These blogs are part of a week-long series in partnership with Bloomerent. To get more tips and facts about flowers and diamond costs, make sure to check out the Rare Carat blog all week.
Thanks to technology, it’s finally possible to plan a dream wedding on a less-than-dream budget.
The wedding industry has gone unchallenged for what feels like a million years. Flowers, diamonds, venues -- whatever retailers charged is what couples paid. Whether they liked it or not. And if you didn’t have the money? Count yourself SOL and head to the courthouse.
But like we said: technology. More specifically startups, some led by founders with their own wedding-horror stories are innovating this archaic industry, challenging the traditional ways of planning, and innovating both the ease and cost-effectiveness of what’s usually the most expensive and stressful planning process that a person can endure (just sayin’)
Below are our favorite startup renegades who are leading the charge on how the wedding-west was won, and making sure nobody has to pay full-retail price again.
1. Rare Carat
Diamonds. The first major cost of the “I do” budget is the engagement ring. And it’s a pricey one right out of the gate. But it doesn’t have to kill your finances, or make you choose between paying off your student loans or getting married. Thanks to Rare Carat, finding a serious deal on a diamond is as easy as buying a plane ticket online. Dubbed “Kayak for Diamonds” by Forbes, and powered by IBM Watson technology, you’ll get to search the entire interwebs for the best diamond, for the best price, and know exactly if you’re getting a super deal or not. Rare Carat has helped thousands of engagement ring shoppers save anywhere between 10%-30% on their perfect diamond and get a lot more bling for the buck.
2. Bloomerent
With two products on the market, Bloomerent is obsessed with saving our customers money and making the process of purchasing wedding flowers easier and more transparent. Bloomerent, the sharing marketplace, allows customers to connect with local florists and share their wedding flowers with another event in their area to save money and reduce floral waste. Bundles by Bloomerent allows couples to purchase wedding flowers from florists in bundles, based off of their budget and needs. The price is set upfront and a process that previously took months can now be completed in minutes.
3. Our Story Bridal
Why spend thousands on a dress that you will wear for only a few hours? Our Story Bridal is NYC's only luxury bridal consignment boutique, pairing designer dresses (Inbal Dror, Monique Lhuillier, and more) at a great discount with a full service experience. Shop from gently worn dresses and put the money towards your honeymoon!
4. Paperless Post
Believe it or not, one of the sneakiest wedding costs that can add up quick is paper. Yup, good old-fashioned paper. Think: save the dates, invitations, RSVP cards, envelopes, postage… and that’s just the paper needed for the invitations.
Thankfully Paperless Post will help design the perfect stationary and invitations for your wedding, both online and in-person! And if that’s not cool enough, they help keep your guest list in order by tracking who’s’ opened the invitations, who’s RSVP’d and who may need a second follow-up invite to get the hint you need a headcount.
5. Vow to be Chic
When it comes to dressing the bridal party, the results are usually a compromise on color, fit, and style that are less than dazzling inevitably bridesmaids (at least a few of them) are stuck buying an expensive dress they’re never going to want to wear again.
This is where Vow to be Chic saves the big day. Not only do they have a massive selection of designer dress rentals to browse, but they also offer free consultations with Bridal Stylists, a bridal suite where you can select the best dresses for each of your bridesmaids and then send an invitation to them so they can have final say on which dress is right for them.
Everyone gets what they want while feeling fabulous walking down the aisle. The best part? No gal is left having to donate an ill-fitting, and pricey bridesmaid dress to Goodwill when all is said and done.
6. Menguin
Now that we’ve got the gals covered, it’s time to get the guys side of the Bridal Party suited-up
Let’s be honest here, how often are the guys really gonna need a tux? Yeah -- not often right, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t look dashing on the big day. And we don’t know about you, but the traditional tux shops we’ve been to with our dads are always outdated and overpriced - with minimal selection.
Enter: Menguin -- the perfect place to say goodbye to ill-fitting, outdated tux rentals and hello to modern suits and tuxedos that are the perfect-fit delivered right to your door.
7. Wedding Spot
Planning the perfect reception starts with finding your ideal venue, however finding your ideal venue at your ideal cost is not always easy.
Thankfully Wedding Spot is a pro at finding those dreamy locations in your area that you think only exist on Instagram. But most importantly, they find venues within your pre-decided budget? This means you won’t have to deal with the heartbreak of finding the perfect place and falling in love, just to discover it’s not anywhere near your price range
Take a look at the engagement rings we sold.
