We got engaged in July of 2008 and right away we were thinking of a Fall wedding for 2009. I really loved the fall colors, pumpkins, and the weather during this season. However, after we found our venue, which was the only one we had a meeting with and actually took a tour of, we knew that we needed more time to save money. We knew what it would take to really pull off what we really wanted....so our fall wedding of 2009 turned into a Spring wedding of 2010! It took two years and right up to the minute to save, plan, make invitations, bathroom baskets, a card box, a sign for the amazing Adesso Polaroid guest book, find the right cake topper, and make the seating chart for our venue...that was one of the worst things I had to do for our wedding, trust me it sucks!
Many couples have their reasons for their wedding date...some don't have the money or time to save so they plan for a 6 month engagement and some couples like us are lucky enough that we can save for two years for a $20,000 wedding. There are ways to plan and save for all kinds of weddings. Here are a few things about our wedding that may help you plan yours.
1. Our photographer including album was $1200, the DJ was $500 and our videographer was $800.
2. Our venue ( Glen Foerd Historical Mansion) cost half of our budget at about $11,000...most amazing time! Package included 5 hours, 5 different hor d'oeuvres, dinner, open bar, chairs, tables, silver, glassware, plates, pasta station, fondue station, our own bridal attendent, use of their beautiful bridal room to get ready, ceremony on site, and a beautiful historical mansion to take pictures at and walk through!
3. I bought our invitations for $60 at Michaels and printed them at home. (Takes time so plan for this)
4. My Allure W205 wedding dress was $1,000, which was a gift from my mother. PS it's not on their site any more!
5. Our centerpieces, bouquets, bout. and mother's flowers cost about $2000 and were very beautiful...we loved them!
6. We bought the MOH and bridesmaids dresses (Mori Lee)..my two bridesmaids were my now stepdaughters. The dresses were about $200 each with alterations.
7. We rented all the tux for the bestman, two groomsmen and my dad...total was about $400 with a free rental for the groom.
8. Our honeymoon was in Naples, Florida at a beautiful beach front hotel for 6 days, we had a car rental, and air fare for about $2300 not including what we spent there. Best vacation we've ever been on!! Our honeymoon was amazing!
9. His wedding band (the same as Mrs. French Fry's hubby!) was about $300, it's a handsome tungsten by Triton that we got at Robbin's Diamonds where we got both my engagement ring and wedding band. My wedding band was $880 I believe.
10. Everyone had their own transportation....no limo or wedding bus needed!
11. We had an amazing sand ceremony that included my now step children (two daughters and one son), it was one of the moments I will remember forever...because it was about our new family being bonded together forever. And no money can buy that!
Every wedding is beautiful and unique and as bloggers and brides we see these photos online and want to know how they made it happen...and this is how we made it happen!! PS...no budget for a wedding planner...so that was my duty!
Another peek at our wedding day....Getting Ready at Glen Foerd!
My flower headband (the headband part is covered up) was about $12.00 at Claire's and my pearl necklace I believe is from Kohls for about $18.00, and my veil was about $120...I bought it at the same bridal shop where I got my gown. I did my own makeup...very light colors, very natural.
No matter what your budget is, how stressful things can seem, how long your check list gets, don't worry about the little details and things you forgot because in the end its about what it all really means: Your marriage, your committment, your bond, your lifetime together.
yay i love when you give us a glimpse of the new pics! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. It is really nice to be reminded to slow down, relax, and think about what really matters. I also like hearing about how other people budget. Really refreshing!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I like when other brides are honest & disclose the cost of everything. Living 20m outside NYC - vendors get carried away with pricing, it's nice to see what things really SHOULD cost.
ReplyDeleteI plan on disclosing a list like this when it's all over - but so far... it's a little less "beer budget" than I planned. Siiigh.
So far, our budget is kinda hovering above the $3000-$5000 mark that we first decided on but i'll post the final figures when all is said and done. It's really cool to see other brides' budgets.
ReplyDeleteAww thank you ladies!! I'm really glad to post the budget. Because sometimes we just see pictures of weddings and wonder...well how much did that cost?! We're real brides and we all have our own budget...we're not celebrities you know! LOL!
ReplyDeleteWe're having our wedding in our own home, which will save us a fortune. Although I have to wait to do any serious planning, since the wedding won't be til my Mr. gets out of the Army, I'm thinking I can pull off a totally amazing wedding with 50 guests on a $5000 budget.
ReplyDeleteYou summed this all up so beautifully. It's true; planning a wedding may be a ridiculous expense and leave your head spinning, but when you really take the time to look at the future it's beautiful. :)
ReplyDeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteIs your fiance at home in the army or is he away? I wish him well in the army and hope you are both doing ok. Your wedding is going to be beautiful and special! :)
Cafe!
It can be crazy planning a wedding on any budget but it really does turn out to be a beautiful, magical day! ♥
1st that photo is so pretty! I love the reflection shot!!
ReplyDeleteAlso I think we were on similar time-lines/ budgets! I was really lucky to start my job in the fall of 2008 and David proposed right after- since we could finally afford to save for a wedding!
He's actually in Kuwait (thank goodness!) and we've already married. After a year of engagement, we had changed our wedding date three times due to deployment schedules of loved ones. We finally said forget it and went to the court house. We still plan on having a ceremony and reception with friends and family, I just can't give up my dream of wearing a wedding dress!
ReplyDeleteGreat post girl! I also love that you included the price of everything...very helpful for future brides. I am going to look at that venue now...sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteI feel you about pushing the wedding back. We originally planned for March 2011, which got pushed back to Nov 2011, which got pushed back to March 2012. So I'll be a 2-year engagement bride!
ReplyDeleteI love the flower in your hair, I want to do something similar!
xo
Lyndsay
http://hepoppedthequestionshesaidyes.blogspot.com/
Wow...you are busy with writing more wedding stuff...now you write from experience. I bet lots of those bride's-to-be are just as nervous about their special day as you were, and now you probably look back and think, eh...look how great everything turned out. Am I correct on this? I love your pictures!!!
ReplyDeleteHey SG,
ReplyDeleteYou are very correct! I was so nervous about walking down the aisle and saying our vows in front of all our guests...but it was a great feeling and still is!! Thanks for commenting! :)
Our long engagement (28 months) has nothing to do with $$. We're waiting till I finish grad school, but for a variety of reasons, it was very important to my fiance to propose before I graduated from college. :)
ReplyDeleteHowever, it always helps to have a reminder that a wedding doesn't have to leave you bankrupt. :)
P.S. I'm following you now!
ReplyDeleteWow your accessories looked so regal! Such great finds for the price. I love hearing how other people budgeted and got great finds!
ReplyDeletehttp://newlymrsdee.blogspot.com/
Newlywed Blog
Thanks for the breakdown! Also, that is such a lovely picture! I love getting ready shots.
ReplyDeleteAWW Thank you to all the ladies who left wonderful comments!! :)
ReplyDeletehey diana,
ReplyDeletei knw the comment page is full of brides but i had a glimpse of ur tat.. what is it?
It's so nice to not be the only one with a long engagement. Two years seems like its becoming pretty normal, and it makes me feel better about waiting so long! Stupid money and being far away from the location issues.
ReplyDelete