Wedding

<p>After months of talking to your best friend about her boyfriend, scrolling through Pinterest to look at rings, and daydreaming about a future proposal, the moment has finally arrived. Your friend is engaged! Now what?</p><p>Of course, they are going to want you in the wedding. After all, you&#39;ve been there for her through this entire ride. So whether you are asked to be a bridesmaid or the maid of honor, this is a huge responsibility and not a small price tag. Before you start freaking out, consider these lifesaving tips on how to fulfill your best friend duties without breaking the bank.</p><p><strong>The Dresses</strong></p><figure class="image"><div class="image-container"><img alt="Bridesmaid dresses, wedding, flowers" data-attribution="(Shutterstock)" data-attribution-url="" height="667" src="//cdn.someecards.com/posts/shutterstock256853365-PiQANN.jpg" width="1000" /></div><div class="image-attribution">(Shutterstock)</div></figure><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>Bridesmaid dresses have been known to break the bank. They can run up to hundreds of dollars and you will probably only wear them once. If you stress to your bride that dress price is something on your mind, there&#39;s a good chance she will pick a dress in your price range.</p><p>The other option is to have your bride simply pick out her color scheme, and let everyone in her wedding party pick out their own dresses. This relieves the pressure off of the bride to find a cheap dress but still allows those with tighter pockets to find a good deal. As long as everyone finds a dress that matches the colors of the wedding, it&#39;s a win-win.</p><p><strong>The Bridal Shower</strong></p><figure class="image"><div class="image-container"><img alt="Bridal shower, party, girlfriends, wine, toast" data-attribution="(Shutterstock)" data-attribution-url="" height="667" src="//cdn.someecards.com/posts/shutterstock465018545-0KC3mX.jpg" width="1000" /></div><div class="image-attribution">(Shutterstock)</div></figure><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>Bridal showers can be a very expensive endeavor. You have to find a venue, pick a theme, get decorations, and order all the food and dessert for the entire day. If you&#39;re lucky, the bride will give you her guest list, but if not you&#39;ll be responsible for that as well.</p><p>Not only is all the work an overwhelming and time-consuming task, but it can run up to thousands of dollars by the end of it. It&#39;s important to find alternatives to the normal expenses. Let&#39;s start with the venue. Instead of renting out a restaurant or a country club for the bridal shower, try asking around and doing it at someone&#39;s house, in a backyard, or even at a local park. Outdoor parties can be just as fun and as long as the weather is nice it shouldn&#39;t be an issue.</p><p>Decorations, party favors, and prizes for the games can all be either handmade or found at the dollar store. You&#39;d be surprised what some online research and a little bit of creativity can get you. When it comes to food, buying in bulk is always better for big parties. Costco platters are a good go to and will feed a lot of people.</p><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p><strong>Throwing Her a Bachelorette Party</strong></p><figure class="image"><div class="image-container"><img alt="Bachelorette party, pool, girlfriends, fun" data-attribution="(Shutterstock)" data-attribution-url="" height="667" src="//cdn.someecards.com/posts/shutterstock254984095-ktELYt.jpg" width="1000" /></div><div class="image-attribution">(Shutterstock)</div></figure><p>The bachelorette party usually happens after the bridal shower, closer to the actual wedding date. Normally, the bachelorette party only includes the bridal party and can be less formal. If your bride wants to do a destination bachelorette party, like a girls trip to Las Vegas, or a Hawaiian getaway, then it will get expensive fast. It&#39;s not right for her to expect the maid of honor and her bridesmaids to pay for the entire trip.</p><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>Be up front with your finances and explain what you can and can&#39;t afford before you start drowning in someone else&#39;s wedding expenses. Recommend a girls night, or plan a fun dinner and hit the bars after. You&#39;d be surprised how much fun you can have with your girlfriends. An expensive trip is definitely not necessary.</p><p>If you pitch in for some alcohol and a few naughty presents for the bride, you have contributed more than enough. Anything else, like paying for food or hotel rooms is above and beyond any &quot;requirement.