Weddingbee

Because we’re turning this into a regular feature, we’ve added a link under the Guest Blogs page for you to submit your Real Budgets at any time.  Do you like our shiny new icon?

Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be featuring several different types of weddings (city, rural, destination etc.) within different budget ranges ($5,000, $10,000 etc.).  We’ve already received many submissions so we don’t know if we’ll be able to post them all, but please continue to send in your budgets as we’d like to showcase as wide a variety as possible.

Today we bring you three different $5000 budget weddings that are great examples of how to stretch a smaller budget.  

- SK had a 40 person wedding at a restaurant in Manhattan.  Restaurants can be surprisingly affordable venues that often offer lower per person prices than many caterers or wedding venues.  And because they’re already equipped with tables, chairs, linens, and china,  you don’t have to worry about paying for rentals.

- RS had an intimate, 27 person destination wedding in Maui.  While a destination wedding can certainly cost as much or more than a local wedding, a destination wedding allows you to do everything on a smaller scale.  Less guests means less of everything and the savings add up. 

- JM had a 200 person wedding in Salt Lake City at an inexpensive public venue - a campground!  Having an outdoor wedding is a great way to save on flower and decor costs because you can take advantage of the surrounding natural beauty.  JM also saved on food costs by only serving dessert and refreshments.  Food will most likely be the greatest portion of your budget, so you may want to consider inexpensive alternatives to a sit down dinner like a brunch reception, a dessert reception, a cocktail reception, or my personal favorite - a barbecue reception (the food at my SIL’s bbq reception was fantastic and very affordable)! 

Are any of you having your wedding at a restaurant or public facility like a park or camping ground?

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Submitted By: SK
City: New York City (Manhattan)
Budget: $6000
# of Guests: about 40

Wedding Day Expenses: 

Ceremony/Reception Site Fees: $0 (holding ceremony & reception at neighborhood restaurant, no charge for site with purchase of food/open bar)
Caterer/Food/Drink (per person if available): $95/pp
Service Charge/Gratuities: $800
Bridal Gown & Alterations: $1000
Bridal Accessories (Veil, Undergarments, Shoes, Jewelry): $70 (already had shoes)
Groom’s Attire: $125
Stationery/Postage: $50 (DIY pocketfolds, printed at home on color laser)
Photography: $600 (all digital, receive pics open disk w/ no prints, 6 hrs coverage)
Videography: $0
Ceremony Music: $0 (friend is a harpist, doing as gift)
Reception Music: $0 (iPod, FBIL is DJ)
Flowers: $125 (DIY - bride’s bouquet, 1 MOH, 3 bouts, 2 corsages)
Decorations/Centerpieces: $0 (DIY - using vases from sister’s wedding, restaurant has votive candles)
Favors: $20 (cookies wrapped in tulle)
Cake: $300
Officiant: $300 (mostly transportation costs)
Coordinator: $0
Hair/Makeup: $0 (friend is makeup artist, doing as gift)
Wedding Party Gifts: $0 (not doing)
Transportation: $20 for cabs
Hotels: $0 (restaurant is 3 blocks from house)
Misc: Chuppah - $30 (DIY, materials)

Nonwedding Day Expenses: 

Wedding bands: $350
Rehearsal dinner: ~$50, at home with 10-15 people
Honeymoon: $6000, 2 weeks in Belize

WEDDING DAY TOTAL: $7240
COST PER PERSON: $181
NONWEDDING DAY TOTAL: $6400
GRAND TOTAL: $13,640

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Submitted By: RS
City: Ceremony in Makena; Reception in Wailea (Maui, HI)
Budget: $6000
# of Guests: 27

Wedding Day Expenses: 

Ceremony Site Fees: Beach = free.
Reception Site Fees: $100 for location, white linens, all tableware, and personalized menu.
Caterer/Food/Drink (per person if available): $23
Service Charge/Gratuities: tax at 4.17% and 18% gratuity = $765
Bridal Gown & Alterations: Alfred Angelo dress $386 incl. shipping.   Yay for no alterations needed!!
Bridal Accessories (Veil, Undergarments, Shoes, Jewelry):  DIY veil - $10 for material, $2 for comb, attached great grandmother’s costume jewelry to top = $12.   Shoes barefoot at ceremony, $4 for off white flip flops + $5 beading = $9.  Undergarments, $65 (bodywrap brand slimmer, new strapless bra)
Groom’s Attire: khakis, white shirt, leather flip flops = $120
Stationery/Postage: 45 save the date plane tickets $30 for printing at office max and postage.  Invites – paper material from paperzone $90, ribbon $20.  Printed at home, postage $20.  Total = $160
Photography: $1000/2 hours, all images retouched and on cd
Videography: $0
Ceremony Music: $250 (full hour of guitar/vocalist)
Reception Music: none needed (no dancing, etc)
Flowers: none needed (leis included in package)
Favors: $70 (palm boxes with custom cd, diy luggage tag, candy inside, ribbon and orchid outside)
Cake: $250 (3 tier buttercream frosting, aqua dots and cascading plumerias)
Officiant: included in coordinator’s package
Coordinator: $850
Hair/Makeup: $200
Wedding Party Gifts: $150 (4 attendants each – girls got silver plumeria necklace, flip flops, and shower wrap to get ready in; guys got flip flops and beach towel)
Transportation: convertible rental car (a honeymoon cost)
Hotels: already on location for honeymoon
Misc: palm fans at ceremony with diy ribbon attached $30, chairs at $4 each for rental = approx $80, various taxes not included – add approx. $100

Nonwedding Day Expenses: 

Wedding Bands: $1000 for my 5 stone band (I didn’t want an engagement ring, so this is all I will be wearing)  $110 for his plain band
Rehearsal Dinner/Day After Brunch: parents/friends hosting
Honeymoon: $5000 (8 nights on maui, 2 separate hotels, 2 r/t tickets from seattle, convertible rental car, misc. expenses)

WEDDING DAY TOTAL: $5218
COST PER PERSON: $193.26
NONWEDDING DAY TOTAL: $6000
GRAND TOTAL: $11,218

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Submitted By: JM
City: Salt Lake City, Utah
Budget: $4000
# of Guests: 200

Wedding Day Expenses:

Ceremony/Reception Site Fees: $360 (3 campsites)
Caterer/Food/Drink (per person if available): Total: $1200 (chocolate fountain, cheese fountain, water, lemonade, cake)
Service Charge/Gratuities: $0
Bridal Gown & Alterations: $400
Bridal Accessories (Veil, Undergarments, Shoes, Jewelry): $50
Groom’s Attire: $55
Stationery/Postage: $230
Photography: $390
Videography: Free (traded design services in exchange for videographer from Craigslist)
Ceremony Music: Free (coworker is a wedding dj, music is gift)
Reception Music: $350
Flowers: $250
Favors: N/A
Cake: $325
Officiant: Free (stepfather registered online)
Hair/Makeup: Free (sister is stylist)
Wedding Party Gifts: $50
Hotels: $115
Misc: $100

Nonwedding Day Expenses:

Wedding Bands: $575
Rehearsal Dinner/Day After Brunch: $150
Honeymoon: N/A

WEDDING DAY TOTAL: $3875
COST PER PERSON: $19.38
NONWEDDING DAY TOTAL: $725
GRAND TOTAL: $4600