FINALLY, we have a budget

So...many, many moons ago, I posted about our non-existent wedding budget that had originally started out around $5,000 when we were joking around, hovered around $20,000 for a while and ended up around $30,000.

We had a very complex vendor spreadsheet with all of our payments (cash and credit) that we worked with for most of the planning. However, in addition to the vendor spreadsheet, I had about a bazillion little receipts for everything from postage stamps to craft supplies to misc food items we needed the day of the wedding that I just got around to adding to the spreadsheet.

So, FINALLY, I have pulled it all together and figured out what our wedding actually cost.

Submitted By: Mrs Corn
City: Newport, RI
Budget: $30,000 + $10,000 from Mr Corn’s parents
# of Guests: 120

Wedding Day Expenses:

Ceremony/Reception Site Fees: $3,550 Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI
Caterer/Food/Drink: $16,171 (includes full clambake, full bar, upgraded floor length linens, and all dinnerware) McGrath Clambakes
Service Charge/Gratuities: $505 (grat. for band members, parking attendants, DOC & asst)
Bridal Gown/Alterations: $120 (All total, it was $1,120-but my parents paid $1,000 towards it)
Bridal Accessories: $554 (including shoes, back up shoes, jewelry, and rehearsal dinner outfit+shoes)
Groom’s Attire: $0 (Mr Corn already owned his tux)
Stationery/Postage: $1,032 (including STDs, invites, thank you cards, programs, newsletters, escort cards, and four sets of stamps)
Photography: $2,863
Videography: $0
Ceremony Music: $905 (string trio)
Reception Music: $3,990 (The Belltones, the most awesomest band evah!)
Flowers: $341
Decorations/Centerpieces: $186
Favors: $96
Cake: $555
Officiant: FREE (my sister is a pastor)
Coordinator: $700
Hair/Makeup: $1,380 (for MOB, three bridesmaids and bride…plus 2 trials and a facial)
Wedding Party Gifts: $800
Transportation: $0 (paid for by Mr Corn’s parents)
Hotels: $650 (for the condo we rented to get ready in since we weren’t at home)
Dance Lessons: $225
Rentals: $5,831 (includes two sets of chairs for ceremony and reception, reception tent and the bazillion things that go with it like exit signs and fire extinguishers)
Artillery Company: $425 (includes 4 man cannon crew and authentic Revere Cannon)
Misc: $169 (for taking my mom and sister to lunch, and breakfast and lunch for me and my gals the day of the wedding)

Nonwedding Day Expenses:

Wedding bands: $3,000
Rehearsal dinner: paid for by Mr Corn’s parents
Honeymoon: Mr Corn won’t tell me :) but I know that all of our airfare and most of our hotels were scored with Marriott points and US Air miles!

WEDDING DAY TOTAL: $41,048
COST PER PERSON: $342
NONWEDDING DAY TOTAL: $3,000 (but realistically, probably around $20,000)
GRAND TOTAL: $44,048...or $61,048 if the number above is accurate.

Not bad considering that Mr Corn and I figured we would spend around $30,000 for the wedding and if you take out the gift from his parent's we personally spent $31,048. However, I never in my wildest imagination thought that I would have a wedding that was that expensive.

So I got to thinking...could I have had a pared down, but still great wedding that was me?

ABSOLUTELY!!

Here is where we could have saved (these are approximations):

1) Had our wedding in a hotel on a beach so we wouldn't have had to set up a tent, chairs, tables, etc. Save: $6,881
2) Served clambake-like food, but without the lobster and without the full clambake. Save: $8,371
3) Cut the event coordinator. Save: $825 (fee plus grat.)
4) Done our own makeup. Save: $900
5) No fort = no Artillery company. Save: $425
7) Hired a DJ instead of a full band. Save $2,800
8) Spend $250 instead of $800 on attendant gifts for five attendants. Save: $550

By cutting and/or adjusting those things, we could have had a great wedding for $20,296.

Alternatively, if I had hired someone else to custom make all of our wedding invitations and had a floral budget to cover centerpieces and the like, we also could have had a $55,000 wedding, so we did save on some things!

I am proud to say, there is not one thing I would change about my wedding day. And although we spent a significant amount on our wedding, it is important to note that we did not go into debt to do it. This was greatly aided by some help from Mr Corn's parents, the fact that we both had no debt going into it and the fact that we are both a bit older; which meant we could afford some of the things that we wouldn't have been able to even just five years ago.

So hopefully this will prove to be valuable information to someone out there. :) Best of luck on those budgets!!