&quot;</p><p><strong>Plan Ahead</strong></p><figure class="image"><div class="image-container"><img alt="party planning, weddings, balloons, celebration" data-attribution="(Shutterstock)" data-attribution-url="" height="666" src="//cdn.someecards.com/posts/shutterstock549428389-xApqZ4.jpg" width="1000" /></div><div class="image-attribution">(Shutterstock)</div></figure><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>Order gifts ahead of time, do your shopping far in advance and take advantage of all the deals you can find. If you spread out all your spending, it won&#39;t feel like a punch to the gut all at once.</p><p>If you have a detailed list of every expense that will take place, you will be well on your way to staying under budget, and when you are out shopping you&#39;ll be able to pick up little things here and there that would normally be forgotten about and added to the bill later.</p><p>Don&#39;t forget about the presents. When you are in the midst of planning wedding parties and buying for everyone else, it might slip your mind to get the bride a present. Always remember that the bridal shower gifts are usually more traditional and homey, while the bachelorette party is where the lingerie comes out.</p><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p><strong>Ask For </strong><strong>Help</strong></p><figure class="image"><div class="image-container"><img alt="food, banquet, party, planning, help, decorate" data-attribution="(Shutterstock)" data-attribution-url="" height="667" src="//cdn.someecards.com/posts/shutterstock208361425-C0JAzc.jpg" width="1000" /></div><div class="image-attribution">(Shutterstock)</div></figure><p>Don&#39;t be afraid to ask for help. If you are the maid of honor, there is no reason you should be carrying the weight of two parties on your shoulders. The bridesmaids can help with planning and the expenses.</p><p>Tell people to bring food, make them sign up for it so everyone understands what they have to bring. You can even delegate prizes and decorations for other people to provide as well. Most of the time people are more than willing to pitch in and help, and when there are more people everyone will be less stressed.</p><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p><strong>Do You Have the Time?</strong></p><figure class="image"><div class="image-container"><img alt="clock, time, wedding, planning, notebook" data-attribution="(Shutterstock)" data-attribution-url="" height="667" src="//cdn.someecards.com/posts/shutterstock625187024-bKrM4A.jpg" width="1000" /></div><div class="image-attribution">(Shutterstock)</div></figure><p>Planning is key, but it&#39;s also extremely time-consuming. There is nothing more stressful than helping someone plan a wedding when you are on the hook for paying for a lot of the expenses. It&#39;s possible to be a bridesmaid or a maid of honor on a budget, but it will take more work.</p><p>You can DIY decorations, find backyards and parks instead of venues, pick alternative dresses, and throw a local bachelorette party, but money buys convenience. If you are working full time and barely have a minute to spare, it&#39;s very unrealistic that you are going to be able to help clean someone&#39;s backyard and make your own glitter.</p><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>Being in a wedding is a huge honor, but it&#39;s also a huge responsibility and one that shouldn&#39;t be taken lightly. The best advice is always to be honest with yourself and your bride. Explain where your at in life and be truthful about what you feel you can realistically contribute. Trust me, this will help you in the long run.</p><div className="ad-splitter"></div>

Bridesmaid on a Budget: How to be in a Wedding Without Going Broke

After months of talking to your best friend about her boyfriend, scrolling through Pinterest to look at rings, and daydreaming about a future proposal, the moment has finally arrived. Your friend is engaged! Now what?Of course, they are going to want you in the wedding. After all, you&#39;ve been there for her through this entire ride. So whether you are asked to be a bridesmaid or the maid of honor, this is a huge responsibility and not a small price tag. Before you start freaking out, consider these lifesaving tips on how to fulfill your best friend duties without breaking the bank.The Dresses(Shutterstock)Bridesmaid dresses have been known to break the bank. They can run up to hundreds of dollars and you will probably only wear them once. If you stress to your bride that dress price is something on your mind, there&#39;s a good chance she will pick a dress in your price range.The other option is to have your bride simply pick out her color scheme, and let everyone in her wedding party pick out their own dresses. This relieves the pressure off of the bride to find a cheap dress but still allows those