Wedding Blog

Date: July 11, 2009
City, State: Santa Barbara, CA
Initial Budget: $43K
# of Guests: 270 invited, 180 attended

Wedding Day Costs

Date: June 6, 2009
City, State: Philadelphia, PA
Budget: $50,000
# of Guests: 115
Planning Time: 11 months

Wedding Day Costs
Ceremony/Reception Site: A tall ship turned into a restaurant on Penn’s Landing

The Moshulu really “made” our wedding.  We weren’t too keen on having a “ballroom” wedding, but were overwhelmed by the work of a “tent” wedding.  The Moshulu is a great restaurant with a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces.

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We hope you’ve enjoyed our Real Bee Budgets series! We’re wrapping it up today with, what else, but honeymoons! Be sure to check out all the posts in our Real Bee Budgets series!

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The Peep Toes’ Honeymoon

Location: Panama for 14 nights and 13 days
Flight: Air miles. First class the whole way on American Airlines

• In country flights (three legs): $350.
• Rental Car for 3 days: ~$200
• Hotels: Between 150-220…

Here is a little glimpse into how some of the bees ensured their guests didn’t go thirsty! Be sure to check out all the posts in our Real Bee Budgets series!

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Mrs. Cherry Pie’s Alcohol/Drinks

Total: I can’t correctly give a total or cost per head because we took lots of unconsumed bottles of wine and Coke home with us and only drank a third of the…

Here’s a peek into how some of the bees transported themselves and their guests to their weddings! Be sure to take a look at the rest of the posts in our Real Bee Budgets series!

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Mrs. Flamingo’s Transportation

Mode: Rental of one Vintage 1957 Bentley to transport Bride and Groom.
Price: $425

Here are the bees’ budgets for wedding bands! Were you able to find the perfect rings for your budget? Be sure to check out the rest of the categories in our Real Bee Budget series!

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The Sushis’ wedding rings

Mrs. Sushi’s Ring
Engraved yellow gold over top of white gold, Hawaiian Jewelry
Vendor: NEX, HI
Price: $575

“I knew I wanted to get Hawaiian jewelry as my wedding ring, so we…

Here is a peek into how the bees budgeted for live entertainment for their weddings! Be sure to check out the rest of the posts in our Real Bee Budgets series!

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Mrs. Quiche’s Live Entertainment

Band: Steel Drum Band
Price: $400/hr x 2 hr = $800

Ceremony music (Calypso Trio (included for ceremony) & hired for an additional hour): $100
Speaker/Microphone/iPod hookup (for after) - $225

“Our resort offered a number…

Today in our Real Bee Budgets series, check out the bees’ favors!

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Mrs. Flamingo’s Favors

Favors: Imported Italian Sparkling Water + Donation to Quebec Breast Cancer Association
# of Favors: 96
Total Price: $192
Price per favor: $2

“When it came time to choose our favors, we decided to make a donation to the Quebec Breast Cancer Association. We felt as though our guests might like to leave the wedding…

So many brides debate whether or not to hire a wedding planner/DOC. Hopefully, the bees’ experiences can help you with your decision!  Be sure to check out the rest of the Real Bee Budgets series!

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Miss Beagle’s DOC

DOC: Pam Donaldson w/ Celebrations Event Planning, Austin TX
Price: $795 for Day of Coordination (includes Rehearsal Dinner the night before); 2008 pricing

Prior To Wedding:

• Helped in establishing day-of timeline
• Helped with…

Today in our Real Bee Budgets series, the bees share their expenses for getting pretty-fied!

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Mrs. Canary’s Hair & Makeup

Hair: Stacy Pitt
Price: $1,300 (Includes: total of 10 heads)

Three styles:
Tea Ceremony: Down-do, finger curls, vintage look

Photos/Ceremony/Cocktail Hour/First Dance: Updo, veil placement for both birdcage and cathedral veil:

Catering always eats up a huge portion of any wedding’s budget! See how the bees fed their guests within their budgets. Be sure to check out the rest of the posts in this Real Bee Budgets series!

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Mrs. Avocado’s Caterer

Caterer: Hotel 1000, Seattle WA, 2008
Cost: $86.70/person, 76 guests and 4 vendor meals, for a total of $6936 (including taxes and gratuities).

Included: Tray passed appetizers (average of…

Today in our Real Bee Budget series, the bees are sharing their rental costs. How do these rental costs stack up to rental pricing in your area?

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Miss Cherry Pie’s Rentals

Rentals: Celebrate Rentals
Total Cost: $4,400

Cost Breakdown:

• 100 square dinner plates: $65
• 100 square salad plates: $65
• 180 square dessert plates: $117
• 90 square mugs: $58
• 90 white resin chairs: $450
• Silverware: $158
• 11 5′ round tables: $110
• 1 4′ round cake table: $9
• 5 6′…

Today the bees are sharing their cake costs! Check out all the rest of the bees’ budgets featured in our Real Bee Budget series!

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Mrs. Cookie’s Cake

Cake: Chocolate cake with raspberry preserves, white fondant, and blue royal icing
Cost: $500
Served: 65 (hardly any left over)
Bakery: Blue Moon Bakery
Location: Silverthorne, Colorado
Topper: $5 at Target

“After our initial baker backed-out on us a month before our wedding, I was just…

Mrs. Penguin here! Flower costs were, by far, the biggest mystery to me. We hope that by seeing the bees’ flowers and their costs, you can get a better idea for floral pricing for your own wedding! A big thank you to all the bees that continue to contribute to our Real Bee Budget series… you guys are the best!

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Mrs. Hot Cocoas’ Flowers

Florist: Kate Baker…

Today in our Bee Budget Series, the bees are sharing their photography costs. Packages and rates vary from year to year, but we hope this gives you a good idea of photography rates across the country!

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Mrs. Tulip’s Photographer

Photographer: Punam Bean Photography
Package Price: $2000

“When I was looking at photographers, there was nothing that made me as sad as finding someone I loved and then discovering that…