Kiss caviar goodbye. Forget ice sculptures, pricey party favors, designer invites and lavish flower arrangements.
Newly frugal Americans are downsizing every type of personal celebration, from baby showers to graduations to funerals. But how low can you go?
One recent post on the Women in Red message board about "recession weddings" described a wedding in a park, catered by . . . a taco vendor. Some guests didn't appreciate it.
A (not-so) grand affair
Given this rotten recession, it's only natural that spending is down dramatically.Weddings: The average amount spent on weddings has dropped to the lowest level in a decade, according to The Wedding Report, an industry research company. Spending dropped from $29,000 in 2007 to about $22,000 in 2008. As of April, the typical tab was about $19,000. (See "A fabulous wedding for under $5,000.")
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Parties: Although it's difficult to track graduation celebrations, birthday parties, bar mitzvahs and the like, member surveys by the National Association of Catering Executives suggest that other deluxe affairs have also declined.
"I would say that business is down about 10 to 30%," says Greg Casella, the association's president and the operator of Catering Too in San Jose, Calif. "People are planning the same number of events, but they're not as lavish."
According to a 2009 survey of the association's members, 60% say clients are cutting back on meals, Champagne toasts, novelty drinks and other bells and whistles.
Funerals: Cremations, which typically cost thousands less than burials, have been rising steadily for years, but "preliminary data show there is going to be a slightly higher bump owing to the recession," says Dennis Werner, a board member of the Cremation Association of North America, or CANA.
As of 2007, about 35% of deaths were followed by cremation; CANA projects that number will be 40% in 2010. Cremation rates vary widely by state.
The National Funeral Directors Association is reporting an increase in requests for credit and financing options. Limos and big floral arrangements are out; personal touches (more meaningful, less expensive) are in, spokeswoman Jessica Koth says.
"People are conscious of the money they're spending," she says. (See "Plan a funeral for $800 or less.")
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Good for guests' wallets, too?
This has its advantages. It can be a relief to shrug off some of the social pressure to put on a big bash, points out Alyson Palmer, a New York musician and the founder of the rock group Betty.Palmer applauded when a friend found creative ways to throw a dazzling kids birthday party -- packed with cheap but fun treats from discount stores. "It cost her half of what most kids parties add up to these days," says Palmer, who, like many parents, chafes at the high price of such celebrations.
And given that the price of any event tends to affect how much both guests and hosts will spend, scaling back can be a win-win. Nancy Munro, a consultant in West Palm Beach, Fla., and a member of the Women in Red, came to that conclusion. When Munro's husband retired in February, she wrestled with her own desire to make it a special occasion with a capital $.
"I really wanted to have a big party at a fancy restaurant," Munro says. "But in all fairness, we have friends who are retired and on fixed incomes, or unemployed, self-employed, or they just don't have a lot extra."
Mindful of not just her own expense but how it might affect loved ones, she threw a more informal party at a friend's house, after spending days cooking all the food. "It was the longest week of my life. But I saved money and kept my friends," Munro says.
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