with tighter pockets to find a good deal. As long as everyone finds a dress that matches the colors of the wedding, it&#39;s a win-win.The Bridal Shower(Shutterstock)Bridal showers can be a very expensive endeavor. You have to find a venue, pick a theme, get decorations, and order all the food and dessert for the entire day. If you&#39;re lucky, the bride will give you her guest list, but if not you&#39;ll be responsible for that as well.Not only is all the work an overwhelming and time-consuming task, but it can run up to thousands of dollars by the end of it. It&#39;s important to find alternatives to the normal expenses. Let&#39;s start with the venue. Instead of renting out a restaurant or a country club for the bridal shower, try asking around and doing it at someone&#39;s house, in a backyard, or even at a local park. Outdoor parties can be just as fun and as long as the weather is nice it shouldn&#39;t be an issue.Decorations, party favors, and prizes for the games can all be either handmade or found at the dollar store. You&#39;d be surprised what some online research and a little bit of creativity can get you. When it comes to food, buying in bulk is always better for big parties. Costco platters are a good go to and will feed a lot of people.Throwing Her a Bachelorette Party(Shutterstock)The bachelorette party usually happens after the bridal shower, closer to the actual wedding date. Normally, the bachelorette party only includes the bridal party and can be less formal. If your bride wants to do a destination bachelorette party, like a girls trip to Las Vegas, or a Hawaiian getaway, then it will get expensive fast. It&#39;s not right for her to expect the maid of honor and her bridesmaids to pay for the entire trip.Be up front with your finances and explain what you can and can&#39;t afford before you start drowning in someone else&#39;s wedding expenses. Recommend a girls night, or plan a fun dinner and hit the bars after. You&#39;d be surprised how much fun you can have with your girlfriends. An expensive trip is definitely not necessary.If you pitch in for some alcohol and a few naughty presents for the bride, you have contributed more than enough. Anything else, like paying for food or hotel rooms is above and beyond any &quot;requirement.&quot;Plan Ahead(Shutterstock)Order gifts ahead of time, do your shopping far in advance and take advantage of all the deals you can find. If you spread out all your spending, it won&#39;t feel like a punch to the gut all at once.If you have a detailed list of every expense that will take place, you will be well on your way to staying under budget, and when you are out shopping you&#39;ll be able to pick up little things here and there that would normally be forgotten about and added to the bill later.Don&#39;t forget about the presents. When you are in the midst of planning wedding parties and buying for everyone else, it might slip your mind to get the bride a present. Always remember that the bridal shower gifts are usually more traditional and homey, while the bachelorette party is where the lingerie comes out.Ask For Help(Shutterstock)Don&#39;t be afraid to ask for help. If you are the maid of honor, there is no reason you should be carrying the weight of two parties on your shoulders. The bridesmaids can help with planning and the expenses.Tell people to bring food, make them sign up for it so everyone understands what they have to bring. You can even delegate prizes and decorations for other people to provide as well. Most of the time people are more than willing to pitch in and help, and when there are more people everyone will be less stressed.Do You Have the Time?(Shutterstock)Planning is key, but it&#39;s also extremely time-consuming. There is nothing more stressful than helping someone plan a wedding when you are on the hook for paying for a lot of the expenses. It&#39;s possible to be a bridesmaid or a maid of honor on a budget, but it will take more work.You can DIY decorations, find backyards and parks instead of venues, pick alternative dresses, and throw a local bachelorette party, but money buys convenience. If you are working full time and barely have a minute to spare, it&#39;s very unrealistic that you are going to be able to help clean someone&#39;s backyard and make your own glitter.Being in a wedding is a huge honor, but it&#39;s also a huge responsibility and one that shouldn&#39;t be taken lightly. The best advice is always to be honest with yourself and your bride. Explain where your at in life and be truthful about what you feel you can realistically contribute. Trust me, this will help you in the long run.

Getting asked to be in your best friends wedding should be an exciting time, unless you're poor, then it's just stressful.