If you’ve been following along for a while, it’s no secret that I’m engaged (yay!). My fiance Andrew and I are getting married next June and couldn’t be more excited. But one thing that been more stressful than the actual planning? The price tag. I knew weddings weren’t cheap going into this process, but I was fairly naive to the true cost. When did the average cost of a wedding become $42K?! Enter freakout.
We’re not planning anything too extravagant – it’s not our style – but, of course, we want to feel great about the day. To not put us or our families in debt, we’ve been mindful about spending habits surrounding the wedding, and I wanted to share a couple things that have helped.
One of our biggest decisions so far was to keep the guest list fairly minimal. It’s been tough, but it’s a straightforward way to cut costs. We figure we can celebrate with those not attending before or after.
Another area of focus for me personally is wedding-related fashion, naturally. I’ve definitely been doing my best to keep things like event outfits and accessory costs in check.
I actually recently found my rehearsal outfit, a boho Aritzia dress, and accessories from Kijiji. If you’re not familiar with the company, Kijiji is Canada’s largest online (and mobile) classifieds platform, where you can find high-quality items (either slightly used or completely new and re-sold) for a fraction of the cost. The dress I got still had the tags on, and I was understandably shocked to find a designer dress 68% off. After falling in love with the dress, I browsed the Kijiji app for coordinating accessories, and scooped up a Gorjana necklace and ring, plus a Dogeared necklace to layer for 60% off. All for a lot less than I would have spent on a similar dress in-store, and all in one stop while browsing the website. Super simple.
I’m semi-new to the second-hand market (joining 82% of Canadians taking part in some way), but after doing more research and being blown away by what I was able to buy, it’s top of mind when shopping – even finding more items that I could use for my wedding. Not only is it sustainable for our planet, but the average Canadian saved over $800 last year doing so. For someone whose job revolves around clothing and even home decor, I’m excited to buy and sell more second-hand in the future. I’m eyeing a few other wedding-related purchases, too – event decor, an insane veil, and even shoes. I’m seeing a ton of beautiful designer gowns on Kijiji as well.
If you’re tying the knot and looking for a creative way to save, I highly recommend trying second-hand shopping. It’s taken some of the budget burden off, and I’m still extremely excited with what I have. I’m even considering re-selling some wedding items on Kijiji to help offset the wedding cost. I couldn’t wait to wear the dress so I styled it down with a pair of moto boots recently, but I’ll be sure to share how I style it for our rehearsal dinner when the time is here. Happy shopping!
Photos by Andrew Cameron
Shot in collaboration with Kijiji
I love this! I have been full steam ahead with second hand items for decor, but worry people will think I’m crazy for looking at second hand dresses. Have you encountered that at all?
Author
I haven’t, but don’t worry about them! A lot of the dresses on Kijiji are new or only worn once, and who cares what those people think anyways?! It’s your wedding and your money my friend 🙂
xx Jill
So fresh so clean look 🙂
I scooped up an amazing dress at a sample sale at Mark Ingram bridal here in NYC. They had someone on hand who could talk to you about how alterations would/could work so you would know beforehand how much it would cost to “fix” the dress and/or alter it in any way. HUGE money saver to buy my dress that way – I was able to get my dream dress at a FRACTION of the cost.
There are also more and more places that offer second-hand wedding dresses. I got mine at the Bride’s Project in Toronto. I picked up a destination-style dress for only $300. Even better, 100% of the proceeds go to cancer-related charities. A few alterations and it was perfect for my Tuscan wedding 🙂
Nice outfit, except for the hair and shoes. You should only invest in silk, leather, linen, 18-22k gold, and cashmere. Everything is a huge waste of money, I like Aritzia, but I hate the poly… synthetic blends. I appreciate your thrift store plug in. Also congrats on your wedding and your very mature choice to invest in more wholesome things. Weddings are a scam.