Hi, Y’all! We are so excited to be writing for our friend, Camila Alves, and for all of you here at Women of Today! We publish our tips and tricks all the time on our website, The Sweet Life By Brittany + Cynthia Daniel, but it is really fun to be able to guest post over here at womenoftoday.com. After all, you guys are all about building an amazing community together! For all of you brides-to-be, we hope you enjoy our tips for putting together a chic wedding style on a budget!
XO
Brittany + Cynthia Daniel
So, as some of you may know, Brittany got married last year, and like every other bride she wanted her wedding day to be unique + beautiful. But, she also didn’t want to be paying for it for years to come. We planned all of the details together, and when we first started planning, it felt very overwhelming and looked like it could become very expensive to get the urban chic wedding look she was going for. The good news is that we discovered that there ARE ways to save! Luckily for you, we did the tough work of figuring out firsthand how to stay on budget and where you can save some serious cash. Here are some of our best tips for getting a gorgeous and chic wedding style without breaking the bank.
Where to splurge (kind of)
Wedding Gown: Think about having your gown custom-made. We found that it is so worth it! It may seem like the more expensive route, but if you are buying a dress off the rack you are probably going to end up spending the same amount of money once you are done with all of the alterations. When you buy a dress off the rack, the odds of it fitting like a glove are very slim. Whereas with a custom-made gown, the alterations will be included, and the result is unique to your style and will make you feel like a princess.
Brittany had her dress made by Australian designer Trish Peng, who was absolutely amazing! Trish made the whole process from start to finish so special. From seeing the initial sketches to having the final fitting, the whole process was a relaxed and stress-free experience!
Wedding bands: Your wedding bands don’t have to be the most expensive pieces, but make sure that they are high quality (after all, you’re going to be wearing them every day for a long time!). We are lucky enough to have some good friends as jewelry designers who helped Britt out and provided some amazing pieces — Blacy’s Fine Jewels, was the jeweler who designed Britt’s engagement ring, and the earrings she wore at her wedding, and Roseark designed her wedding band.
Where to save:
Shoes: Most of the time, nobody even sees your shoes! Get a quality pair, but don’t feel like you have to have a really expensive designer pair. Just make sure they are comfortable enough to dance the night away. Another option is to bring a second pair of shoes of really comfortable to change into at your reception (like Brittany did).
The Bridal Party: Having a large bridal party can increase your expenses really fast, especially when you are paying for hair and makeup or even dresses for your bridesmaids. Brittany decided to keep her bridal party very small (just Cynthia and her best friend Ruby) and instead came up with other ways to include close friends in the wedding. She and her now husband Adam planned a giant, choreographed “dance-off’ for all of their friends who were not part of the bridal party. It was boys vs. girls and was a major surprise for all of the wedding guests and a fun way to make sure that friends felt included.
Bridesmaids Dresses: The cost of bridesmaids’ dresses can seriously add up! We didn’t love any of the traditional bridal store options, and so decided that there had to be a better solution out there … And we found a few! We suggest renting your bridesmaids dress! That’s right ladies, why purchase the dresses, (that will probably be worn once) when you can rent something that is designer? We suggest working with a company like Vow to Be Chic or Rent The Runway. They offer designer brands to rent for an extremely reasonable price. We used Vow to Be Chic, and had such a great experience! Cynthia tried out a bunch of different dresses and found several that worked perfectly!
Tuxedos: You definitely don’t need to be buying tuxedos or suits for the guys. There are some great companies out there who have very stylish suits available for rent. Brittany’s husband Adam and his groomsmen used The Black Tux, and looked amazing!
Makeup: Having the right makeup on your big day is extremely important — You want to feel your very best. But there are ways you can save in this department while still hiring a makeup artist who knows what they are doing. Shop around and talk to different artists well in advance of your big day so that you can compare quotes. There are also a ton of amazing makeup salons popping up all over the country that offer great makeup services and aren’t overpriced (Blushington is a good one here in Los Angeles). Think about getting a group rate from an artist or salon to do glam for your entire bridal party. Brittany worked with Los Angeles makeup artist Emma Willis, who did a beautiful job getting us glam on the big day.
Accessories: Even if you don’t know any jewelers, this is a great chance to borrow some gorgeous jewelry from your family collection or even from your girlfriends. If you don’t have anything you love to borrow, there are some very cool jewelry rental sites out there. Switch even has a dedicated wedding jewelry collection available for rent. Also, remember less is more! Your dress and makeup are really the two biggest glam elements to be focused on.
Just remember, when it comes to your big day, it is really about celebrating your marriage and being surrounded by the people who mean the most to you. It’s easy to get obsessed with having every last detail be perfect, but you really don’t have to spend your life savings to look fabulous and chic on your big day.
To see more photos of Brittany’s wedding, head over to The Sweet Life, or check out our YouTube channel!
XOXO
Brittany + Cynthia Daniel
Professional wedding photos by Michael Segal
