Bridezilla Rant #2

I wonder how many rants I'll have posted by the time the wedding rolls around? Maybe we should take bets, kind of like guessing how many jelly beans are in a glass jar.

But today's rant is more an organization of my thoughts than a real rant. Weddings are expensive. What have I done to keep costs down, and what more could I do? Let's consider this logically. A "budget bride" I'm not. I've seen budget brides, and I both admire their creativity and envy them their laid back attitude. I'm too anal to be a true budget bride. I'm of the school of thinking that if I'm going to do something, I've got to do it right. I don't want to go broke doing it, but I would like at least one or two things about my wedding to be impressive and special, not for the whole day to exude "I did this because I had to but I'm really cutting the corners here." Better to elope at that point. Plus my mom would kill me.

So here's a picture perfect, The Knot magazine worthy, please die of envy now wedding (ew?):

• 250 guests
• high end hotel or country club
• summer wedding, on a Saturday night
• cocktail hour, fancy food stations like cheese and caviar, multi-course dinner with expensive entrees, open bar throughout, desserts and an enormous cake.
• ten piece band
• celebrity-endorsed photographer for engagement shots, formal studio shots, family portraits, and wedding day shots
• designer gown, preferably European, plus alterations
• designer veil, preferably cathedral length
• designer shoes, preferably Manolos
• three+ bridesmaids, also in designer gowns
• tuxes for all men
• limos for wedding party
• St. John suiting for mothers of bride and groom
• elaborate flowers everywhere, bouquets and boutonnieres all around
• fancy personalized party favors
• extensive matching wedding stationery: save-the-date cards, invitations, RSVP cards,, reminder cards, placecards, individual menus, programs, and thank you cards.
• Wedding planner and/or coordinator for the day of the event.

Your head is reeling, right? That's probably a $70,000-100,000 thousand dollar wedding in LA. I probably haven't even included everything. So let's see where I've cut and how much I'm saving:

• 100-125 guests, no +1 for guests unless they are spouses or girl/boyfriends ($20,000-30,000 on food and drinks alone. Cutting # of guests is the single easiest way to cut spending). Sorry people, no dates unless you find a mate soon!
• open bar and delish food we couldn't sacrifice, but depending on final number of RSVPs quantity can go up or down at a minute's notice!
• small independently owned hotel ($10,000)
• winter wedding on a Sunday ($7,000)
• locally custom-made gown ($1,200)
• no veil ($50-300)
• normal people shoes ($500)
• two or three bridesmaids in nice dresses but not all matchy matchy ($500-1000)
• no limos
• doing my own centerpieces ($1,000-2,000. I might buy one or two professionally done arrangements, but I like large flowers simply arranged in a glass vase more than arduously nipped and tucked arrangements anyway)
• no extensive stationery, just invitations and thank you cards ($500)
• edible favors, nothing cheesily engraved or custom-made ($500)

We're still trying to make decisions about invitations, photography, music, and flowers, but we're doing reasonably well.