Saying "I do" can be an expensive proposition, as couples often pour thousands of dollars into extravagant dream weddings. But the fairy tale is over for many brides who have to downsize their nuptials during this economic downturn.
In recent years, many brides have been getting a bad rap, thanks in part to television shows like Bridezillas.
Bratty Bridezillas stand to suffer during a depressed economy, but brides on a budget might survive. They lucked out recently at a Goodwill in Boston, where part of the store was transformed into a large wedding dress boutique after an anonymous retailer donated more than 1,000 designer gowns.
"I like the style. It's very simple, yet it's very elegant. It's not too poofy," said 26-year-old Evelyn Previl, who liked the price, too — $160. Price is a concern for Previl, who has always dreamed of a fairy tale wedding but now worries about losing her job in the recession. Her budget is firm: $15,000.
"I think I would've invited a lot more people. I would've probably spent maybe $35,000, and it definitely has affected the wedding that I wanted," she said.
Brides are scaling back on catering, photography and flowers, forcing the businesses that depend on weddings to adjust to a new reality.
Standing over an industrial mixer, Cakes to Remember proprietor Ellen Bartlett says just staying open is her new bottom line. She and her staff in Brookline, Mass., create one-of-a-kind cakes — 85 percent are for weddings.
The average price runs $6.50 a slice. Among the offerings is a caramel tiramisu — an espresso-infused gold cake layered with caramel mascarpone. But now, for the first time in 20 years, Bartlett is offering less expensive, predesigned cakes. She's also more open to negotiating prices.
"It is scary — we're definitely in some ways expendable," she says. "There's a lot of luxury associated with the hospitality industry, so there are a lot of people out of work right now."
At the Commandant's House, a venue on Boston Harbor, bride-to-be Katie Ahern anticipates her June wedding. She and her fiance started planning before the economy tanked, but they're sticking with the agenda: 200 guests, a big tent — the works.
"It's kind of unfortunate — like, I feel like in the back of my head, planning the wedding — it's so happy and exciting, but at the same time you feel guilty," Ahern says.
Rosaria Salerno, Boston's city clerk, marries couples at City Hall and says she has noticed an increase in weddings there recently, but she can't say for sure that it is because of the recession.
"I think that maybe this is giving us a chance to step back and say 'What is important?' " Salerno says. "These two people are pledging their lives to one another — you don't need a brass band to do that."
Perhaps the now infamous Bridezilla is on her way to extinction — to be replaced by another creature: the do-it-yourself bride.
Andrea Shea reports for member station WBUR.
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