Beating The Recession

DENVER (CBS4) ― A bridal store in south Denver is helping brides-to-be beat the recession. During the month of July, The Bridal Collection on East Belleview Avenue is offering a 10 percent discount on purchases.

At the end of the month, the owners will choose one day where the daily sales total is closest to the daily sales average for July. They will refund everyone who made a purchase on that day.

"We wanted to do something that would bring some fun and excitement to our brides who are shopping right now," said Lynn Crandall, Vice President of The Bridal Collection. "We've seen a lot of brides who are really concerned, who are having to crunch numbers, and it's taken a little bit of the joy out of their experience."

Crandall said she's seen more brides with tighter budgets that ever before, some even in tears when they find the dress they really want and realize they can't afford it. Many parents of brides have lost a significant portion of their retirement and aren't able to afford to pay as much for their daughters' weddings, and young couples are finding they're not able to afford their dream weddings on their own.

"So, by offering the discount, there's a sale for everybody on what they purchase, everybody gets a little something. And then, by adding in the excitement that one of those months of the days in July is going to be completely free, so they'll get everything they purchased that day for free-- it just adds a little bit of excitement and joy back into their shopping experience," said Crandall.

To save money, brides are choosing a still photographer over a videographer, buying flowers wholesale and making their own arrangements. Some are choosing less expensive places to get married, inviting fewer guests, and opting out of formal, sit-down meals.

Some brides have had family members make their wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses. Crandall said it's virtually unheard of anymore for a bride to pay for her bridesmaid dresses as well, leaving the bridesmaids to cover those costs themselves.

Sabrina Rehnke is getting married next summer. She wanted to have her wedding in Estes Park, but elected to get married in the Denver area at a location that was half the cost of her first choice.

"I'm also looking at more plain dresses than I would have otherwise," said Rehnke. "I have chosen which things I think are really important, and what things I'm willing to cut back on. When I first thought about planning a wedding I really wanted a seated meal, and the recession, plus the insane size of my guest list, has made that not possible. So, I had to give that up. I decided that the photographer was more important, so that was the trade off."

Crandall said about a half dozen bridal stores in the Denver metro area have gone out of business since the beginning of the year. In order to keep sales steady, she said they've had to adjust their marketing schemes on a continual basis. The Bridal Collection is keeping customers coming in by carrying lower-cost dresses that range in price from $800 to $1500.

Crandall said they've brought in several gowns from Spain for 2010 with designs that are on the cutting edge. But since Spain is also suffering through tough economic times, they've been able to work together--Crandall coming away with trendy dresses that she can offer to customers at lower prices.

If Rehnke is one of the brides to get all of her purchases for free, she said she would use the extra money for her dream honeymoon. She'd get back at least $1200 for the cost of her dress.

"We want to go to Africa, and it's really expensive, like $4,000 a person I think," said Rehnke. "So, we're not really sure what we're going to do. We're hoping we can go to Africa. The honeymoon is probably the thing I would most likely use the money for."

Crandall said the odds of winning are 1 in 26 since there are 26 sales days in July. The winning day will be picked on Monday, August 3.

Additional Information

Check out The Bridal Collection Web site.

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