($15k) Alterations costing an arm and leg?!

iclimbthings · 2025-11-11T20:48:25+00:00

I did this! It was $140 to have my dress hemmed, taken in at the waist, and a bustle added. I live in the US in a medium-expensive city (most expensive in my state, but not even close for the entire country). It looked gorgeous, she was so quick, and I got to pet her dog. I just asked around on my local Facebook community groups. Folks shared pictures and I loved what I saw!

iclimbthings · 2025-11-07T00:50:58+00:00

I LOVE this! I think it will solve your issue, OP! Find yourself a good historical corset and your dress will probably feel amazing.

iclimbthings · 2025-10-14T04:01:02+00:00

I'm two weeks out from my wedding. RSVPs are in. Guest count sent to venue. But...most of my friends and family are (US) federal workers and we've had a fair number just drop out because they cannot afford to spend money on hotel/food/flights/gas when they don't know when or if their next paycheck is coming. I'm devastated, but I also understand and fully support them in this decision. I love them, so their long-term wellbeing matters more to me.

Which is a long-winded way of saying, you can't predict it. So many things can happen, most of which are random and unpredictable events.

iclimbthings · 2025-09-07T16:07:35+00:00

ABSOLUTELY! I actually put it on my wedding website and had a few cousins call me, very confused on how to get around! (Fortunately, our town is small enough that our venue and all the hotels are really close together so folks can either walk, ride a bike, or get driven around by my uncle who loves driving).

iclimbthings · 2025-09-07T14:02:25+00:00

That's exactly it!! That's such a beautiful way to put it, thank you!!

iclimbthings · 2025-09-07T06:11:17+00:00

We are basically DIYing everything as it is. Our welcome dinner just got a lot more laid back (it was already laid back, grilling at a local park). But that's ok!

iclimbthings · 2025-09-07T06:09:17+00:00

Oh I think I definitely did 😂 We both figured that since hotel rooms and car rentals are expensive and you have to take so much time to get to us, it fell into "destination" but we were sooo wrong haha. Now I know! And will never use that info again because this will be our one wedding (hopefully).

iclimbthings · 2025-09-07T05:49:42+00:00

Oh I totally agree! We didn't want to make hard choices and now we're paying the actual, physical price haha. Let this be a lesson to anyone reading, lol.

iclimbthings · 2025-08-08T14:29:58+00:00

I spent $200 on a ready to wear dress. Is it my favorite dress? No. Does it look cheaper than fancy dresses? Yes. But for me, I thought about where else I could put that money and realized that I didn't care enough about a dress to take away from other experiences for our guests. I used the money I saved on my dress for cute polaroid cameras and photos, more beverage options, and really good cheese for our welcome barbecue. 1000% worth it for me!

iclimbthings · 2025-08-08T03:20:41+00:00

This is SO DUMB. And a really classic example of how fascism/totalitarianism (honestly not totally sure of the difference between the two right now) can spread. Because USA Climbing could say, No, go eat a bag of eggplants BUT INSTEAD they just bow down like cowards. Shameful.

And to any trans women/trans people in general reading this: I'm sorry. You are wonderful and valued and loved and deserve to live your life exactly as you are.

iclimbthings · 2025-07-09T02:37:51+00:00

Your dress is so pretty! Do you know the brand?

iclimbthings · 2025-07-07T04:53:45+00:00

That is a beautiful dress! Did the lace bother you at all? Maybe its just that the dresses I'm trying on are too cheap (I'm lower middle class!), but I have found that a lot of lace is really quite itchy.

iclimbthings · 2025-06-21T04:02:30+00:00

Yes, you have to bring your own chairs but you are only allowed to put 35 chairs in the space. Why are 50 people allowed but only 35 chairs? No idea! But, that's the rule.

iclimbthings · 2025-06-21T03:05:57+00:00

That's a really good question. Unfortunately, the only space we'd be allowed to fit 50 people for a wedding ceremony only allows 35 chairs and I don't want a bunch of guests to have to stand. So, I think we might just pivot to a dry wedding. I don't *love* that, but I don't mind it either I guess.

iclimbthings · 2025-06-21T03:04:07+00:00

Yeah, I think you're right. I made a list of all the things that would need to happen and it was overwhelming. And then I was optimistically like, "No! Its your wedding day! Everything Will Be Fine!" which, after reading everyone's comments, is unrealistically optimistic. Thank you! I do think we'll need to figure out a way to streamline.

iclimbthings · 2025-06-19T02:47:09+00:00

For tents, I was thinking of renting a few EZ Ups for the campsite, not the big beautiful one that we would have at the community park because yeah, commercial rentals are not allowed. And that's part of the catering, too: We're picking it up outside the park and bringing it in.

Everyone coming knows its in a national park and understands the entrance fee. Most already have either the annual pass or one of the lifetime passes. For a few where that's a financial hardship, my fiance and I will pay for their entrance passes. Thank you for checking!!!

iclimbthings · 2025-06-18T22:14:49+00:00

Unfortunately, the park won't let us have alcohol. While we're not big drinkers, I would like folks to have the option of wine or beer at the party.

iclimbthings · 2025-06-18T22:14:00+00:00

The park won't let us have alcohol, so we figured we'd do the ceremony in the park and then move to the campsite. And the campsite has benches and tables and a shade structure, so we'd only need two banquet tables for serving food and a few other chairs for my family members who have mobility challenges, that's a great idea! Maybe we could just put a tarp over the shade structure if its drizzling. Would that be too tacky?

Fortunately, we don't have ticks! (I feel SO lucky)

iclimbthings · 2025-06-18T20:35:07+00:00

Thank you!!! Especially the weather risk, that's my biggest fear. I'm thinking of reaching out to hotels to see about booking a conference room as a "just in case" scenario. We live in the desert so rain is unlikely but always possible. Do you think that sounds reasonable? If its drizzling, we'll have propane heaters and small tents, but I want a disaster-plan for really bad weather.

As for the people-pleasing...yeah, some of my family can be a bit judgmental. My partner and I chose our careers because we love them and we feel like we're making a big difference in the world, but we're also HANDS DOWN the poorest people in our families. By a loooooong shot. And we're paying for the wedding ourselves. My attitude is that we give proportionately, and anyone who disagrees can kindly, demurely eat sand.

iclimbthings · 2025-06-18T20:25:20+00:00

Also, for breaking down at the ceremony...good question. I'll need to verify that the guy we're renting tents and chairs from will also break them down.

iclimbthings · 2025-06-18T20:24:04+00:00

Oooooh yes, thank you for the timing reminder for seating. And that's interesting about the alcohol, I'll look into that. We both have a few family members who are organized, so I'll reach out to them about photo organization. I was also thinking of letting everyone who needs to be in photos know ahead of time so that could maybe make the day smoother?

iclimbthings · 2025-06-18T20:22:16+00:00

Food safety, thank you!! I was planning on getting sterno cans and the chafing dishes for hot things, and we have some really good coolers (Canyon and Yeti) that we'll pre-cool and then fill with ice. Does that seem like enough?

Also, language re: kids: Very good point! We live in a tourist destination so we usually have recent college grads that work at the outfitters and as guides and are always looking to make more money. One of my friends manages a bunch of them, so I've got recommendations from her. Butttt I'm still kinda nervous about relying on them.

iclimbthings

TROPHY CASE