Economy affecting "I Do's"

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The Brumelle-Vu Wedding



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• Economy affecting "I Do's"

• What's hot and new among wedding traditions

• Web sites for wedding planning

Wedding dresses are chosen based on their suitability for future occasions. Invitations are embossed on cards instead of engraved on fine ecru paper. Friends with high-end cameras are shooting bridal portraits.

A wedding with all the trimmings has become a trimmed-down wedding as engaged couples look to save money during challenging economic times.

Opulent ceremonies and receptions have largely given way to budget-conscious affairs as a casualty of the recession but also because of changes in the wedding industry.

The surging do-it-yourself market and its great enabler - the Internet - have made it possible for couples to score goods and services that once were the exclusive domain of professionals.

"A small wedding can be a blessing," Christina Friedrichsen, author of "Intimate Weddings: Planning a Small Wedding that Fits Your Budget and Style," said during a phone interview. "It really focuses on what's important.

"It's not just about putting on a big production. It's about the people who mean a lot to you."

The cost of a wedding often comes as a shock to brides and grooms - and their parents.

A survey by The Knot, the Internet's top wedding site, found the average wedding cost was $29,334 in 2008. So far this year, the figure has dropped to about $19,000, still a sizable amount for most young people. As a result, The Knot found, couples are staying engaged 25 percent longer to save up for their weddings.

DeSeana Evans and Richard Sutton are tapping family, friends and their computer keyboard for their Sept. 19 nuptials at Broad Rock Baptist Church in Richmond.

"I've bargain-hunted the whole wedding," said Evans, laughing.

A cousin who owns a photography studio is taking the pictures. A friend of Evans' dad is catering the reception. Evans convinced an online shoe merchant to give her a bulk price on her and her bridesmaids' matching shoes - and got the store to throw in free shipping. She also stalked bracelets on theknot.com until they dropped to an affordable price.

Jenni Brumelle and Huan Vu were married in front of 50 friends and relatives on a recent Friday evening at the Mill at Fine Creek in Powhatan County. The guest number was less about money and more about wanting a "dinner party" feel to her reception, Brumelle said, but budget definitely came into play.

To afford the seven-course vegetarian dinner and flowers she wanted - her top two priorities - Brumelle had to sacrifice or substitute some frills.

Booking the event for a Friday "was significantly cheaper than it would have been on a Saturday," she said. Instead of a band or disc jockey, the couple downloaded their own soundtrack on an iPod and used the venue's MP3-ready sound system for reception music.

Rather than splurging on chic Christian Louboutin feather-topped shoes, Brumelle bought a less expensive pair and adorned them with a white feather puff.

A wedding planner was a must-have, not a splurge, Brumelle said. She hired Windy Jennings of Weddings by Windy in Richmond to help plan and orchestrate the event.

Trish Tyler and Brooks Ferrett cashed in on their status as James Madison University alumni for their wedding. The couple married yesterday on the Quad at JMU - for sentimental and economic reasons.

The couple's photographer was a student in JMU's School of Media Arts and Design who is attempting to build a portfolio.

Academia also provided Tyler with a wedding planner. She learned that George Mason University has launched a wedding-planner program and contacted its director, Maggie Daniels, to ask if the class needed internships. "We got free wedding-planning work from students," she said.

A dream wedding doesn't have to come with a nightmarish budget. Crafty budget planning that doesn't look cheap is the key. We found area brides who successfully mastered the "for richer, for poorer" part before vows were ever spoken:

The printed products

The new landscape of wedding etiquette has some couples announcing their engagement on Facebook or Twitter. Most, however, still want to get the word out in a more traditional way, even if it's printing their announcements on home computers.

Jessica Lynne Turner and Edmund Larsey announced their April 4 wedding in Chesterfield County with save-the-date cards they customized on zazzle.com. "We designed our own out of nice card stock, uploaded our engagement picture and they printed them up," she said.

She bought stripped-down invitations online and added ribbon for extra flair.

Patti Martin, owner of Papeterie in Richmond, said most invitations are done on cards now instead of the folded letter style with tissue paper in double envelopes.

New printing technologies can produce an expensive look at a lesser price, she said.

Even stamps can be customized with icons or photos at sites such as artisticpostage.com.

Wedding attire

Sherry Petersik of Richmond wore a $190 street-length white dress from Arden B at her July 7, 2007, wedding. "And afterward, I dyed it in the sink, so I still get to wear it to other people's weddings," Petersik wrote on thisyounghouse.com, a blog she and her husband, John, have turned into a full-time career.

Stephanie Shook outfitted her attendants in previously worn red dresses for her wedding this month to Drew Turnbull. A bridesmaid was less than enthusiastic when Shook suggested a secondhand gown, "but I thought it was foolish to get someone to pay for a dress that they will likely never wear again."

Some Richmond brides are trekking down Interstate 64 to Holly Yaskowsky's Blush Bridal Consignment Boutique in Newport News. Some of her inventory is previously worn gowns and about half is designer samples. The savings range from 30 percent to 50 percent over new dresses, she said.

Flowers/favors

Instead of large bouquets, some brides are substituting less-expensive flowers or a single stem of a favorite bloom.

The Petersiks chose fruit over flowers for their reception tables. Lemons and limes were clustered in glass cylinders from Michael's ($3.99 each). Their festive lemon-and-lime paper napkins came from Target.

Turner made her guest favors - little boxes of candy that doubled as centerpieces alongside candles.

Tyler appreciates the explosion of wedding know-how, but tried to keep it in perspective. "You can get overwhelmed," she said. "There's so much out there and so much technology," you can spend all your time on the Internet.

"And you can lose your job if you're not careful."

Contact Julie Young at (804) 649-6732 or jyoung@timesdispatch.com.