Economy dampens wedding plans

I read this article on Newsday.com today and I thought I would share it. Weddings can have a have hefty price tag and many clients I have met with recently have down sized their wedding plans in order to save money as well. But one piece of advice I will give is, don't sacrifice quality to save a buck. There are ways to save when planning your wedding but you don't want your wedding to appear as if it was on a budget.

Has the economy changed your wedding plans? Please send in your comments.

Economy dampens wedding plans
By Arielle Brechisci and Michelle Trauring October 14, 2008

A fairy tale wedding never took a recession into consideration.

“We started planning our wedding a year” said Lori Sabetello, 27, of Mount Sinai. “If we were doing it now, and this is how the economy was, we would have invited less people or had it at a less expensive place.”

Business catering to Long Island weddings- events frequently considered to be models of extravagance – are feeling the pinch as more and more couples worried about the souring economy scale back their festivities.

“I would say it’s the slowest it’s been in 15 years” said Victoria Buckwald, co-owner of Angel Bridals, a bridal shop in East Islip.

“More girls have a specific budget in mind, and it’s down from the budget that they would have had a year ago” said Buckwald she began noticing changes in brides's spending habits about a year and half ago.

Buckwald said she's notices women borrowing headpieces and other accessories from their friends, or buying wedding dresses off the rack and having the alterations made instead of custom-ordering a gown.

“You look to save money in any way that you can” said Sabatello, whose wedding to her high school sweetheart is Nov 7 at Infant Jesus Roman Catholic Church in Port Jefferson. “It’s a lot of money when you start adding everything up.”

Gary Cress, fourth-generation owner of James Cress Florists in Smithtown and Port Jefferson, feels the impact of price-conscious brides on his cash register.

For one recent wedding, Cress’ shop crafted the table arrangements – but that was all.

“The bride went to Stop & Shop & for the bouquets” he said. “ I was absolutely floored”

In years past, Cress said, it wasn’t unusual for brides to come to him and say they have consulted with two other florists. Now, it’s more like seven or 10. “The competition is much more prevalent,” he said.

To stay afloat, Cress finds himself changing this sales tactics. He hasn’t lowered prices generally but he is negotiating more with brides on the cost.

“I don’t let any brides walk,” he said. “If they come in with a certain amount of money to spend, I give them their flowers. You can’t let some supermarket do your wedding. It needs to be done correctly.”

Guest list also are taking a hit. Michael Burbage, banquet coordinator for Beckwith Pointe Catering in New Rochelle, said Friday that many guest are not attending his client’s weddings because they can’t afford the travel and hotel costs, or even an adequate gift.

“I have a couple getting married this weekend and almost 35 percent of guest said no.” said Burbage, whose clientele is about 10 percent Long Islanders. Couples have resorted to “going to their C and D lists” to maintain the minimum number of guest needed to keep their room, he said.

Sabatello said that our of 180 guest she and her fiancé invited, 120 responded with one week left to go until the RSVP date. So far, 21 guest – mostly from out of state – declined the invitation.

Debbie Golden, 26 of Coram, has a guest list of 125 and is counting on 100 showing up at wedding in May. “We didn’t invite a lot of out-of-towners,” she said, so there’s no need to worry about long distance cancellations.

But one of the out-of-townser is her sister – who’s in the wedding.

“She’ll show up. Well, hopefully,” she said with a laugh.

Many long Island catering halls haven’t noticed a big change since the economic slump. Bruce Cocchi, banquet director of Watermill Caterers in Smithtown, said he’s notices a slight decrease, “but nothing dramatic,” in guest attendance.

“Maybe some people are concerned about their jobs and giving gifts,” Cocchi said, but I think most people, when it comes to a wedding, realize that the importance of the date has to be supersede something as superficial as money.”

Takiyah & Roy October 5, 2008 They did it for love!!

Congratulations to Takiyah and Roy Henderson. They were my recent clients that tied the knot on Sunday, October 5, 2008. It was an absolute pleasure working with this couple. The bride came to me when she had a décor hurdle she wasn’t sure how to fix. She knew what she wanted but didn’t want to blow her budget achieving it. We worked together and got creative with the décor options to help stay within her desired budget. She wanted to incorporate the color red with the aqua bridesmaids’ dresses she had chosen. The final look was fabulous!!

