$3,000 wedding: North Carolina bride saves money by exclusively using Amazon for wedding
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- The cost of a wedding in the United States is just under $34,000, according to the theknot.com, but one North Carolina couple managed to only shell out around $3,000 -- all thanks to Amazon.
Ashley Hicks married her husband on June 8, and the one thing the couple wanted as they started their new life was to avoid going into debt for the wedding. Hicks said her husband works in finance, which motivated this goal.
"My husband was like we're definitely not doing that," she said.
Hicks was engaged in February and wanted a June wedding. With a short window to plan, she turned to a wedding planner who recommended using Amazon for quick turnarounds of purchases and many options for comparison shopping.
Hicks took the advice and ordered everything she needed on Amazon to plan her wedding.
"We bought my dress, shoes, bridesmaid dresses, their shoes, their jewelry, my husband's suspenders, all the groomsmen's gifts-except bowties, our table settings, and the plates, it was a long list," Hicks said. "We had about 150 guests, and I probably spent about $3,000 total including our food, all the attire, decorations, everything."
The new bride said the detailed reviews on Amazon were key to making the right purchase. Hicks would find what she liked in a local store or online and look for something similar on Amazon.
Her dress ended up being one of the biggest cost savings items she found on Amazon after trying on a style she loved in a store.
"It was like a thousand-dollar dress, and I was like, 'Hmm, I don't know,'" Hicks said. "It was a cute dress, but, I knew what I wanted and I wanted mermaid, I wanted lace."
Hicks said she had her measurements taken and found a similar style on Amazon from a dressmaker in China.
With good reviews and a lot of communication online, she ordered a similar looking dress from that dressmaker for a fraction of the cost.
"I paid $100," Hicks said. "Technically, it was $99, but I paid 100 and I think a few cents for tax. She was like, 'OK it will be here in two weeks.' It came, I put it on, and it fit perfectly."
Hicks said her advice for anyone planning a special occasion is to use your resources and know that debt isn't the only option.
No surprise, Hicks finds Amazon to be a great resource.
"Any event in the future, I would do it anytime," Hicks said. "Amazon is amazing."
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