This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: June 19, 2008 - Jamie Miller of Carlyle, Ill., is not letting the troubled economy affect her special day. She was able to afford the dress she wanted, a Victoriana by Maggie Sottero, and invite her 700 closest friends to her wedding, without going over her $20,000 budget.
Miller, 24, a program manager for the non-profit Community Link in Belleville, spent close to $1,200 on the gown at Your Special Day in Fairview Heights. In light of the rising costs for everyday expenses, such as gas and food, she and her fiance Mark Diekemper, an operator at Diekemper Excavating in Carlyle, made only two minor cutbacks to the wedding, spending less on food and a videographer.
Guests at the reception at Casey Hall in Carlyle will be served a pre-selected meal, instead of having three meal choices. Costing the couple $6 a plate, each of the guests will get fried chicken, pork tenderloin, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cole slaw and bread. The total for 700 guests is $4,200, fitting in her budget. Had she gone with the other option -- which cost $45 a plate, totaling $31,502 -- she would have surpassed her total budget on the meal alone." The majority of the guests like to drink more than eat anyway," she said.
They also considered eliminating a videographer, which was "more a desire," she said, but upon finding one for $500, decided it was affordable.
Once-in-a-lifetime Dress
And Miller's wedding dress, a strapless one-piece with a corset back? "My thoughts going into shopping for it were, if I love it, I'm going to buy it because you only have one wedding day," she said.
Katie Holtzman, owner of Your Special Day, a full-service bridal shop, said Miller's attitude is common among brides-to-be; she's seen no cutting back on wedding gowns. "Because it's such a special event, people spend more, even if they can't afford it. So the economy hasn't really affected us." Dresses at the shop range from $300 to $2,000, with the average purchase being $800, she said.
For now, despite the economic turndown, Miller and other area brides are going ahead with the wedding of their dreams, but there are signs that local brides may be tightening their corsets. According to the Wedding Report, a research company, the national average cost for a wedding is $28,704, down slightly from 2007. Some national media, such as Time and Newsweek, report that brides are trimming their budgets for the big day.
But a variety of St. Louis-area businesses involved in the wedding industry report steady sales. Although people here are paying more for gas and food, cutbacks in wedding budgets don't seem to have made it here yet, perhaps in part because some items are paid for months in advance.
Wedding planner Renee Joshu, owner of Weddings by Renee, said she has not seen a decrease in business. "I'm very suprised; I've been expecting it," she said. However, she is not so sure about the future. " A slowdown might be coming for the 2009 weddings."
The average budget of her customers is $25,000 to $30,000. "That seems to be the norm in the St. Louis area, " she said.
Ellen Gutierrez, wedding planner and owner of Bride's Vision Wedding and Events in Kirkwood, also said none of her customers is cutting back. If a customer did want to scale back, she would suggest a less expensive menu or giving up the videographer or luxury transportation, using a shuttle bus instead of a Hummer, for example. But she said that she hasn't been asked to economize yet.
Higher food prices led Orlando Gardens banquet center, a popular place for receptions, to raise the average price a plate for a wedding reception to $35 from $28, said Jim Helton, an event planner there. But couples have yet to stop booking parties. "We are just as busy as ever," he said. "People are just paying the higher price."
Gotta Have the Cake
Scott Feldewerth, assistant manager of McArthur's Bakery on Lemay Ferry, said sales of wedding cakes have remained strong, but sales of other decorated cakes have gone downhill.
"A lady called to cancel a birthday cake order, saying that because of the cost of gas she couldn't afford the cake," said Feldewerth. "We've seen a definite decrease in sales of birthday and anniversary cakes, while sales of wedding cakes have remained steady. "
The average price for a decorated wedding cake for 200 people is $600, said wedding coordinator Tina Holdegraver. To reflect rising food costs, "We raised prices of wedding cakes by $5 to $10 in January, but that didn't affect sales at all," she said.
The economy's effects may just now be hitting those planning weddings in St. Louis. "In the past few weeks, I have noticed that a few brides have come in requesting a smaller cake and sheet cakes on the side, instead of one giant cake, saying that they're on a budget," she said.
Knodel's Bakery in North County has increased delivery prices for its cakes because of the rising price of gas. Deliveries used to be free for orders over $400; now the limit is $500, said owner Marlene Inglish. Six months ago, the bakery added a gas surcharge to all delivery orders; it ranges from $10 to $20, depending on the location, she said.
Knodel's hasn't raised cake prices yet, Inglish said. " We'll know in a month or so if higher food prices have had an impact on our profit margins, she said. "If so, we'll try to economize before passing the rising cost to our customers."
Get 'em to the church
Justin Bisher, sales manager at Best Transportation of St. Louis, which provides limos and shuttle buses for wedding parties, definitely has not noticed any wedding cutbacks. This year has been a record year for the company, with customers spending $1,000 to $2,000 on average for wedding transportation, he said, adding that a number of clients have spent $5,000.
"Business has increased 50 to 60 percent from 2007," he said. "We've had such a high demand for business that we've doubled our fleet of vehicles since 2006. "
Bisher says profits have been so good, the company hasn't raised rates to reflect the skyrocketing gas prices. At this time last year, a gallon of regular gas in St. Louis averaged $2.78, compared to $3.86 today, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.
What happens if fuel costs continue to climb? "We have discussed higher fuel prices," but there is no pressing need at the moment to raise rates, he said.
After the ceremony and reception comes the honeymoon, another costly element of the wedding package. Are honeymooners cutting back on their travel plans?
Julia Crunk, manager of Ambassador Travel and Cruises in Belleville, said that most people going on their honeymoons right now have already paid for them. "Most plan eight to 10 months ahead," she said. Cruiselines and airlines imposed a fuel surcharge was just added in May, she said, so those booking honeymoons right now are facing an additional $50 to $100 charge. This has yet to affect her sales, Crunk said, but the future is uncertain if gas costs continue to rise.
So far, it seems area brides are fulfilling their wedding dreams. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so they have the money to spend -- whether it's from their parents or a loan," said Gutierrez, so they're not going to let the economy deflate their dreams.
Rachel Kurowski is a freelance writer.