The Costs of Being in a Wedding

For many brides (and grooms), planning a wedding is the event of a lifetime. It represents both your past fantasies and your new dreams for your life together. It’s natural to want everything to be “just right.” However, when making your wedding plans, it is important to consider the wedding costs for the members of your wedding party.

Clothes

Typical bridesmaids’ dresses cost around $150 or more. That’s not including alterations or shoes and accessories, which can easily bring it to $300 for a dress they will probably never wear again. If you think this price tag might be unmanageable for one or more of your attendants, consider choosing lower-cost dresses or, better yet, choose the color and let your bridesmaids pick their own dresses. This allows each one to choose something that flatters their body type and that they could possibly wear on other occasions.

Don’t forget about the groomsmen. Tuxedo rentals tend to be less expensive than bridesmaids dresses, but they can still easily total $150 or more, depending on the package. Consider allowing them to wear nice suits instead of tuxes, especially for an afternoon wedding.

Travel Costs

Do all of your attendants live nearby? If not, consider how much they might have to spend to travel for the wedding and associated events. Flights can easily cost $300 or more, plus the cost of a hotel and rental car. Some of these costs might be unavoidable, but you can try to make it easier by planning the bachelor or bachelorette party around their schedule and, for very close friends, consider putting them up in your home (or help friends arrange to room together to cut costs).

Other Hidden Costs

A lot of tradition surrounds weddings, and those traditions can include a lot of hidden costs. For example, how much will hosting (or attending) your bachelorette party cost? How much will that group trip to the hair and nail salons cost? Not all of these costs can, or should, be avoided, but by being aware of the potential costs to your wedding attendants, you can make choices that will get you the wedding you dreamed of without costing you a friendship.

At Stonebrook Manor in Denver, we can help you plan your wedding around your budget and make the choices that are right for you. Maybe we can help you save a little extra so you can afford to pick up the tab for that group trip to the salon. Please contact us today.