The centerpieces were a mix of black baccaria, red france and hot pink roses set on a tall stand filled with pink colored water.

The ceremony décor was simple yet elegant. The aisle was filled with rose petals and the alter was a simple arrangement of long stem red roses with branches for a touch of fall.

Roy was a calm and low maintenance groom with one request. He wanted to make sure his family and friends had a good time and they all shared in their special day. My favorite moments were the groom’s heartfelt speech to his bride and his guest. He shared a story about each guest and expressed how everyone had touched their lives. It was so amazing!!

And then the bride made a big entrance in a beautiful red strapless mermaid dress to go with the color scheme and theme of the day. It was a perfect entrance and it got everyone on the dance floor as they stepped in the name of love.

It was a beautiful day and I will always remember Takiyah and Roy!! Best of luck to you!!

Fall Wedding Favors!!

http://www.favorideas.com/

The fall wedding season is in full swing and I’m so excited. I came across these wonderful fall themed favor boxes that will add a special touch to a fall themed wedding. You can choose the fully assembled boxes that comes with your choice of candy, candles or flavored almonds. Or you can have the flat boxes you assemble yourself and fill with your choice of goodies. M&M’s are my favorite!! You can order customize M&M's from mymms.com or if you live in NYC, you can go to the mega M&M store in Time Square and get pounds of M&M's in a array of colors.

Happy Planning,

Deniesha Joseph

Couture Events by D

Designed by me, Just for you

http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/

718.938.4713

Planning on a budget!!

With all of the turmoil with the economy these days, it has inspired me to write about Brides on a Budget. Many couples are opting for a low profile wedding. To all the brides that are planning a wedding on a budget, please know that it can be done, even if you live in NY. Many brides believe because they are on a budget, they can’t afford a wedding planner/coordinator. This is completely false. Most wedding coordinators, if not all have different packages to choose from. You should choose the package that offers support and guidance throughout the planning process and day of coordination. This package is usually less expensive than a full service planning package. This will give you help with making decisions and they can use their resources to help you find vendors that work with your budget. They will also be there the day of your wedding to execute your vision. The reason I suggest hiring a wedding planner is not because I am a fellow planner. It’s because I have worked with brides on a tight budget and they usually come to me when it’s too late to help them. We are here to help not to make matters worse. Of course there are some planners you may not be able to afford but shop around, I’m sure you will find one. There are many talented wedding planners out there. (myself included, wink wink) Here are some more tips for saving money on your wedding day.


Be a DIY Bride!!
Are you crafty? Well put it to work my glue gun toting bride!! There are many ways to use this talent that will save you money. Your wedding stationary is one of them. There are many DIY kits on the market that will give professional and polished stationary. You can also check with your local stationary store for design programs and a wide selection of paper. My favorite stationary store is Paper Presentation located on 18th Street in NYC. They have a huge selection of paper and accessories with a knowledgeable staff that can help you choose the right items for your needs. You can also put your craft skills to use by making your own favors. CD’s are very inexpensive to create and it’s useful to your guest. The right play list will go a long way.


Making budget conscience decisions!!
The choices you make during the planning process will help you stay within your desired budget. For example, having an early Sunday wedding is less expensive than the ever popular Saturday night wedding. A buffet style reception is also less than having a formal sit down dinner. Your floral designs are also a big ticket item. If you love the look of tall lavish center pieces, how about mixing in some low center pieces. This will give you the look you want and still save some money. Another easy way to save is to cut down the guest list where ever possible. The more guest you have, the more expenses you will have. Look over your list and see which guest can be eliminated without hurting their feelings. This may only equate to 10 people but it’s 10 less seats to pay for, 10 less favors, 10 less invitations and the list goes on. This can save you hundreds of dollars in the end. The right decisions will go a long way in the end.


Track your spending!!
By keeping an accurate account of your expenses, it will help you make budget conscious decisions. For example, if you went over budget for your reception, you can cut cost in another area like the invitations. Being aware of your cost will keep you on top of your budget at all times. You don’t want to be surprised with a 50k bill and your desired budget was really 30k. Create a spread sheet and punch in you expenses as they occur. This will help you keep track of your spending and you will always have a clear picture of the final cost of your wedding.



Happy Planning!!

Deniesha Joseph

Couture Events by D

http://www.coutureventsbyd.com/

718.938.4713