Oops! Here I go and post a restricted access post, and then I come home and go straight to bed two nights in a row! I was so exhausted last night when I got home – there was just no way I could fight off the sleep monster long enough to go through and grant access. Tonight. I promise.
On a separate note, do you realize how expensive weddings are? Oh my God. I had no clue. You start to feel like you are placing a dollar sign on everyone’s head and figuring out what they are worth to you. I’m really trying not to freak out. I promise, I am. Not sure how well I’m doing though…
20 replies on “I’ll Let You In…”
My husband and I got married in his parents’ living room, in jeans and sweaters. It was wonderful. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Well, maybe a Texas Sheet Cake. 😀
Kenny and I try to do as much of it as we could… my dress was only $300 off-the-rack, my Mom took care of all the food, the cake was paid for by a friend, so was the honeymoon suite, the flowers were arranged by friends and bought for a total of $150. We served only wine and beer, rented all the tables, chairs, glassware, silverware, even the bartenders but we still spent ~$8,000-10,000 for 150 people. Our biggest expense? Renting the hall was $2,500!!! But we fell in love with the place!!! It was a beautiful location.
Good luck in your plan and e-mail me if you have any questions or need any help. I organized everything at mine!
Let me know if you need help… I helped my sister with her wedding in June, and we had some AWESOME ideas for things to save us LOTS of money. It was so beautiful and elegant.
Exactly the reason I’m eloping.
The problem with weddings is you spend a year planning them, and they’re over in four hours. ::blink:: Done. And no one really remembers how long it took you to make all those packets of birdseed.
There are lots of things you can do to have a wedding on the cheap. In fact, there are a lot of books on the subject–check out the Half Price and you should be able to find some.
it is amazing isn’t it – you think you want something simple – but then the dinners are $25 a pop and you wonder whether so and so is worth it and the things just add up… craziness!!!
Elaine – the Majestic Metro is up to $4000 now! But at least they include the tables, chairs and the DJ. I’d still need to rent linens, hire a caterer and bring in the liquor. *sigh* Have no fear, you’ll be hearing from me for ideas! 😉
That’s why we did Vegas. Good luck chica!
When we rented the Majestic they offered nothing (OK, they happened to have 3-4 tables which is all I needed) and the DJ was included but I don’t remeber him doing much more than just play CD’s for us since he was up in the balcony. Our friend stayed with him and cued us for the various dances, etc.
Hee.
I feel like a bucket in the ocean of couples who know the angst of trying to plan an affordable but beautiful wedding. There were 51 of us (48 guests, a minister, and the happy couple) – and the final tally came to just over $11k.
The big expenditure was that the venue was a yacht. But I think it was memorable for all. 🙂
I feel for you!! My guiding philosophy throughout the planning was to make sure it was only what we wanted (no trying to live up to wedding industry standards or parental expectations) and that everyone knew how much we loved them and how happy we were that they were there celebrating with us. One day it just occured to me: Everyone is there to have fun and celebrate and be happy. They’re not gonna care if it was all perfectly Martha Stewart. And if they did, well, they’re sure not getting invited to my next wedding. heh! We had a Mexican food caterer and a friend arranged our flowers. Wine and beer are all anyone needs and my husband’s aunt made a truly delectable wedding cake! 175 people and we all had the time of our lives. Just hang in there, you can do it. Just make it what the two of you want! Good luck!
Having just survived my monsterous wedding I feel I am immenantly qualified in saying that they are amazingly overpriced. HoBiscuit and I spent more money on our wedding than it costs to buy a brand new luxury automobile, but truth be told now that it’s over we both believe it was money well spent.
And from the phone calls and emails we’ve been recieving, all 194 guests seem to agree.
Best advice we got? Do what YOU want because 20 years from now you don’t want to look back and ask ‘what if?’
I saved some money on mine by having it outside in a garden area, using the beauty of nature instead of purchasing a lot of flowers. We also didn’t do a “dinner”, only provided snack type food. Which was gone as fast as you could blink. We also only offered beer and wine. We bought a few cases of wine, and a keg and that was it. I chose to spend my money on my cake (yummy), had my dress made for about $800 (found the seamstress at a wedding show), and the white chairs to line the garden for the guests. Of course, we paid for all the tuxedos, the bridesmaid dresses and the necessary hotels for the out of town attendants. There’s nothing I hate more than being asked to be in someones wedding and then having to shell out a few hundred on a dress, shoes, accessories and a hotel room. Especially when you KNOW you’ll never wear that damned dress again! Just try to think about what is most important to you, and then cut back on something else. Definitely make a budget and remember you’ll probably go over, so be conservative in your numbers. And I HIGHLY suggest, if possible, to pay as you go. It sucks at times, but it was such a relief to know that after my wedding, I didn’t owe anybody a dime.
We did ours on the beach (no cost but renting 50 chairs for $7 a piece), and had the reception at a restaurant we liked. Total cost was less than $5,000, and it was wonderful. Dress was off the rack, $250, and my wife preferred it to anything in the store before she knew the price.
Oh, and the groomsmen and I wore Hawaiian shirts instead of tuxes. That saved money too.
Hi Christine – I know you’re tired and busy, but can you please check the Blogomania helpdesk system? I’ve had an urgent ticket in since last night and I can’t use my e-mail and my site is broken. I left a message on your answering machine last night. Help! Thanks. 🙂
Try to remember to take a deep breath every so often, and remind yourself that you’re doing this for love, and because you want to, and THIS.IS.FUN.DANGIT! Sometimes, it helps. Other times, I just want to run screaming from the room.
It IS going to be worth it. 🙂
My mother always told me that wasn’t true…
I can always count on you to cheer me up.