Our Budget Boat Bash

When we first got engaged in November 2008, I was less than a year out of college, working an entry-level job, and the recession had already hit me with a big pay cut, though thankfully we have both stayed employed. We didn't want to take a long engagement to save and knew we wouldn't have much assistance from our families. Looking at all those national average figures and online budget calculators made us want to elope, but we began to realize planning a budget wedding does not mean you can't have things you love. We splurged (by our standards) in a few areas that are important to us, sacrificed a few things that didn't, and researched the heck out of everything else.

It was really important to us to stay out of debt and have enough money left for a nice honeymoon. We decided the most we could spend was $7,500. The following breakdown includes every single expense related to our wedding. The only purchases that are left out here are our rings, which we consider a lifelong investment. I do not know the price of my e-ring, and am not getting a separate wedding band.

Guests

The absolute best thing we did for our budget was keeping the guest count low. I know this is not as easy for everyone, but we are both the type of people who have a few close friends and don't feel the need to include our broad group of social acquaintances in such a personal life event. Also, I have a very small family. It's only 10 people, unless you delve into the realm of third cousins and beyond. His family is bigger, but we are inviting 18 and over only, meaning cousins' kids cannot come, as that would have literally doubled the size of his list! We have not sent out invites yet so of course we don't know our final number, but it will be between 40 and 55.

Venue

Argosy Cruises' Champagne Lady

Reception Venue: $2600
We broke a couple of the major money-saving rules and went with a Saturday evening affair at a venue we love. Luckily, the date and time did not affect the cost. Location is hands-down the most memorable part of any event, and our out of town guests are so excited to see Seattle the way it's meant to be seen: from the water!

Argosy worked great for us because they offer everything (catering, DJ, photography, even an officiant!) but don't require you to use their services. We are actually not using any of these because we were able to find them cheaper, but Argosy's prices are competitive in all these areas. Using a boat also has the added benefit of FORCING us to stick to our headcount, because of Coast Guard regulations. I also used to work for them, so I got a great discount for that, but I'm not factoring it in here because it's not available to the public.

Ceremony Venue: $0
We are saving costs by doing both the ceremony and reception aboard the boat. We do not have to pay to rent and decorate two locations or worry about any transportation in between. The marina also has free parking on the weekend.

Reception

Food: $500
Here is the one area where I am willing to admit we are crazy. My fiance will be making the food for our "heavy hors d'oeuvres" buffet reception. We know it will be a lot of work, but he loves cooking and we have hosted parties in which we have fed pretty large groups (like half the size of our wedding)before. We will be doing lots of advance prep work and the $500 budget includes extra money for if we have to order a few things from the pros.

Dishes: $100
This includes the napkins, plates and serving dishes we have gotten at dollar stores and goodwill (including a catering warming tray), as well as the linens and silverware we have yet to get. Since the boat has a bar all glassware is provided.

Xtra Special Cakes

Cake: $445
Here is one area where we spent more than I wanted to. I actually really wanted to do something more budget friendly here, like creampuffs or single layer cakes or pie, but my mom felt very strongly that it wouldn't be a wedding without "at least three tiers." We argued about it and it ended with her offering to pay for the cake if we got a three-tier. So we did. I'm happy with the choice because their cakes are delish and, from what we've seen, she's a great decorator. We're having a Seussean theme, so our cake will look a bit like the one pictured.

Drinks: $920-$1460
Alcahol is really important to us :) We are limiting the bar to beer, wine and champagne and a bartender is included in the venue rental. Since we don't have our final count yet, this is a range, with the $1460 being if we max out the boat's legal capacity.

Music: $0
A good friend will DJ our reception, and likely handle music for the ceremony as well. We may be having another friend play ceremony music, which would also be free.

Flowers: $59-$100
I am doing my own flowers, and I guarantee this will not be too much work! I have made bouquets and bouts before, and they are easier than you think. We don't have that many tables to decorate as we are not doing a seated dinner. Also, the location is beautiful enough on its own that we do not need any decor beyond the small centerpieces and a few large arrangements I will be making for the bar, guest book table etc. The $57 figure above includes all the vases I have been collecting from Goodwill, the flowers we have planted in both my parents' and his parents' gardens, and floral wire, floral tape, pins, and ribbon for making boutonnières and bouquets. The cost is written as a range because there may be an additional $20-$40 if the flowers we are growing are not enough and I have to supplement them with stuff from Pike Place Market.

