So I stopped by a wedding dress salon on my lunch break the other day, just to see if they had anything that fit the bill. You know: not strapless, not sparkly, not poofy. Since I’m not four, or going to prom, you’d think I’d be in luck. But nooo, of course not. Finally, I found one dress that was a lovely, simple lace sheath. Then I checked the price tag. $5,500.
Can we just take a minute to think that over? Lets assume that this dress was made out of really nice lace, and there was 6 yards of lace in the dress. That means I would be paying $916 a yard, all in, for that dress. $916 a YARD! Did Rumpelstiltskin spin it out of pure gold, do you think? Or am I just being ripped off? It’s not even about “can’t afford.” I’m a determined independent woman with a credit card. I’m sure I could figure out how to pay for it. It’s really about “won’t pay.” I don’t like feeling robbed. Plus, I don’t like wastefulness.
While I was in the store, I also saw the lovely new layered Vera Wang Dress that the bridal world has been buzzing about (pictured above). And I can tell you, its really pretty, and clearly well crafted. The one problem is, it weighs about 15 pounds, and can stand up on its own. How on earth are you going to have fun and dance at your wedding reception while you are dragging around 15 pounds of dress?
Oh, right. And it’s $11,000. Which is a good price. For a car.
By which I mean to say, I think its high time we all stopped acting quite so starry eyed and romantic about weddings. Maybe we want to start this new chapter in our lives with our heads firmly attached to our bodies, making good decisions about spending money. Lets all collectively vow to stop feeling badly about having a wedding on a budget, and start feeling proud. At least we can tell the difference between a good price for a car and a good price for a dress.
Picture via Brides.com
