Cash and Carry

If you haven't noticed by now, Terry and I are using a common motif throughout our blog. Well, we're going to try. One of our favorite songs is "Hard to Concentrate" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Each of our blog titles (so far) has a lyric from the song, which we hope to incorporate into the wedding.

I love Julie. (Terry wrote this when I walked away from the computer, and it seems wrong to delete something so sweet.)

Anyway, in keeping with our strange titles, this post focuses on budget. Terry and I are getting close to booking a venue, so we need to start thinking realistically about the type of wedding we can have, given our extensive guest list. We want a big, formal wedding, but we don't want our parents going into debt because of it. We're hoping to cut costs with a DIY wedding, but there are some areas we simply have to delegate. We're planning without a planner, so here are the areas we think we can tackle on our own:

DIY:

• Website
• Booking all vendors
• Invitations and save-the-dates (though we'll likely call in a friend for help on this one!)
  
• Centerpieces
• Favors
• Decorations at the ceremony and reception
• Hotel and transportation reservations for out of town guests
• Photo albums post-wedding
  
• Ceremony music
• Fashion (gown, bridesmaid dresses, tuxedos, etc.)
  

Call in for help:

• Photography
• Reception and cocktail hour music
• Cake
• Flowers
• Favors
  

I've been looking at various sites that offer budget worksheets to help us figure out what to expect. I will try to share some costs along the way, especially if we find some great deals!

Here are some wedding planning budget worksheets that have given me some perspective:

• About.com
• Wedding Wire (This one provides an Excel-oriented worksheet that can help you track your estimates, actual costs, expenditures, and payments. It also creates fun charts and bar graphs that I can only imagine being useful in case of making some sort of loan presentation...but they are fun and colorful nonetheless.)
• My Wedding Workbook

I've also checked out magazines and talked to friends about what to include in my budget estimates. The list is outrageous, but it's best to be prepared...

• Reception (50%) - site fee, food, beverages, cake, rentals, ceremony fee, and service charges
  
• Music (5-10%) - band for cocktail hour, DJ for reception
  
• Flowers/Decorations (5%) - bouquets, boutonnieres, floral decorations, corsages
  
• Photography (10%) - photographer, photo package, additional prints, digital prints
  
• Attire/Beauty (10%) - gown, alterations, veil, shoes, undergarments, hair, manicures, groom's tuxedo, shoes, and other accessories
  
• Other expenses (15%) - rehearsal dinner, post-wedding brunch, favors, transportation for bridal party, officiant's fee, marriage license, stationary (invitations, save the dates, thank you notes, etc.), and millions of gifts to thank all the people who make the wedding possible

Some other ways we are looking to cut down on costs:

• Hold the rehearsal dinner at my house in Fremont. Luckily, it's my dream location anyway, so this one works out all around.
  
• Don't overdo the flowers. We agree that we want to keep this area to a bare minimum. Our centerpieces will be non-floral, and we will focus on candles around the reception instead of flowers, so our flower expenses should only be corsages, boutonnieres, and bouquets.
• Research! In just the few months we have been engaged, I have found more cost-saving ideas than I could have imagined. The truth is, anyone can have a terrific wedding, whether you have a $10,000 budget or a $100,000 budget; you just have to be willing to put in the work. Thankfully, our year-and-a-half engagement allows us to find great deals!

Areas we are happy to pay for:

• Reception/ceremony venues, food, and service - we want our guests to have fun, and we want the day to run smoothly. We are willing to pay for professionalism and great service.
• Photography - after it's all over, we'll have these pictures up for the rest of our lives.
• Along those lines, the attire - let's face it, we all want to look our best on our wedding day!
• The date - yes, I know July is in the middle of peak wedding season. But it makes sense to get married during the summer, when I don't have to take time off of work or leave my students sans teacher. It also makes sense in the long run: our anniversary will always be during the summer, when we can more likely take vacations. Plus, we need it to be a Saturday so that our out-of-towners can make it up for the big day!
  

Who knew wedding planning would make me a financial planner?