A Wedding for $4,722. Can It Be Done?

Good Morning Budget Brides! I know that it has been a few days since we last convene but I have a great article for you about a bride who planned her wedding on a $4,722 budget. Yes, your vision is not getting bury the wedding cost $4,722. The article is from the New York Daily News wedding section and it through the process of a bride having her dream wedding on a very surprising budget.

The $4,722 wedding: One Brooklyn bride proves it can be done

I've never been a girly girl with visions of a princess gown and grand ballroom reception dancing in my head. So when it came to my wedding, I wanted a day that reflected my husband's and my classic and eclectic tastes, and our love of family, friends and good food in an intimate, nongeneric setting. Most importantly, we didn't want to spend a fortune.

According to The Knot, a leading wedding resource, the average cost of an American wedding is $28,000 - and $46,000 for a New York City love fest. Yet, John and I spent just under $5,000 for our 70-guest Brooklyn affair - a total that included my dress, our rings, the ceremony site, reception venue and food, flowers, photographer, violinist and wedding officiant. Sounds impossible, right? By channeling my Jedi-like knack for finding a bargain and bucking the bridal industry trend to overspend into debt, however, we orchestrated a budget wedding that looked like a million bucks (or at least $28,000).

HERE COMES THE BUDGET BRIDE

Out of curiosity, I went to the Filene's Basement's chaotic "Running of the Brides" sale, but none of the countless dresses tempted me to part with $250. It was a deal for some, but more than I wanted to spend. So I did the next best thing - I checked eBay. And there it was, a simple yet elegant, sleeveless, satiny, ivory sheath with only one bidder and 40 minutes left on the auction. I won the dress for $27. The seller said she'd purchased it from Saks' Off 5th outlet but didn't lose weight in time for her wedding. Fortunately, her diet disaster was my happy ending.

DO IT YOURSELF

We saved hundreds of dollars by printing our own invitations, a silver-and-flower embossed design from Party City ($30); recruiting friends to shoot video footage of the ceremony and reception, and having a photographer friend snap the wedding shots ($200). Flowers are also a huge expense - with bouquets priced at $100 and up - so my matron of honor fashioned my long-stem, white rose bouquet and the groom's boutonniere from a supermarket dozen. Another friend's aunt crafted the requisite Jordan almond favors, using a 5-pound bag I purchased online ($40, www.nutsonline.com), homemade keepsake tags and leftover tulle.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT

A morning ceremony and early afternoon reception was a good fit for us. Between 9-10 a.m. on weekends, several sites at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden can be reserved for a private ceremony ($350 for up to 50 guests). Once we saw the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, with its covered viewing pavilion, manicured shrubs, orange Shinto shrine, wood bridges and colorful koi fish, we were sold.

The reception was at Madiba, a South African restaurant in bohemian, brownstone-lined Fort Greene. We loved the restaurant's sunny vibe and funky details: an old-Coke bottle chandelier, a huge portrait of Nelson Mandela (Madiba is the leader's nickname) fused with the African continent, and Mason jar water glasses.

Because of the early time, Madiba's charming owner didn't charge a rental fee for the five-hour reception (regular dinner service resumed at 5). By having a restaurant reception, we also skipped catering charges for table linens, flatware and flowers. With the bar's front tables removed, there was even room for a "Soul Train" line to an iPod mix of disco, new wave and contemporary favorites.

After several tastings, we refined the $40 per person menu that included pumpkin fritter and vegetable samosa appetizers; a guava juice and Champagne cocktail; ravioli topped with John's homemade marinara sauce, and a choice of salmon or Cornish hen entrée with veggie side dishes. Instead of splurging on a wedding cake that would cost about $350, in addition to Madiba's Jenny's Malva Pudding (a traditional South African dessert served with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream), we served a tiered assortment of red velvet, coconut and yellow cake cupcakes from One Girl Cookies in Cobble Hill ($184; onegirlcookies.com) topped with a mini-lemon and raspberry cake we happily devoured a week later.

