Splurge Vs. Steal: How to Get the Wedding Look You Love on a Budget

Want to find out the secrets behind saving on your wedding day essentials? Katie Couric featured Site Director Anja Winikka as a special guest on a wedding segment as she demystified what adds dollar signs to everything from shoes to centerpieces! Get a sneak peek of the tips here!

By Simone Hill for TheKnot.com

The Gown
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Splurge (left)
This Dennis Basso for Kleinfeld gown retails for $2,500. Hand-beaded embroidery, silver-dipped thread, forty layers of silk tulle, and three-dimensional French-imported lace all combine to create this gorgeous gown.

The biggest wedding dress dos and don'ts!

Steal (right)
This ball gown by Allure Bridals is priced at $1,200 and features embroidery and Swarovski crystals across the bodice. There are no lace appliqués like the Dennis Basso and the Swarovski embellishments on the skirt are scattered instead of in a dense band around the bottom.

How to Save on Your Gown
Choosing a classic gown without embellishments may lower the price tag significantly (often by up to 25%). Alternatively, opt out of some of the ornamentation. Get all that gorgeous lace and beading on the bodice, but eliminate the lace and embellishment on the hemline, waistline, train, or sleeves to save.


The Cake
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Splurge (left)
A three-tiered gold Swiss buttercream cake by Ana Parzych Cakes will run you $2,300. With features like pressed fondant lace borders with edible gold dust and brushed piped embroidery painted with edible pearl dust in addition to tons of hand-crafted gum paste flowers in different types and sizes it's easy to drool over this splurge cake.

Steal (right)
Also by Ana Parzych Cakes this similar three tiered Swiss buttercream cake with light pink fondant finished tiers, but the design is far less intricate. It features fondant ribbon, which is painted gold and embellished with a single sugar and gum paste bloom.

How to Save on Your Cake
By the time the wedding cake is cut, chances are, your guests are pretty full! So order half the size of a wedding cake you'd need (i.e. 150 guests = cake for 75 people) and actually serve half portions. Trust us-your guests won't even notice!

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