(Approximated) Actual Expenses:
- Invitations (total including embellishing & postage) $133.00
- Wedding Bands (mine was about $400.00 but we had help from my future-Aunt and Mother-in-Law & his was $175.oo the last-of-it’s kind at a price club… we had it resized for $30.00 more). $200.00 including the resizing
- Engagement Ring (donated by my fiance’s sister! How special was THAT…) $0.00
- Wedding Dress $85.00
- Veil $25.00 if I recall…
- Guest Book Scrapbook $15.00
- “Journaling Pages” for guest book “notes” $7.00
- Compassionate Pro Photographer Priceless!
- Music $0.00
- Retro Earrings $16.00
- Hair Styling $30.00 (my mom’s friend/stylist did it at the house for CHEAP!)
- Sandals aka Brides Shoes $10.00
- Videographer (friend=cheap!) $50.00
-
Speaker system for music (borrowed) $0.00
- Photographer $150.00 ($100.00 from an unreturned deposit & $50.00 to help a friend out and make sure I had someone “on the scene” most of the time if friends and family weren’t on the ball…)
- Blurb Album ($30.00 but we haven’t had the organization to MAKE it yet) $0.00
- Wedding Party Gifts (Pants & ties for the guys… etc. My mom helped with these expenses) $300.00
- Bridesmaid Gifts (still not SENT to them though!) Ahava Skin care gift-sets – $70 for 3 (bought in Jerusalem)
- Embroidered Handkerchief (for groom from bride) $3.00 (but I never MADE it)
- DIY Makeup/Foundation/Eyeshadow…My initial idea was to spend about $75.00 but I wound buying about $150.00 worth of makeup and took about 8 trips to Mac and Sephora to figure out the details and techniques I needed. The makeup tips and demos were free! I also got lots of good samples.PLUS, I have enjoyed months of great makeup & I’m glad I splurged!
- DIY Huppah ($40.00 but my brother took care of this one) $0.00
- DIY Ketubah $15.00
- Officiant (a friend!) $0.00
- Macbook with iTunes = Our DJ $0.00
- iTunes Downloads $50.00
- Table & Chair rentals $143.00
- Decorations for the Chuppah (we found silk flowers $24, vines$6, and an elegant Jewish tablecloth to form the “tent” at a Judaica store $30.00) $60.00
- Garden improvements/plants/flowers came to nearly $400.00 (donated by my grandmother) $0.00
- Food turned out to be about $400-500 but my grandmother, mothers boyfriend and mom helped with this. $0.00
- Flowers $150.00 (the bad-blooms were REFUNDED, I used the money to buy more blooms… it was all paid for by my new Father-in-law) $0.00
- All the heartfelt help, breakdancing cousins & brothers, rounds of jumping on the trampoline, a sun shining, gorgeous day, family-friends funny dances, cousins in town from Idaho and my husbands mom & sister there from California… not to mention missing-persons moments and a dose of family drama… FREE!!! Not just free but PRICELESS!
Suffice to say, I lost count after a while. I do know I shopped sales, used the supermarket, the price club, discount shops and dollar stores to the MAX.
I got out to the stores every couple of days on different missions and price-finding/item-finding agendas, finding great bargains and seriously, divine connections seem to have been made. We estimated the total expense to be about $2500.00 not including the honeymoon.
