For those of you who don’t have Flash, hop on over to Mercedes Morgan for some wedding pics and a bit o’ narrative.
For those who have been asking about costs, here you go. The magical breakdown of the DIY Budget Wedding with 60 guests.
The Bride – $845
- Seamstress, Becky the Most Awesome Fowler: $175
- Fabric, Hansson of Guilford: $475
- Shoes, DSW : $70
- Earrings, Macy’s: $25
- Necklace: $0 (bought in the Pearl District in NYC years ago)
- Hair, Angie O’Neill: $100
Note: The cost of the dress fabric takes into account conversion from US Dollar to British Pound. Guess which one is worth more? Lots more? Were you to have this dress made with fabric bought in the US, you could do so for around $250.
The Groom – $380
- Tie, Macy’s: $50
- Shirt, Suit & Alterations, Macy’s: $180
- Shoes, DSW: $150
- Hair, Angie O’Neill: $0 (haircut given as a wedding gift)
Bridal Party – $890
- Dudes Ties, Macy’s: $115
- Ladies Antique Brooches, Austin Antique Mall: $180
- Maid of Honor Shoes, DSW: $70
- Maid of Honor Dress: $0 (think my mom bought it for her)
- Maid of Honor Gift, Candle Spa: $175
- Best Man Tie, Macy’s: $50
- Best Man Gift, Palomar Hotel Suite: $300
Food & Serving Items – $630
- Cake, Society Bakery: $30
- Groom’s Cookies, Mother of the Groom: $0 (kindly provided by his mama)
- Cupcakes, Central Market: $40
- Fruit Trays & Baguettes, Central Market: $130
- Antipasto, Jimmy’s: $130
- Meatballs & Tea Sandwiches, My Brother: $125
- Beer, Random Liquor Store: $115
- Napkins & Plates, Sam’s Club: $35
- Bamboo Toothpicks, Party City: $25
- Cake Stands, Chafing Dishes & Porcelain Trays: $0 (owned/borrowed)
Note: We could have gotten away with spending far less on beer (like, half) and we could possibly have had too much food, though I’m not certain since my mother took about 40% of it home.
Venue & Decorations – $3,755
- Winery, Wine & Staff, Times Ten Cellars: $3,575
- Flowers, Whole Foods: $125
- Floral Ribbon/Wire, Michael’s: $25
- Votive Candles, Target: $30
Note: Rates for evenings are far more expensive, so we opted to host an afternoon affair at a savings of $1700. Also, it turns out people don’t drink nearly as much in the afternoon. Our wine bill (by consumption) came in a few hundred under budget and we had an insane amount of leftover beer. Cases of it. Votive candle holders we reused from my sister-in-law’s wedding. Toss ‘em in the freezer, pop out the frozen wax and voila!
Miscellaneous Expenses
- Marriage License, Dallas County: $71
- Invitations, Save the Dates and Thank You Notes, The Paper Guppy: Kindly donated by Maura at The Paper Guppy.
- Postage, USPS: $150
- Photographer, Mercedes Morgan: I won’t even tell you. Out of compassion, she cut us such a stellar deal, even driving from Austin to do it.
- Minister, Neil Moseley: I believe it is customary to give the minister $100. We also let Neil and his wife Elizabeth watch our house and cat while we were on the honeymoon. You know, like as a tip.
- Gas, ExxonMobil: One billion dollars. I kid. But seriously, the week of the wedding, I filled up my tank three times.
Please note that in general, dollar amounts have been rounded up and most include tax.
And may your memories of that wonderful day last you a lifetime.
With the average cost of a wedding now being upwards of $20K, kudos to you for proving that you can have a beautiful affair, with all the friends and family you need, without spending a ridiculous amount of money or sacrifing those “must haves”. Great job, seriously!
Cross posted to Dallas forums on The Knot and WeddingWire.com
Sorry?
I think she posted this (or linked to it or referenced it or something) on other websites?? May want to check to see if your post has been duplicated (or triplicated?) elsewhere.
Where did you rent the brown chairs from that were used at the reception? I LOVE those!
They were part of the venue.
We got married on a Sunday to save money on the venue and hadn’t taken into consideration the fact that since most of the guests were local, most of them were working the next day, and most of them wouldn’t drink as much as they might otherwise. My husband was hosting a bachelor party for his BF the week we came back from our honeymoon and got rid of the rest of the beer that way, but we had a few cases of wine sitting in the living room of our very small apartment for the next few months! Though I’m sure we made a lot of friends very happy since we showed up with three bottles of wine every time we’d go over for dinner… =^)
Beautiful! I love it all… and that you did it on such a tight budget.
Reading this made me realize just how naive I am about wedding costs…thanks for educating me a bit and for sharing your wedding with everyone. It looks beautiful.
I love that you were able to save so much money.. My sister’s wedding is costing a fortune and it makes me wince everytime I think about it..
I know this is totally off-topic, but am I weird that I want a calligraphy artist to address all my invites?? I already know who too and she’s on Etsy! I love that site.
And it was such a beautiful event. Great job!
I wasn’t sure until the week of my wedding whether to have a bouquet or not (I was trying to keep it simple and had found a few places that charged a ridiculous amount). I thought I might just buy some sunflowers.
I popped into a lovely florist a few days before and asked for something small with sunflowers, but on the day before the wedding someone went past the florist’s and noticed that it was closed for a bereavement, so I wasn’t sure whether to expect anything to arrive on the day or not.
So, I bought some organic sunflowers, which were lovely but sadly wilted very quickly.
And then, while we were getting ready, the florist herself turned up on the doorstep with a most fabulous small sunflower bouquet! I was very impressed and try to use her every time I need flowers (which is not very often, but still, I try!).
The florist is Vikki’s in Wellington, New Zealand.
Wow that is a beautiful wedding and that it was done on such a small budget is amazing. Kudos to you!
impressive fish.
Thank you so much for putting a tally up there and for itemizing it for us.
If you shopped/researched other places, did you find that most venues charged this much to do an event? (You always do your homework, so I’m sure you have a good ballpark figure in mind about what places charge)
Also, did you feel as if you got your money’s worth from the venue before the food vanished?
I’m going to have a wedding on a budget like this, and you’ve really given me something to shoot for. I’d really appreciate any advice you can give to us DIY brides now that you’ve had your own wedding.
I love your very succinct wrap up. Very informative. And I gotta say, Becky Fowler really must be “The Most Awesome.” I love to sew. I made my own wedding dress 22 years ago. But if I had a dress to make right now? It would totally be worth $ 175 to have her do it. The dress is beautiful and fits you perfectly! That was a lotta bang for your 175 bucks.
A hundred eighty bucks for a Macy’s suit? I am impressed.
AND shirt! Macy’s has huge sales – you just gotta catch them.
So amazing fish! Congrats
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