Paper

Invitations: $50
After seeing so many "print your own" invite designs on Etsy, I realized my biggest fear with making my own invites was the printing! It was an irrational fear. I got over it. I made the invites myself and printed them on my parents' home printer. I used PhotoShop a lot in college and still do for fun, and I was able to design very cute, very "us" invites in a matter of hours. The $50 total includes paper and printing for invites, RSVP postcards and inner 'envelopes,' as well as outer envelopes and postage.

Programs: $0
I have enough ink and paper left from the invites to make programs. Otherwise I would probably not bother to have them at all.

Guest book: $20
I made my own guest book out of a picture book that is special to us, and covered the cover with fabric with a 'picture frame' for one of our engagement photos. I added fake flowers to decorate a pen.

Clothes

Maggie Sottero Vernice

Dress: $604
I knew I could very easily fall for a dress that would cost my entire wedding budget, so from the get go I made a rule that I would not try on anything over $1000. I wanted my entire ensemble to stay under $1000, but I did try on a few things that would have made that impossible. Luckily, I didn't fall for any of those :) I also looked for dresses with a corset back to keep alteration costs to a minimum. The dress I did love, Maggie Sottero's Vernice has a corset back, and was available in both Dupion Silk and Empress Taffeta. I tried on and loved the silk, but took a gamble and bought the taffeta sight unseen for a savings of almost $300. It will need to be shortened but as it has a very simple unadorned hem at the bottom, my aunt will generously be doing this for free.

Unmentionables: estimated $60
I haven't found my undergarments yet, but I plan on wearing a bustier and have seen some cute ones as cheap as $30. However since this will be the Mr's favorite part of my outfit, I am looking for just the right one.

Shoes: $40
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/2992116.shtml  
I planned to spend up to $150 on shoes, but these adorable green peep toes walked into my life and turned out to be under $40! Sold!

Hair flower: $12
I never planned to wear a veil and was going to buy a cute hair flower. I was finding tons of stuff I liked on etsy.com, but I kept wishing each thing would have this or that different. I could have requested a custom flower, but I decided it would be an easy project to do myself. I already had lots of alligator clips and fake white flowers to work with, so bought some French lace, feathers and beads for the center and ended up making 4 of my own. I haven't chosen which to use yet, but above is the current front-runner, and I might even make money off selling the others :)

Hair/Makeup: $70
I am doing my own makeup, but I have purchased a couple little things to improve my collection which I have included in the budget. Hair will be done at the Jean Juarez Training Salon for $25 plus tip.

Jewelry: $30
I bought an earring and bracelet set from Etsy and will be wearing a necklace my mom wore in her wedding.

Tux: $133
We decided not to get the very most basic $70 tux, because a groom deserves to look fabulous too.

Photography: $700
http://www.blackcatwhitecatphotography.com/  
We found our photographer by looking on the weddingbee classifieds. She was advertising a free engagement session in Seattle to build her portfolio. Her website looked great, so we emailed her and asked how much she charged for a wedding. She said $700, and that included the entire day, including all those getting ready shots we weren't planning to pay for. It was really important for us to get digital rights and we did not want an album right away, knowing we could make that on our own later when we have more money to burn, and she was able to accommodate those needs.

Videography: $0
Skipping it!

Boudoir Pictures: $89
This is my gift to the groom. I was too nervous to go with anyone but a seasoned pro here, but I got a great 'recession rate' deal.

Other

Officiant: $0
A dear friend is officiating for us for free, and we cannot thank him enough.

Gifts: $350
So far we have spent a total of $75 on accessories we are having the wedding party wear, including jewelry and hair flowers (that I made) for the BM and ties for the GM. I also included $75 that I will pay for the BM's hair. The additional $200 will be spent on other gifts for them and our parents.

Favors: $0
Skipping them!

Total: $6802-$7383