Budget Recap

Budget Recap
The whole point of this blog was to document how I was saving money in my quest to plan a great wedding for under $5,000. I am proud to say that, because of the saving and DIY projects and everything I did to keep costs down, we made our budget. Actually, we did better than that. The budget total was… drum roll please… $4,367.52, making us $632.48 under budget! YEAH! I am wicked proud of this and extremely thankful to my parents, my in-laws, my family, my friends, and everyone else who made the wedding perfect, simple, and inexpensive. I am proud to be an example of an inexpensive yet amazing wedding, especially since weddings usually mean debt.


Reception
Food- $1,447.73
Bevs- $138
Cake- $494.42
Tent- $498.13
Chairs- $166.02
Vases, ladles, and tablecloths- $101.40
Balls and other frames- $17.27
Signing frames and pens- $36.32
TOTAL: $2,929.29

The food was, of course, the most expensive. We kept beverages simple: punch, water, NO alcohol. We got an unexpected, greatly appreciated, discount on the chairs. The balls were floating in the pool (so they probably should go in décor… oh well) and the frames were for instructions and to honor grandparents who could not attend.

Attire and Beauty
Gown and alterations- $429
Headpiece/veil- $5
Bride’s accessories- $0
Hair and makeup- $0
Nail polish- $3.50
Groom’s suit- $0
Groom’s shirt and tie- $70
Groom’s accessories- $29.99
Bride’s undergarments- $36.48
TOTAL- $573.97

The gown and alterations are always expensive, yet I was still under $500! Notice all the “$0” items? Those are because I chose not to get new items. In my hair were three daisies instead of the traditional and pricey tiara/barrettes/other flashy items. I didn’t have a veil, because that wasn’t the look I wanted. My accessories were my own and my mother’s sapphire earrings. The Barbie did my makeup, so that was free. Lil’ Fuss did my hair, then The Koala and The Showgirl put the daises in it. RoyBoy’s suit was his own, so we got a nice ivory tie and shirt for him to wear.

Ceremony
Ceremony accessories- $0
Programs- $19.28

We had a very simple ceremony with no decorations; given that we were outside, there was no need to add more flowers. The programs were made by me.

Flowers and Décor
Flowers- $225.63
Wristlets- $9.90
Vases and gems- $7.70
TOTAL- $243.23

The majority of the flowers were ordered from online and bought in bulk. Other flowers for wristlets and corsages were bought at local craft stores. The wristlet holders were also bought online. The vases and gems are so cheap because I had most of the vases donated to me. My aunt and uncle also borrowed some lovely arrangements to place around the yard by things like tents posts. You can’t mess with free.

Stationary
Invitations, RSVP cards, stamps- $193.59
Other stationary- $10
Thank-you card stamps- $26.40
TOTAL- $229.29

The invitations and accompaniments were more expensive than I planned, and I think that is because of not thoroughly planning and thinking things though. If I were to do this again, I am confident that I could make this cost less. I was not careful in the beginning, and wasted time and resources. Oh, well.

Wedding Rings
His ring- $129.94
Her ring- $0

RoyBoy’s ring is a lovely titanium ring from an Etsy.com artisan. My ring was free because it is my great-grandmother’s and I am borrowing it from my mother (when we can afford to get a custom-made ring, I’ll return my ring to mum).

Gifts
Bride’s Maids gifts- $46.94
Groom’s Men gifts- $70
Favors- $14.88
TOTAL- $131.82

The bride’s maid’s gifts were cheap because I made them! I made jewelry for each of them (and had fun doing it). Even the groom’s men’s gifts were inexpensive, but they were still very nice cufflinks. The favors shouldn’t have been more than $5, but we had to get more CDs after ruining half of them. (Sigh.)

Misc.: Telegraph Announcement- $35
I only included the announcement I paid for. RoyBoy’s parents had one in their local paper as well.

Transportation and lodging- $75
I am only including the hotel room that I personally paid for. Everyone else took care of their own hotel rooms, for which I am very grateful.

Photography and videography
I’ll cover this in a separate post.