Monica Razak’s wedding dress is a gown made of honor.
Before getting engaged last October, the local gal had only sewn little things, like hair scrunchies and sun dresses.
But after falling in love with an over $10,000 frock at Kleinfeld, NYC’s most ballyhooed bridal boutique, she got creative in order to save some dough.
“I made my own wedding dress,” Razak, 29, from Hoboken, told The Post. “It only cost me around $700.”
The millennial and her hubby, whose name she chose not to disclose for privacy purposes, tied the knot before 30 guests at a northern New Jersey venue in May. The sweethearts just enjoyed a 12-day honeymoon escape to Italy with the thousands they saved on her dress.
“I had no idea wedding dresses were so expensive,” said Razak, a small business owner, noting the hefty price of big day regalia and the nearly-inescapable expense of alterations.
“But the confidence I had at my wedding, knowing I’d made the dress myself — you can’t buy that.”
In this post-lavish wedding era, keeping costs low is the name of the game for frugal fiancés hoping to keep out of the red.
As wannabe-weds nationwide are dropping an average of $26,665 on their nuptials, including over $2,000 on spiffy attire for the fêtes, money-conscious couples are coming up with unique ways to spend less.
Pennywise Poughkeepsie bride Maria Cortese, 32, told The Post she saved $5,000 by enlisting ChatGPT, rather than a human wedding planner, to coordinate her holy matrimony in August. Bronx-based lovebirds Nova and Reemo Styles, 30, pocketed a cool $70,000 after selling $333 tickets, per person, to their vows swap in June 2023.
And now, hand-crafty courtiers, like a Razak — and Ohio bride Tymesha Triggs, who crocheted her and groom Ricardo’s all-white wear — are following suit.
Do-it-yourself divas like Beth, a newlywed from the UK, managed to save approximately $5,000 by stitching together her “dream wedding dress” with absolutely “no sewing experience.”
But taking on the challenge is no small undertaking.
And even with previous dressmaking experience, Seline Meisler, 30, a former Diane von Furstenberg designer, says creating her first-ever wedding gown for her November 2023 ceremony was “risky.”
“It took a lot of time, sketching and re-dos,” Meisler, of Nolita, told The Post. “But it was so worth it.”
Rather than blowing between $15,000 to $25,000 on bridal garb from Marchesa or Vivienne Westwood, she chose to DIY her own elaborate design with silk duchess satin, French lace appliqués, Valentino-inspired cording and handmade rosettes. However, Meisler got sewing help from a NYC pattern maker and atelier.
After eight months of construction, the final product cost around $10,000, freeing up an extra $5,000 from her original dress budget. She and her husband, Blake, allocated the excess funds towards more décor for their Palm Springs ceremony.
Expenses aside, Meisler — who, thanks to the process, is launching a demi-couture bridal line in October — says the pride she felt walking down the aisle in her own creation was “priceless.”
Rachel Amoako, who exchanged “I Do’s” in a handmade mermaid-style dress on September 8, agrees.
But she tells The Post threading together the $600 number, just two months before her wedding, came with a ton of tears, pricked fingers and Hail Mary prayers.
“Making this dress was a wild ride,” said Amoako, 28, from London. “Every morning, I’d pray, ‘God, I need your guidance.’“
And, lovingly, the big guy delivered, empowering her to slay the boning, embroidery and beadwork.
“With how well the dress turned out, I would definitely do it all again,” said Amoako, who saved over $2,700 owing to her haute handiwork. “It’s a gown with a story.”
