Under of Over Budget?

[Tennyt1]

Its all based on the extra items you are adding on.... I'm below budget and I am certainly a whole lot under what we would have paid if we did the wedding here in NY.....I always say people would have just come to the wedding for the free food and liquor...and not becuase they care about you.

[LaraJo]

I'm over or under or on target depending on who you ask! My parents are paying for the wedding, so my father would say we're waaaay over what he expected to spend ($25K-$35K), but my mom thinks I'm mostly on target, while I think I'm saving them money because I'm not getting married here in NYC where, as one would imagine, costs can be astronomical. I am having another reception/party here which is turning into a second wedding, minus the walk down the aisle, so that is certainly driving costs up. Here are some places I think you can probably save costs:

 

Save the Dates - Instead of getting fancy with them, go to a site like Paper Culture: http://www.paperculture.com/  Not only do they have great eco-friendly stuff, but they have a FREE Mail & Message service (if you choose) where they mail your cards for you. You pay only the cost of the stamp. Pretty cool!

 

Paper Goods - stationary and paper goods are expensive! I wouldn't spend a fortune on invites, itineraries for guests, menus, and the thank you cards. You can get great stuff, but really don't have to spend a fortune.

 

Simplify the Flowers - Instead of carrying a bouquet, try carrying one big flower like a peony or, if you want a bouquet- just go with a single flower, like a small grouping of calla lilies (generally expensive) or ginger lilies:

 

 

 

Keep the Centerpieces Simple - flowers can really run up the cost of a wedding, so try to incorporate other elements, like candles. Just arrange some decorative candles in varying height and a pleasing color palette together, group them in clusters.

Or put the white candles in a mirrored holder or  a beaded holder:

 

 

 

 

 

Or, depending on how beachy you want to go, try something like shells or coral:

 

 

 

You can get cheap candles and holders at: http://www.jamaligarden.com/index.php.

 

 

Drinks - Instead of having an open bar with top shelf liquor, you might consider serving only wine and beer. Depending on your venue, you may/may not be able to save some money by limiting options. Or, instead of serving champagne, go with prosecco.

 

The Cake - Again, keep it simple. Generally speaking, the more flavors you incorporate, the higher the price will be. So, if you have a 3 or 4 tiered cake, go with only 1 flavor. You might also consider getting a small cake for you and your husband-to-be-to cut and serving the guests cupcakes. It seems to me like a dessert bar isn't really an option for a destination wedding because you'd probably have to schlep all of the food/candy you'd serve. But maybe not, so check with your coordinator!

 

Limit the Photographer - I know this sounds rough, but if you have a photographer for the "getting ready" and prep time, the ceremony, cocktails and to take some formal shots as well as some once the guests are dancing, you should be good to go. You may not need to have them there all night as the shots from the end of the night probably won't be as good - think sweaty, drunk...

 

Hope this helps a little! Happy planning!!

[vlynnw]

I would say we are on budget....my FI would not agree, lol.  However, I'm paying for the wedding myself so he doesn't really get to say too much I told him the only thing he needs to concern himself with is the fact that we aren't in debt! I was planning on 12k which is right about where we are but it's now more like 13.5k because of an unexpected expense.  Both of my parents are laid off and unable to pay for their trip so we are paying for it for them since I need them there.  It's 2k we weren't planning on spending but to me it is completely worth it so I don't mind if I go a little bit over budget if it means my parents are going to be there for my big day. The plus part is our AHR is being paid by my FFIL.

[merrylee]

 

 

Originally Posted by MissHoneyBee 

 

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by clgriffi7 

 

So far the budget is about what I expected to spend but way more than what my fiance thought it would cost.  He thought a DW would be about $10K - but he wasn't factoring in a lot of things.  However, I am adding on a lot of nice to have items to the budget that will run up the price but that should make the time very special for friends and family.  For instance I am budgeting about $1500 because I want to charter a catamaran for everyone. 

 

We are planning on staying at the same resort for a few days after the wedding, but waiting to have a separate honeymoon around our 1-year anniversary.  So even with my "extras", we will have enough money leftover from saving for the wedding to pay for the honeymoon.  My fiance is freaking out at the total cost, but I just have to remind him that we have the money and that it will be okay.....

 

I agree, the FI thought we would be spending less but he had little basis for comparison.  We are also thinking of chartering a catamaran which I explained was $1600 of our budget in addition to a separate outing for our bridal party.

 

I hadn't thought of the fact that our honeymoon costs are being bundled in with wedding costs.  That's one way to help us rationalize what seems like a large bottom line. :-)

 

Just out of curiosity how many people can go on a catamaran?

[clgriffi7]

They have catamarans of different sizes and obviously for different prices.  I haven't selected which company to use bc it is so far out and I don't know how many guests will be coming.  But here is the info for two companies I have seen online:

http://www.britsincancun.com/yachting.html

-includes beer, spirits, water, and soft drinks, snorkeling equip, snacks (4hr charter) or buffet lunch (6hr charter)

- this company lists 7 boats

-smallest boat can hold 14-22 ppl with the price starting at $500 for 4 hrs for 14 ppl (goes up from there)

- larget boats hold 40-50 ppl with price for 4hrs for 30 ppl starting at $1500

 

http://www.cancun-discounts.com/tours/cancun/private-33-cancun-catamaran.htm

-includes beer, spirits, water, and soft drinks, snorkeling equip, buffet lunch (7hr charter)

- the 33' boat can hold 15-20 ppl @ $59/adult (so minimum of $885) 

Originally Posted by merrylee 

Just out of curiosity how many people can go on a catamaran?

[soontobemrsdow]

We were over budget by just under 2,000. Not bad in my eyes seeing as it paid for a vacation for 2 weeks plus a wedding!

[downtownlagirl]

We are well over (like 20%) what I had set as our budget - and well under what FI expected!! I had a panic attack/meltdown and he actually said "Oh, that's way less than I thought we'd end up spending!" So I guess that's all good  But we DO have more people than we thought- I thought 40-48 and it's 60. So that is part of it.

[NikkiT1021]

We are over budget. If it wasn't for my father paying the whole cost of my wedding dress we would be WAY over. However, living in NJ, this will only be about half of what it would cost for a beach wedding at the shore. So we win either way.