June 9, 2008

Breaking the Bank

Today I ran across this article on CNN.com: Too broke to be your maid of honor.

Here are a few snippets I found interesting:

“It can easily cost a woman $1,000 or more for the honor of standing beside the bride on her big day...”

Oddly enough, I spent more money being a bridesmaid than a maid of honor. I was the maid of honor for the last wedding I was in and barely had to do anything. Since I was out of state, I was excused from throwing her a bridal shower. She was also a very low-maintenance bride and wasn’t into all the extra roles and responsibilities. I basically had to get a dress, plane ticket and wedding gift then show up. No big deal. Although, this upcoming wedding coming up may be a whole different story since I’m within driving distance.

“…contrary to popular belief, the bridal shower isn't the maid of honor's obligation. Traditionally, a close friend would throw a bridal shower for the bride, and sometimes that person is also the maid of honor.”

I always thought it was the maid of honor’s responsibility. I’m glad to know that isn’t always the case. But I guess if you are the maid of honor, that means you're a close friend. In other words...yes, it is the maid of honor's responsibility. That was confusing.

“…some of the major expenses: about $300 for a dress, $50 to $200 for shoes, $40 to $60 for accessories, $50 for a shower gift and another $100 for a wedding gift. Then there are the parties.”

I’ve only spent that much for a dress once. Otherwise, all the others have been pretty reasonable. Never would I pay $200 for bridesmaid shoes unless the bride got a deal on Jimmy Choos or Manolos. And $40 to $60 on accessories?! Uhhhh…no. I have an extensive jewelry selection, and if the bride can’t find something she likes, then oh well…I’m not dishing out that much money on accessories. As for the shower gift, I’m hoping that since I’m throwing the shower, I’m exempt from this. The amount for the wedding gift sounds about right.

The article goes on to talk about women who have run into sticky situations as the maid of honor. One maid of honor was axed from the wedding after she paid for a $300 dress all because the bride thought she wasn’t serious enough when she suggested a cheap Las Vegas package for the bachelorette party. Really? I mean, really? My first instinct after that accusation would be to walk out and bill her for the dress. I’m surprised contracts haven’t been drawn up to ensure everyone holds up their end of the deal.

With the economy being the way it is today, it’s difficult to justify spending so much money on a wedding that’s not your own. Lucky for me, I have a bride who understands the value of a dollar and always keeps that in mind when making decisions about her wedding party. Knowing that we’re all strapped for cash, she doesn’t expect us to go all out with grand presents and dresses.

So far, I haven’t spent a dime, but that should all change soon. If we go with the dress the bride wants, that will set me back $120, plus alterations. Not too bad. Then there’s the bridal shower. I was looking over the guest list and it looks like it’ll only be about 20 women, which I think might be OK for my place. I’ve already pictured rearranging the furniture and making use of my bedroom by turning it into a café-like extension. I think it’d be a nice, homey and casual setting for the party, especially if we're doing the whole games thing. Although I'd really like to have it outside, if that weekend is anything like this past weekend, everyone will be OK with staying in an air-conditioned living room.

Instead of worrying about the location, I can spend more time on the decorations and food. I think it’ll work. I just hope everyone can find parking that day. I wonder if the neighbors would let me rent their parking spaces for a few hours.

Posted by Lori at 3:36 p.m.

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