Recessionistas spend less green on white
As most brides will say, the wedding dress is the most important part of their day — aside from getting married, of course. But with the recession, what are local Washington women doing to adjust to the tough economic times?
We chatted with a few area brides and the stores they shop in to find out the recent trends and how, any if, the economy is making for unique changes in planning a girl’s dream day.
Apparently, ladies these days are not only light with their pocketbooks, but also with the material they select for their dresses — opting for chiffon, crepe, tulle and georgette as opposed to the usual thicker, heavier satin, silk taffeta, organza and damask.
Carin Rosenberg-Levine, owner of Hitched in Georgetown, explained how these lightweight fabrics have created a trend of “soft romantic dresses, with lots of ruffles and tiers.” Another local shop owner cited fewer dresses with trains sold as another trend reflective of the time.
“[Women] don’t want to appear extravagant in their dress choices. And with more couples picking smaller venues or doing them outside in a park, trains and big dresses don’t match that setting,” said Amanda Lasker, owner of Gossypia in Old Town Alexandria. It doesn’t hurt that both store owners credited Washingtonian women’s sophistication as key for this town’s lack of gaudy weddings.
Rosenberg-Levine added that although she still sees a majority of brides spending thousands on these lighter, flowy dresses, she does say she sees a difference in the dress selection for their bridesmaids.
“I think girls still want to spend money on themselves but feel badly asking their friends to pay for an expensive dress,” she said. Or, as Lasker noted, girls are having fewer bridesmaids altogether, picking just a sister or a close friend.
As for accessories, Rosenberg-Levine told us many wives-to-be are choosing accessories and using them in an unconventional way. For instance, you may have a great jeweled headband that won’t work with your hairstyle. Try adding a ribbon and making it into a belt, as Rosenberg-Levine said she has seen some recessionistas do. Or, she added, they will buy a pair of shoes they won’t only wear on the big day.
“We have seen a ton of girls buying unconventional shoes, like cool strappy sandals or in a bright color that goes with their dress,” Rosenberg-Levine said. “The wedding can be an excuse to splurge on the pair you’ve always wanted ’cause you can wear them again.”
Local brides also weighed in with what they’ve been doing to pinch pennies. Recently engaged Anne Bracken picked out her dream dress by Vera Wang, but has thoughts of getting it tailored locally as opposed to by the designer. One local newlywed added that young people marrying may not be hit as hard by the economy as their parents who are retiring, possibly affecting their decisions.
“Parents usually chip in to help, but I think couples are cutting back a bit to help their parents as well,” she said, adding, “Stripping back a bit on the dress was the one area I could control the cost by a couple thousand dollars.”
What everyone agreed on was that although you may need to cut back a bit, you can still have the wedding you’ve always imagined.
Maybe the “something old” and “something borrowed” part of the old wedding adage will be stressed a little more this year.
