Published on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 by Fran Hansen Gone are the days of the bride's family paying for the wedding, or the groom's parents getting off of the hook completely! Today's couples are actually picking up a greater portion of the wedding costs themselves rather than going to their parents. The first step in coming up with your wedding budget is to sit down together with a pencil, paper and a calculator. Fi...

Published on Friday, October 9, 2009 by Fran Hansen Bridal shops nearly always have a sale rack and if you don’t see it when you walk in don’t be afraid to ask!  Do take advantage of these sales – or ask for a discount if one isn’t offered!   Bridal shop owners have “minimums” they have to buy each “season” from the manufacturers they deal with.  This often means tens of thousands of dollars...

Published on Sunday, October 4, 2009 by Fran Hansen Renting you wedding gown was big business in the late 80’s, early 90’s before major discount bridal retailers became all the rage.  Once large discount retailers came on the scene it became less popular to rent because gown prices dropped for the seriously budget-minded bride.  After all, if you could get a wedding dress for $99 at a retail chain, why rent a gow...

Published on Monday, March 2, 2009 by Fran Hansen DON'T! WARNING - Do not wash a silk wedding gown! Only allow a professional to clean your silk or natural fiber wedding gown.  Unbelievable but true - I accidentally washed a $10,000 wedding gown!  I ruined it... I have personally cleaned thousands of wedding gowns in my home washing machine!  And you know, to be honest, I have cleaned a few silk gowns… but...