It's hard to believe Russ and I tied the knot exactly two months ago today! The weeks have just flown by, and I must admit that I'm grateful to be on the other side of wedding planning. That being said, I know that being a bride on a budget can be pretty difficult at times. I learned so much while planning our special day, so I wanted to pay it forward by sharing how I outfitted our bridal party on a budget. To all of you brides-to-be out there - I hope this post is helpful to you!
BRIDE
DRESS
After an unfortunate dress-shopping experience at a big box retailer, I decided to try
The Wedding Shoppe, a local boutique recommended by several of my gal pals. The sales girl I was paired with was ah-mazing. Instead of being turned off by my low budget and specific preferences, she listened well and searched all over the store to find options in my price range.
Cost: $322.00 (including shipping fees)
HAIR COMB
Cost: $39.00
EARRINGS
I purchased these simple earrings (full disclosure: they're from Target!) to coordinate with my hair comb.
Cost: $19.99
STICKY BRA
I was a bit nervous about going the backless and strapless route, but this bra ended up being a worry-free, stay-in-place-all-night solution! Would highly recommend - just be sure to follow the directions exactly.
Cost: $24.99
SHOES
Snagged on sale at Famous Footwear: a basic, blush-nude pump (almost exact) that I'll wear again and again.
Cost: $19.99
ALTERATIONS
My mom is a pretty talented seamstress, so she took care of tailoring my dress. Didn't she do a great job?
Cost: $0.00
HAIR
Did it myself! Just one of the billion reasons why I love Pinterest. It really looks a lot more elaborate than it was (similar tutorial here).
Cost: $0.00
MAKEUP
As a wedding gift, one of my friends blessed me with her professional makeup skills. So grateful for her generosity and expertise!
Cost: $0.00
(Technically I did buy a new concealer, but I would've bought that anyways so I'm not including it in the cost.)
BRIDE'S TOTAL: $425.97
BRIDESMAIDS
DRESSES
I spent an afternoon last winter randomly wandering around the mall in search of purple dresses (we had already chosen our wedding colors at this point) and found some classy fit-and-flares at Express. The hue was exactly right, and the silhouette looked great on all five of my bridesmaids! And who knows, maybe the girls will actually wear them again?
P.S. Modcloth and eShakti are also great places to shop for wedding-appropriate dresses under $100.
Cost: $79.80 each
EARRINGS
I made these myself as part of my gift to these wonderful gals. Since I make jewelry on a regular basis for my Etsy shop, I already had the necessary supplies on hand.
Cost: $0.00
SHOES
I asked the gals to wear nude sandals, pumps or flats. Since these are pretty basic in the world of footwear, almost everyone already owned some.
Cost: $0.00*
ALTERATIONS
My mom and I offered our sewing skills, but hardly any alterations were needed.
Cost: $0.00
HAIR
One of my bridesmaids was gifted a free professional styling session by a family friend, and the rest of us went the DIY route, so we didn't spend a cent!
Cost: $0.00
MAKEUP
Also done ourselves, with a little help from my makeup-savvy friend.
Cost: $0.00
BRIDESMAIDS' TOTAL: $79.80 each*
*If I'm remembering correctly, one of my bridesmaids did have to buy shoes, so her total would have been a bit higher.
THE MEN
Most of the men I know own black dress shoes, black dress slacks, and a white shirt, so my then-fiance-now-husband and I decided to use this as a base and then accessorize! We found purple ties that perfectly matched the bridesmaid dresses and black suspenders at Kohl's. My groom simply switched out the suspenders for a light gray vest, which we found at JCP on major clearance for less than $30. Score!
We kept things pretty simple, but the overall look ended up being really nice, especially in pictures. A big thank you to Crystal Klar Photography for the lovely photos that captured our beautiful day!
Thanks for stopping by!
Labels: budgeting, life, living simply, outfits, shopping, style
