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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1988)
The perfect look Pawn and thrift stores cut costs for couples By Joeth Zucco Senior Kditor 16 January 1988 Dear Karen: Miracles still happen! The dress is exactly like Dehi had in mind — A dream come true for her. Now we start with the other wedding plans. Sending the dress was very much appreciated. You are special people! By the time a happy-to-be couple has gotten a new wedding dress, at tendants’ dresses, rented tuxedoes and wedding bands, the price of get ting hitched can set them off to an indebted start. Wedding costs can be cut in half or more by having a thrift store/pawn-shop “affair.” ‘People like the fact that dresses have a history, they’re neat finds. ’ —Anderson mtmmmi MMim■&■■■.$. a- &■? v\x •••.$. •.*'- x \ V:x.;: A* . , s s • sv.^ \0 * -X • vrfi vX X -.Sx ' S ' <• s Xs % s~ - ' Karen Jordan Anderson, owner of Second Wind — Vintage Clothing and Collectibles, 718 O St., said many people, mostly younger girls, have been asking about wedding dresses at her shop. Anderson said people shop at thrift stores and vintage clothing shops for wedding apparel because ol the costs. “A lot has to do with finance,” Anderson said. Anderson sold the dress men tioned in the above letter for $75. She said it wasn’t originally a wedding dress, but a long cotton and lace dress with a high neck. Currently the store has one wed ding dress from 1919 that isn't fin ished. According to the people An derson spoke to at the state auction, the dress belonged to a woman who was making it for her wedding, but never finished it and never married. “People like the fact that dresses have a history,” Anderson said. “They’re neat finds.” Anderson doesn’t limit her wed ding selections to dresses. She has one tuxedo from the 1920s that is selling for $90 and said she has sold several tuxedo jackets for $20. Anderson said prices depend on the item’s construction, detail and age. Anderson, a former wedding con sultant, said she would like to expand her wedding apparel to include a seamstress “who could adapt the dresses to what the girls want today At the Salvation Army, 737 P St., wedding dresses range from $38 to S59, said Sharon Stearns, a Salvation Army captain. She said a dress with a veil selling for S49.75 would go for $900 in a regular wedding apparel store. Stearns said the Salvation Army sells a couple of wedding dresses and from lOlo 12 attendants’dresses each month. Attendants’ dresses run from $9.95 to $ 19.95, and tuxedoes sell for $15. “We’ve had an increase in sales because of the economy,” Stearns said. “People can’t afford $500 to $1,000 for a wedding dress.” Archibald’s, 115 N. 14th St., started selling wedding dresses two weeks ago, said Janie Lane, the store’s owner. She said she has new gowns from a bridal shop that went out of business and two Irom the 1940s. Prices range from S95 to $198 lor the new dresses and $75 lor the vin tage dresses. Lane said sales have gone well and people are showing interest. Dick Budig, owner of Dick’s Jewelry and Loan, 909 O St., said prices on wedding bands run a “third of what they run in jewelry stores.” Budig said the gold rings he sells for $30 can run from $90 to $100 or more at jewelry stores. He said the women who come in to sell their rings vary from “women who come in here with tears in their eyes so they can buy a ticket to Las Vegas” to “girls who are coming up, whose husbands got promotions.” “It’s like the car business,” he said. “If you have a clunker, you leave it there and trade up.” Budig said most of his customers are brides-to-be for the second or third time. He said money and love are two different things the second time around. He said couples aren’t going to give up a car, dog or boat for a ring that doesn’t mean a thing. “Once you’ve oeen married, you’re a little w iser, more practical,” Budig said. Budig said he gels a few brides-to be as customers. “Quite often it’s the girl who’s concerned about money,” he said. “Men arc too worried about macho. They’ll spend $1,000 to $2,000 on a wedding set.” However, the stigma that wearing a diamond worn by someone else is bad luck slill lingers. Budig said that when jewelry stores repossess a ring they clean it up and put it up for sale again. Dick Gammcl, owner of A-1 Pawn, 135 S. Ninth St., agreed. “When you buy a ring at a jewelry ■ "i-n-rr 1 J.P. Caruso/Daily Nebraskan A 1919 unfinished wed ding gown at Second Wind - Vintage Clothing and Collectibles. store, you don’t know if they’re used or not,” he said. Gammcl’s prices range from S4l) to $3(XX), hut most are between S175 and S300. He said he sold 10 sets in the last month. Both owners said there isn't an average customer. Budig said cus tomers range from “beggars to bank crs.” Everything to rent for your special event! •Wedding Candelabra • Punch Bowls, Fountains •China Serving Pieces and Place Settings •Silverware •Silver Serving Pieces •Portable Bars •Keg Tappers •Portable Dance Floor •Portable Gazebo •Aisle Cloth •Folding Chairs •Casino Equipment •Coffee Makers •Tables •Table Skirts •Champagne Fountains •Wedding and Party Canopies, 20x20, 20x30 and Tents up to 30x60 Free Standing 20x20 RENT-ALL NEBRASKA “The Special Event Specialists" MMMWi 1-1 ; We deliver and set up! 10% OFF Just South of Hwy 2 at ! - ... ... m. • S 48th and Rentworth * Any Wedding Rentals 9977 ! Reserved before May 1,1988 ; tfc.omdci / * ....i.. ■ 5340 Cornhusker * with this coupon i 1_j 466-8861 s,—' Flowers, cakes, invitations set traditional mood for weddings in ’88 By Linda Holmes Staff Reporter Tradition seems to be the main theme in wedding trends this summer. One example is the popular flow ers for weddings this year. Annette Mohl, manager of Russ’s Floral at East Park Plaza, said traditional roses, stephanotis and gardenias are popular for the bride this year. Mauve alstro emerias are popular for members of the wedding party, she said. The average floral package cosls about $3(X), Mohl said. Twyla Becker, owner of Forget Me Not Flowers and Gifts, 233 N. 48th St., said once again traditional flowers like orchids and roses are popular. Silk flowers are as popular as fresh flowers, she said. Mike Bartin, owner of Colonial Bake Shoppe and Parlour Cafe, 70th and Vine streets, said couples arc designing their own cakes this year by taking ideas from different cakes and combining them. Bartin said couples can choose from many cake tops. Staircases for the tiered cakes are popular, as are fountains to make the cake look bigger. Kristen Camp, social stationery salesperson for Boomer’s Printing Co., 1212 O St., said couples can expect to pay about $300 for station ery for the average wedding of 150 to 200 guests. The new colors arc peach, leal and mint, she said. Becker said that besides peach, mauve accents arc popular. She said she is seeing many different color combinations like burgundy, mauve and pink; royal blue and yellow; and white and black. I Becker said she thinks brides are more relaxed this year. She said she thinks this is because couples arc planning earlier for weddings instead of wailing until the last minute. Becker said couples should try to come in four months before the wed ding to decide on flowers and station ery. Jim Dingwell, owner of Dingwell Photography, 2536 O St., said brides are becoming more conscientious of quality but not as concerned with the cost of photography. Couples should decide on a photographer six months before the wedding, he said. Most photographers, he said, will travel out of town for weddings, but will charge for mileage. He said formal bridal portraits are not as popular as they once were. He said 90 to 95 percent of wedding pictures are taken before the cere mony rather than after. He said couples are not concerned about the tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding anymore. He said couples can expect to pay $500 to $600 for a complete wedding "Dck^akjU 'P&o&MytAft&cf, *)hc. ‘ ‘PvtinAitt arf “DittcHctiAH .—_ 476-6571 .mm