Weddingbee

(A guest post on budget from former bride KM) 

Isn’t the most special day of your life “priceless”? Well yes…and no. The reality is that there are costs involved. Most people don’t plan weddings for a living, so how does one even begin to figure out how much to spend? Hopefully the monetary details of one 2006 wedding can help provide some perspective.

Our Circumstances – Being over 40, we were older than the average couple planning a wedding for the first time. Until recently my ideal wedding involved an elopement or at most a very, very small, intimate ceremony, followed by a kick-ass large party on a later date. But that was before we were both struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing the street on the way to dinner one night. Ironically, it took this horrible accident for us to finally get engaged – we hadn’t seen the need, having already bought a home together and with no plans for children. Our long recovery (and the continued recuperation of my husband who was more severely injured than I) and the close bonds that were forged between both our families and our wonderful group of friends and neighbors made us rethink how our nuptials should unfold.

We now wanted it to be as much a witnessed union and celebration of life, as well as an expression of gratitude to the important people in our lives. So a large wedding and reception it became — the only caveat being we would to pay for it ourselves, without going into debt. And thankfully, that rule held true.

***

Location – Southern California City
Initial Budget – Fluid; $50K (a made-up figure, with little supporting data at the time)
Guests – 210
Planning time – 7 months

Ceremony & Reception - A private  mansion/estate for both ceremony & reception, located at the top of the hill where we live: Gratis (due to the generosity of the owner, a neighbor — hence the Sunday wedding date, which turned out to be a blessing as most of our first choice vendors were available, even at the last minute)

Food/Wait Staff/Service Charge/Valets/Shuttle Vans/Parking Fee: $19,500 (one of the best decisions we made was to go with a caterer who was already very familiar with the venue)

Bridal Gown/Veil & Alterations/Pressing: $2,705 (wasn’t sure I would wear a traditional wedding attire and then found a very simple yet elegant, lightweight silk gown at the first bridal shop visited)

Bridal Accessories (shoes, hair ornaments, antique choker and earrings, stockings, undergarments): $1,200

Groom/Fathers Tuxedo Rentals (3): $375 
Flower Girls’ Dresses: $55

Stationery/Postage (Postcard save the dates; Letterpress invitations; included personal stationery with both our names, some of which were used as thank you notes): $2044

Photography: $11,500 (splurged on an expensive package, but we could never have put together as beautiful an album for us and our parents as the one they designed)  

Videography:  $2,369 
Music for Ceremony/Cocktail Hour (Classical Guitarist): $650
DJ & assistant: $1800

Floral & Lighting Design: $15,799 (where we decided to really splurge — for us, it was well worth it. Family and neighbors enjoyed the centerpieces for days and the pool floral arrangement graced our front yard for a week)

Wedding Cake/Mini-Desserts for later in the evening: $1,125

Officiant:  Gratis – a close friend who was ordained over the internet.
Wedding Coordinator: $2,000 (came aboard 4 weeks before wedding; one of the best values; wish we had hired her sooner)
Hair/Makeup: $400
Wedding Bands: $3702

Dove: $100 (released in memory of husband’s recently deceased 96-year-old grandmother) 
Chinese Lion Dance Troop: $500

Guest Sign-In Art Piece: $500 (another splurge, but it now provides unique ambient light in our home; we weren’t interested in a framed large photo or Chinese embroidered silk that we wouldn’t hang in our home or an actual sign-in book we’d rarely look at after the wedding)

Photobooth Rental: $2,150 (another worthwhile splurge — we still enjoy looking at the album that was put together) 

Photobooth Scrapbook/Scrapbooking stuff: $103
DIY paper stuff (escort cards, menu cards, game card, glassine envelopes with thank you sticker): $135
Liquor (dinner wine was a gift from groom’s parents): $531
Wed Insurance: $195
Rehearsal Dinner: $1,220

*****

Actual Total Spent - $70,658

(A few other special touches — we faced our guests during the ceremony; didn’t have a center aisle, so no bride or groom’s side; showered guests with flower petals after the ceremony)

Obviously if we were both in our twenties and at the start of our careers, we would have had a very different wedding — a more modest, but hopefully still creative one. As it were, sure I would have liked to have had more time for additional crafty (maybe even cost-saving) stuff but the reality was I had a department to run and health issues for both of us to consider. Being true to our vision of the wedding through good value and not necessarily the lowest cost worked best for our situation.

Sharing that special day with those whom we owe so much to was truly priceless.

(Professional photos - which most of these are - were taken by The Image Is Found)

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