Tag Archives: Atlanta GA

Choosing a Wedding Gown When You Have Restrictions

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I’m getting married in a cathedral. I can wear an open-back mermaid wedding gown, can’t I?!

Okay, ladies, let’s touch on a subject that often comes up in bridal-salon appointments, leaving brides scratching their heads in confusion. You’re looking in the three-way mirror and trying to figure out if you really love a wedding gown. As your excitement grows you begin to realize that your back and shoulders are fully exposed, and your maid of honor shouts out, “I think the church may have a problem with you being so exposed!” Excitement turns to frustration, and the one gown you’re falling in love with is turning into an obstacle.

Here are a few tips to ensure you don’t have this problem, and  a few things to discuss with your wedding planner.

1. At your first wedding-planner meeting take some time to discuss the ideas you have for your ceremony. Location? Décor? And mention to her that you would really like it if she can research the requirements to get married in a church with rules on attire.

Holy Ghost Catholic Church, New Orleans

2. Don’t book your bridal-gown appointment until you have a clear and definite answer about the church. I would even recommend getting the requirements in writing. This way you can know for sure that you won’t get kicked out of the church on your wedding day!

3. Once you find out the parameters, tell your families before you walk into the bridal salon. If you’re at my bridal salon in Atlanta, Ga., or at one of the sample-rack sales we sponsor all over the U.S., the consultant will ask you for the ceremony guidelines. But if you’re not at my salon immediately tell your gown consultant! This will enable her to make sure she shows you gowns that are appropriate for your venue.

Now, don’t get down on yourself if your wedding planner tells you, “Sorry! NO strapless gowns in the church.” Just find ways to make it work! Here are some examples:

1. If you fall in love with a gown that doesn’t meet the venue’s requirements just find a way to enhance so it works for everyone. A small lace or satin jacket, if well-made, can actually make your wedding gown look better. Or if you are into bling and feathers try a miniature, off-the-shoulder shawl. Later you can pull a jacket or shawl off and dance your feet off!

Designer: Rina di Montella

2. How about a second dress? I know, I know. You’re thinking, “That’s more money.” The best thing to do is to take your budget for attire and cut it in half. Have one gown for your ceremony and another for your reception. This will make sure you’re still fab (and happy) and your guests will be surprised.

3. If none of those examples work you can do one of two things. First, consider changing your ceremony venue. I would hate for you to do this, but you have to do what you have to do. Second, if your wedding gown is super important you can bend the rules a little bit. No, it’s not the best advice, but just be mindful of what the church considers strapless. Just make sure your intentions are good, and you just want to buy the wedding gown of your dreams.

At the end of the day try to remember that you’re about to marry the man of your dreams! So work with your wedding planner, and in turn they will work with the venue to ensure you are wearing the correct dress and a dress you love!

Tune in to my website to see if our Sample Rack sale is coming to a city near you!

Maximizing Your Wedding Budget

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Have you asked yourself, “How can I maximize my wedding budget to work for me, not against me?” Let’s get right to the point: Most brides get engaged unexpectedly so having all your ducks (and his ducks) in one basket is more than likely not already the case. Once you’re engaged, however, you should really have an open line of communication with your soon-to-be husband about who will pay for what and how it will be paid for!

Take for example Samantha and Jared. Samantha works as a receptionist for a local law firm and Jarred is in IT. Their combined annual gross income is about $80,000. They had really never thought about the cost of a wedding, but they decide to have a long engagement so they can sort out a plan of action before taking on such a huge financial burden.

Long engagements are a good idea if you are concerned with your financial outcome. If you’re not worried about money, mainly because a family member is taking care of all or part of the wedding expenses, you should still be considerate of their wallets and household needs. It’s best that you use a wedding-day financial chart to help ensure that everyone understands what to do and how to do it before you pick out a $10,000 Vera Wang ball gown. The best place to start is to have an accurate account of everyone who is participating financially for your wedding. Then decide how many guests you will invite. Once you get that number all parties must agree to stick to that number. Going over your allotted guest count can cost thousands of dollars and cause a big headache!

This simple chart is a great way to figure out what is most important to you as a couple on your wedding day and what may be of non-necessity. Each percentage is the recommended amount per section of a wedding. If followed correctly you’ll have a great wedding and not go over budget.

Food & Beverage 30% Flowers & Décor 15%
Extra Cushion 3% Entertainment 5%
Venue Rental 10% Lighting & Sound 5%
Tipping 1% Photo & Video 6%
Cake 4% Printed Materials 2%
Transportation 2% Hair & Makeup 2%
Dress 2 % Accessories 1 %
Planning 10% Misc. 2%

Now take your budget and multiply it by each item on the list. This will help you decide where to take money from if the photographer you want to hire is more important to the both of you than catering. For example: Your wedding budget is $25,000. Take $25,000 and multiply it by .30. This gives you a budget of $7,500 for total food costs, which is about $50 a person for a guest list of 150 people.

Now you do it!

Budget $ _____________________

Breakdown by Budget Amount:

$ Food & Beverage  30% $ Flowers & Décor 7%
$ Extra Cushion 3% $ Entertainment 5%
$ Venue Rental 10% $ Lighting & Sound 5%
$ Tipping 1% $ Photo & Video 6%
$ Cake 4% $ Printed Materials 4%
$ Transportation 2% $ Hair & Makeup 2%
$ Dress & Tuxedo 8 % $ Accessories 1 %
$ Planning/ Set & Strike 10% $ Misc.  2%

Just by using this simple chart you can decide and know how much you can spend per wedding item and know what is most important to you. Then you can stop asking yourself, “How can I maximize my budget to work for me, not against me?” Just to stick to the budget sheet and the wedding you’ve always wanted won’t be too far out of reach!