Tracy's Wedding Calculator

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden: $350
• Wedding Reception: $2,800
• Groom's suit: Filene's Basement, $180
• Bride's dress: Bride's dress, $27
• Cupcakes: $184
• Photography: $200
• Invitations and favors: $70
• Rings: Zales and Little King, $199 and $90
• Veil: Target.com, $16.99
• Bridal jewelry: Fresh-water pearl earrings and necklace purchased in Florence, $45
• Wedding celebrant: Kim Kirkley, www.ourelegantceremony.com, $350 for basic ceremony
• Violinist: Tia Imani Hanna, www.tiaimanihanna.com, $125 for one hour
• Transportation: local car services, $85

Article & Information from nydailynews.com and was written by Tracey E. Hopkins

A Wedding Under $10,000. Can it be Done? Updated!!!

Editor's Note: The quotes in this layout have always been correct however, the way I layed the breakdown out was incorrect this problem has now been fixed. Please accept my dearest apologies for the confusion. Happy Planning Budget Brides.

  Here is another great article for all of you Budget Brides who are looking to have a wedding for $10,000. The Knot along with Soraya Weddings & Celebrations have got it right. Read the Article below on how it was DONE!

A Wedding in New York City for $10K (and not a dime more!)

This month, we're challenging wedding and event planners from across the country to come up with a plan for a gorgeous wedding on $10K. In a city where the average cost of a wedding happens to fall around the $50K mark (not including the honeymoon!), the task of planning a chic and elegant wedding on $10K in New York City seems close to impossible. With her insider knowlege and creativity, the talented New York City-based wedding planner Soraya Jollan of SORAYA Weddings & Celebrations proves it can be done...
A $10K Wedding in New York City
The SettingOpen air ceremony on Summit Rock in Central Park at 11 a.m. on a Saturday anywhere from late spring through early fall.
Wedding Ceremony: Guests will gather pre-ceremony in the rustic amphitheater of Summit Rock for self-serve "Thank you for getting up so early on a Saturday" doughnut holes and orange juice. In case of rain (or very strong sun), two-person umbrellas (from GolfUmbrellas.com) will be provided for guests to shield themselves since the ceremony will be held on Summit Rock rain or shine. The umbrellas would also serve as the wedding favor. If the weather does not require the umbrellas, they can be brought to the restaurant and displayed with a sign thanking guests for keeping stormy skies at bay during the wedding.
Ceremony Flowers: The gorgeous park background along with the colorful umbrellas will eliminate the need for ceremony decor. Bouquets and BoutonnieresThere will be four boutonnieres (for the groom, best man, and two fathers) and two bouquets (for the bride and maid of honor). The bouquets will be paper fans embellished with flowers in lieu of traditional bouquets and everything will be made by the talented designers at Inbetween Greens.
Ceremony Officiant: In my experience, most families have at least one clergymember in their midst. If so, the officiant should register in NYC (cost is $15) to legally marry the bride and groom in the state of New York. If no such person exists for the couple (or they prefer to have a friend marry them), they should go to the City Clerk's office on Friday to be married civilly (and legally) and have their chosen friend or officiant lead them in a spiritual ceremony on their wedding day.
Ceremony Music: A lone trumpeter from the Julliard School of Music will herald the arrival of the groom, his parents, the best man, the maid of honor, the bride's parents and the bride. The ceremony will take place in the round with guests encircling the happy couple as they exchange vows.
Transportation and First Dance: At the end of the ceremony, the trumpeter will lead the newlyweds and their guests and the photographer Pied-Piper-style down the winding path at the south end of Summit Rock out of Central Park to the subway stop at The Museum of Natural History. This subway station has wonderful tile mosaics that provide a great backdrop for candids as well as the couple's first dance on the subway platform as they wait for the "C" train to take them downtown.
Reception Setting and Menu:The trumpeter will continue to serenade the guests on the ride down and then walk them from the 14th Street station to The Park for the wedding brunch in the restaurant's Penthouse. The wedding brunch will run from 12:30-3 p.m. and will consist of a 2-course menu with a juice bar and coffee service. At the juice bar, guests can take their juice straight, "Add Fizz" (seltzer), or "Add Buzz" (prosecco or cava).
Reception Music: The custom mix of tunes on the couple's iPod will be played through the restaurant's sound system. The highlight of the reception will be "Roast or Toast" style speeches sprinkled thoughout.
Reception Centerpieces:Individual 2"x2" cube vases wrapped in ribbon with one large floating bloom (think vibrant gladiolas!) at each place setting. These double as placecards with the guests' names on imprintable stickers attached to the vases. To control costs, the couple will pre-buy the vases, ribbon, and stickers. They will also wrap all the vases and attach the name stickers. The morning of the wedding (early!), crafty friends of the bride will deliver the vases to the restaurant, add water, drop a bloom in each vase and arrange them on the tables according to the seating chart.
Table Names and Numbers: The Couple will make accordion table name signs from inexpensive decorative paper. Two places for reasonably priced paper are Pearl Paint and Paper Presentation. Tables can be named for things that signify their relationship or the day (think TRUST, LOVE, FAITH, JOY, FUN, LUCK, DREAM, etc.) Since there are only 80 guests we will forgo escort cards and encourage guests to mingle as they look for their placecards on the tables.
The Photographer: Hire a professional photographer who is building his or her event portfolio (meaning they might be a fine art photographer or photojournalist primarily but are looking to do more work in events). Because this event is during the day and would require 4 hours of shooting time (10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.), a photographer can be a bit more flexible on pricing. The fee should include a DVD of high resolution images, but keep in mind that these will be color-corrected, but not retouched. A terrific photographer for a job like this would be Michael Kirby.
The VideographyThe couple's best bet is to register for a Flip Ultra video camera (holds up to 60 minutes of video and is easy to use) and then hand it to their most tech-saavy friend to record the ceremony and speeches.
Invitations One word -- ETSY!!! A great shop to try for vibrant, but modestly-priced invitations is Decadent Designs. A simple invitation plus a reply card and envelope in the wedding colors does the trick.
The Gown:This is a day-time wedding that begins in a park... this calls for a flirty, gorgeous dress with sandals and slightly messy, casual hair (think half-up, half-down and held with a large flower pin -- check out Lo Boheme on Etsy for gorgeous hairpins. Great sources for just such dresses are Calypso Christiane Celle and Nordstrom. Another great resource is Once Wed for new or nearly new wedding gowns at all price points.
The Formalwear Casual and daytime, but still his wedding, so I suggest a navy or tan suit that's already in his closet and splurging on a new shirt. No tie...!
The Bride's Hair: The bride should get a blow-out on Friday evening at the ultra affordable V2 Salon on the Lower East Side ($25 including tip) and then loosely style it herself the morning of the wedding with a clip. A few twirls of the curling iron and spritzes of hairspray and she's good to go.
The Bride's Makeup: Make an appointment at one of the Bloomingdale's makeup counters for a free makeup application... The bride should plan on buying a couple of products (powder and lip color are ideal) and ideally will have done a trial earlier to know that she will get a look she wants day-of.
BUDGET BREAKDOWN

