July 15, 2014
Thrifty and Stylish Weddings
Planning my upcoming wedding has been an all-consuming part of life as of late. As anyone who’s ever planned a wedding knows all too well, there are so many details to tend to and so many decisions to be made, both big and small. I’ve learned that a clearly defined theme can help guide those decisions and make each choice simpler. Of course I love these 5-tier crystal candelabras, so glamorous! But do they really fit the décor of my downhome “I Do BBQ” theme? Well, no, they really don’t; problem solved. Easy.
When fellow bride Jamie Hopkins contacted me asking for help outfitting her four bridesmaids, it was also an easy decision. Her early July nuptials, with a “nothing new” theme, appealed to me as a thrifty, budget-conscious, eco-aware bride myself. Jamie simply picked a pretty blue/green color palette for her bridesmaids and let them mix, rather than match, their looks. I’d seen this emerging trend on Pinterest and was so enamored by the look! I knew that this mix-not-match bridesmaid trend would be fairly easy to thrift too.
Jamie explained, “Everything else in my wedding is reused or from the thrift store (including my wedding dress) or benefits a nonprofit (my caterer does job training for adults with developmental disabilities). I would really like the bridesmaids’ dresses to fit that theme.”
I was excited about the opportunity to help another bride execute her vision – especially because that vision so closely aligned with Arc’s values too. I gathered the sizes of each of her girls and got to work, diligently pulling pretty dresses in a blue/green palette that would make Pantone proud.
After a few weeks of curating dresses, I met with Jamie and her four bridesmaids at the Arc’s Value Village in New Hope to try on. My client, Shannon Slatton Schwartz, Reporter for Channel 12, got wind of Jamie’s story and came along to interview her! See Shannon’s story here.
The ladies tried on several dresses, popping in and out of the dressing rooms to show the bride each prospect. The girls were very impressed with the quantity and quality available at Arc’s Value Village. But what really floored them were the incredible prices! Would you believe that bride Jamie bought all four of her bridesmaids’ dresses for a mere $31!?
- Maid of Honor Polly got a J Jill dress for just $6.49 (1/2 price from $12.99)
- Bridesmaid Linda got an R&M Richards dress for just $6.49 (1/2 price from $12.99)
- Bridesmaid Katy got an Ann Taylor dress for just $9.99
- Bridesmaid Stacy got an Old Navy dress for just $7.99
The bride also purchased a brand new Ann Taylor dress for $12.99 that she planned to wear for the rehearsal dinner.
Jamie married her groom Paul at a beautiful farm setting in Edgerton, Kansas in early July. Her bridesmaids donned their pretty “new to them” dresses and everyone lived happily ever after. Jamie said, “Michelle, the personal shopper at Arc’s Value Village enabled me to be a thrifty, environmental, community-oriented, and fashionable bride. Who wouldn’t go for that!?”