The Down and Dirty Facts - How much did it all cost??
Things we did ourselves (without professional
services)
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Things we got as gifts
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Things we did the less expensive way
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| Clothes
Custom made dress (I designed it but someone else made it) $195 Pants and sash for Joe $100 Shirt for Joe $60 Boots for Joe (he already had them) 0 Shoes for me $20 Veil, fingerlength, one layer $20 Headpiece (friend's sister made it) 0 Subtotal $395 |
Food and Drink
Cake (gift from my brother; otherwise, we wouldn't have had one) 0 Caterer (passed and stationary horsdeouvres) $4382 Liquor (due to confusion, price was less than expected) $275 Subtotal $4657 |
| Beauty
Hairdresser (she was a friend) 0 Makeup artist (she was my cousin) 0 Nails (we did ourselves) 0 Subtotal 0 |
Venue
Rental Charge (not the normal fee-usually $2000) $1500 Membership Fee $47 Clergy (he was a friend) 0 Subtotal $1547 |
| Jewelry
Engagement ring (he won't tell me)
Rings Bride's $275 Groom's $250 Subtotal $525 |
Photography
For 150 proofs $775 For lots of copies months after the wedding $595 For album (I'm doing it myself) $20 Subtotal $1390 |
| Etc., Etc.
Guest Book $10 Bathroom baskets of toiletries $35 Gifts for Attendants and Groomsmen $210 Tips $160 Wedding night hotel room (not worth it) $250 Subtotal $665 |
Flowers
Bride's and Attendants bouquets (we made them ourselves - fun!), and centerpiece flowers $115 Boutaneers for Groomsmen, flowers for the mothers $36 Ceremony flowers (from my mother's garden) 0 Centerpiece bowls ("borrowed" from my cousin's wedding) 0 Ribbons and tulle $15 Subtotal $166 |
| Music $575
Transportation (we drove ourselves) 0 |
Invitations
To have them done (my cousin and friends helped me) $120 Postage $60 Subtotal $180 |
TOTAL $10,100
Services used:
The Basil Tree Somerville, MA 617-776-9100
AMAZING!! Excellent service and excellent food. I worked with Patrick who was very friendly and helpful - super nice guy! Helped bring the price down to our budget, and still had plenty of eclectic food for everyone. Had a tasting for us BEFORE we put any money down. This may sound strange, but many places want you to put down your deposit before you try their food! The Basil Tree gets HIGH recommendations from me.
Mr. Ed DJ West Roxbury, MA 617-469-2925
Ed was a nice guy and even met us for lunch at my request, even though, apparently, it's usually not done. He had a good price, had worked at our venue, The Habitat, before, and had a good selection. One thing that wasn't perfect for us was that we wanted to have a list of songs for him to play and not take requests. We didn't want any bad music. He said he didn't feel comfortable turning guests away if they asked him to play something, so we gave him a bunch of songs to play instead of the entire play list. Not a huge deal, but something to consider if that's what you really want.
The Habitat Belmont, MA 617-489-5050
Beautiful old house with a good-sized "getting-ready" room (the kid's room), and a fairly large dance/dining hall with french doors opening to one of the gardens. Very peaceful, lots of flowers, grass, and trees. Great for small to medium ceremonies.
Very laid back, quiet guy with a dry sense of humor which we loved! He has a great artistic style and will do "typical" wedding poses as well as really unique photos. We let him go loose after the "required" photos, and we got some really great pics!
Clothes - The Fool's Mansion Salem, MA 978-740-9595
I dealt with a seamstress there named Jackie who was such a doll,
and
EXTREMELY helpful. She made Joe's sash the same material as my
bodice,
and sewed the veil onto my headpiece in minutes. Hardly asked me
anything at all about my scribbly drawing which was my dress idea, but
gave great suggestions, then went to it! They also made Joe's
pants,
and everything was ready when they said it would be. They make a
lot of gothic clothing (it IS in Salem, Massachusetts!), but they'll
make
anything you like.
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