna Smith, 29, a project manager for Wells Fargo. "It was the perfect place."
Although $25,000 may seem high to some, experts say all couples -- and about 2.4 million will get married this year -- can have the wedding they want at a price they can afford.
Gerard J. Monaghan, president of the Association of Bridal Consultants, said $19,000 is closer to average because magazines tend to include jewelry in their estimate.
Costs also vary by region.
"If you take the $25,000 . . . and mention that in New York City or Chicago, people would probably laugh," Monaghan said. "Mention it in Alabama and people would cry."
Hawaii, where her husband proposed, has "always kind of been a special place," said Johanna Smith, who frequently visited family on the islands growing up.
The Sheraton Moana Surfrider hotel, where the Smiths wed before 70 guests, is one of Honolulu's grand dames, the first major tourist hotel built on Waikiki Beach.
Cynthia Rankin, director of public relations for Sheraton hotels in Waikiki, said about 10 couples a day are photographed, have their receptions or take their vows on the hotel grounds.
Like many hotels, Sheraton offers a variety of wedding packages that include a minister and vocalist, as well as other amenities, such as a bouquet, champagne toast and guest book.
The packages cost $1,200 to $1,600.
"The wedding packages are extremely popular," Rankin said. "That way the bride doesn't have to worry about anything."
Personalization at the altar is a growing trend, Monaghan said.
The Smiths added a special touch to their day by using a surfboard as a guest book.
Dance hall reception
In Des Moines, Iowa, some couples return to where they first met. About two casual wedding receptions a year take place at The Depot dance hall on the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Secretary Helen Little said Depot receptions start at about $2,000 and can include whatever food and drink the couple requests. The venue, which has mostly outdoor seating, accommodates 500 people and is open May through October.
In Wichita, Kan., Special's Catering can include family favorites in low-cost, custom-made menus. Prices begin at $9.95 per person.
"We sit down with them and talk about what they want to have," said owner Nancy Kuns. "We have a list of things, and if they want something else, we work with them."
In contrast, wedding cakes from Fancy Cakes by Leslie in Gaithersburg, Md., start at $4.75 a slice. Leslie Toyourow creates one-of-a-kind cakes to suit her clients' tastes. In business for eight years, Toyourow has designed about 250 cakes this year.
"I do everything custom-made and made from scratch," she said. "I'm creating the whole thing just for them, so I don't have anything standardized."
Worth remembering
Cutting corners is difficult when shopping for the perfect look for the big day. Brides are often encouraged to splurge on a gown that will make them feel beautiful.
"Ten years from now, will you remember what was served on that extra plate of appetizers, while you look at a photograph of you in a gown that was 'almost' what you wanted?" writes designer Janell Berti on her Web site www.Berti.com.
Berte Ltd. manufactures fashion-forward gowns for 55 retail stores in the United States that sell for $1,500 to $5,000.
Over the last two years, Berte said she has noticed more of her clients opting for less expensive designs.
Also, fewer couples are paying for weddings on their own, she said. Before Sept. 11, 2001, almost half of her clients paid without help from family, compared to about 10 percent now.
"Two years ago they were slapping down money," she said. "I'm not hearing that now. There's been a change."
An answer to many brides' cries for inexpensive wedding gowns is the growing designer outlet industry. The Internet has helped, too.
"People want designer items, but they don't want to pay the money," said Leslie D'Angelo, owner of Vows Bridal Outlet in Newton, Mass.
Provides samples
Through the company's Web site, www.bridepower.com, D'Angelo and her husband have transformed the small bridal consignment shop they started 12 years ago to a company that each week ships about 15 off-the-rack gowns all over the world.
D'Angelo buys sample and overstock gowns and sells them for half the retail price. The store holds about 500 gowns, priced $600 to $3,000, and helps 15 by-appointment only customers per day.
A lot of brides visit the store or Web site in search of a gown they tried on in a retail shop, D'Angelo said.
Brides who have a dress shipped have a few days to return it for almost a full refund.
"People pretty much know when they come into the store that they're getting a sample." D'Angelo said. "It's definitely a little bit of a trade off."