The Pros and Cons of a Hand-Me-Down Bridesmaid Dress
Your sister is getting married and she’s being sensible with the wedding budget so she asks you to make do with a hand-me-down bridesmaid dress, which is so yesterday. No matter how you plead, beg, and threaten her, there’s no way she won’t budge. Before judging the dress, here are some fine points to consider.
The Pros
Sisters and best friends are supposed to be supportive when the sister or the best friend is getting married on a shoestring budget. Of course, being a sister or a best friend, you are going to be the bridesmaid, an honor really but when you are given a hand-me-down bridesmaid dress, you begin to doubt if the bride is still sane. But don’t be shy; ask outright what’s meant by this gesture. The bride will have to explain why she can’t buy you a spanking new dress.
If you don’t have the money for a new frock, a hand-me-down dress saves you from spending your hard earned money. In reality, you have no choice but to make do with the bridesmaid dress. If the dress horrifies you with it outdated style, ask the bride if she would be amenable to the idea of altering the dress to give it a new life. Chances are she would approve of this if the alterations won’t be extensive. But if you want an overhaul of the 2000 circa dress, be ready to spend for the massive reinvention.
By salvaging the situation this way you save your sister’s or your best friend’s pride. It’s never easy to ask a sister or a best friend to be a bridesmaid and hand over a hand-me-down frock for the event. By being a good sport this hit two birds with one stone — this enriches and strengthens your ties and saves you money.
Another plus with a hand-me-down bridesmaid gown is style. With what you have and borrowing ideas from top designers, you create a new style that is uniquely yours. Your dress will not have a clone anywhere. Does not the idea please you? Once you have made a hit with the dress, you can proudly announce to all and sundry that you have reinvented an “old” dress with smashing results. Expect some copycats who are going to deal with hand-me-downs too.
The Cons
Nothing is perfect and not with a hand-me-down bridesmaid gown. The problem arises if you can fit yourself into the dress; if altering it to fit mutilates the dress, it’s best to get an identical dress to salve the bride’s pride. This would mean buying or renting a frock from bridal salons.
A possible problem is ‘used’ look of the dress. As a bridesmaid you want to look your best too. But if the dress has been well preserved and you can ease yourself easily into a smaller size, there’s no reason to go ballistic. Accessorize and get yourself all pimped up; nobody will suspect you’re wearing a ‘has been’ to the wedding.
There’s nothing really to be ashamed of wearing a hand-me-down dress. If you recall, Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron had her share of hand-me-downs before she was plucked from obscurity. She wears this hand-me-down badge with honor and look where it got her? People admire her for her pluck and ability to survive a hard life. Perhaps that dress will give you more insights into friendships and close family ties. So who is afraid of a hand-me-down bridesmaid dress?
If you prefer to rent a bridesmaid dress and see what’s up with wedding dresses and wedding flowers, Toronto bridal shops can show you the best styles at reasonable prices. Visit BestforBride.com today.
Celebrity Wedding Favors on a Budget
Sticking to a tight budget can be sticky. The first casualty is the wedding favors. But should you give this up? If you knew there were great but inexpensive items that could be a big hit with your guests, would you still give up? Perhaps not.
Simple yet Fantastic
The rich and the famous can afford to spend $400 on a single wedding favor for 300 guests; that’s a lot of money. But you don’t have to ditch wedding favors because you can only spend a dollar per item. There are great ideas waiting to be found and an example is the vintage handkerchiefs given by Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan to their wedding guests.
The fabrics were purchased cheap on eBay and a touch of flower heads to top the handkerchiefs in a basket made a perfect accent for the vintage wedding theme. For less, the couple was able to give their guests more. The guests were amazed that the handkerchiefs fashioned from fabrics with vintage prints had such a romantic impact. The hankies were meant for “wiping tears of joy” and indeed Tatum’s and Jenna’s wedding was a smash hit.
You can copy this idea for your own wedding; but if you want something different here are some items you might want for your wedding favors. A handmade velvet pouch with your initials stamped on it; decorative boxes you make yourself; tiny potted plants you can prepare well in advance; and perhaps you can invite a local celebrity and ask him to pose with guests. If he or she is that famous you better plan for tighter security or the fans would go wild. That indeed would be the talk of the town for ages.
If you are planning a beach wedding, go ahead to seashore and scout for seashells and scoop up some white sand. Make sure though that the beach is the venue for the wedding. Place these in quaint little boxes you made yourself. Include a personal thank you note and you have unique yet inexpensive wedding favors for your beach loving friends.
Giving frames is a great idea too but instead of opting for silver plated chrome frames, get wooden frames and paint it with your wedding color. A decorative touch can give your DIY frames more character. If your partner is handing with a hammer and a saw, that would be great or if he has zero experience with a hammer, you can ask around. Some friends might recommend a friend who can do the frames without charging a fortune. You can do the painting job later.
Baked goodies are easy to make and how about giving away sugar-crusted cookies? There’s no second guessing these cookies won’t last long. Other edible giveaways are chocolates and fortune cookies that you can prepare well in advance. You can make your own fortune chocolate candies too using special molds to match your wedding theme.
The Easy Way Out
Browse the internet for more ideas. The websites of bridal shops have a showcase of items under a dollar. Choose an item that goes well with your wedding theme and instead of having it boxed, which is another expense, spruce it up with ribbons or a silky cord. So who says you can’t have celebrity style wedding favors?
Personalized wedding straws
Who doesn’t love wedding favors that are good for the environment and you can use over and over again? The Other Straw offers bulk bamboo straws for wedding favors and wedding receptions which can be personalized with your initials, wedding hashtag or unique message. A gift your guests and Mother Earth are bound to appreciate.
A one-stop-bridal-shop carries everything for weddings; wedding favors, wedding dresses, and wedding decorating Toronto wedding specialists can help in every way. Visit BestforBride.com today for your wedding needs.