CEREMONY TOTAL $1501. Officiant registration $152. Marriage License $353. Summit Rock permit $254. Pre-ceremony snack $75
RECEPTION TOTAL $7,059 (incl tax & gratuity)1. The Park non-alcoholic brunch $6,162 ($60++ per person)2. Sparkling cava or prosecco $8223. Additional staff $75
FLOWERS / DECOR $6181. Personals & reception materials $4632. Inbetween Greens (for personal flowers) $1343. Cab to restaurant to deliver flowers $20
MUSIC $3001. Trumpeter for 1.5 hours $3002. Reception iPod $0
PHOTO / VIDEO $7501. Photographer for 4 hours + DVD of high res unretouched images $7502. Video $0
STATIONERY $1881. 50 Invitation sets from Etsy2. Postage $51 for invitation & reply
ATTIRE $5501. Wedding dress $3502. Bride's accessories (shoes & hair clip) $1003. Groom's shirt $100
HAIR & MAKEUP $701. Blow-out $252. Makeup products at free application $45
FAVORS / RAIN PLAN $3151. 45 60" golf umbrellas $350
GRAND TOTAL $10,000!
Where applicable, NYC sales tax of 8.375% has been included in the budget and the gratuity has been included in the reception total. In other words, the cash outlay really does come in at $10K (not $10K ++). Image from Jason Groupp Photography & Article from The Knot.com