Some DIY Perspective

Jay+Marissa

So my mom came by today for a visit and told me that with everything, we ended up at $50/pp for the wedding, which included a full meal, sweet table, candy bar, and a bar with wine, beer, and 4 types of mixed drinks.

Granted, we invited 310 and really only ended up with about 160 (Lot's of No RSVPS--partially because it was a popular date--and a decent number of no-shows at the last minute). We were thinking we would end up with more than 225, and if we had, the price would have gone down quite a bit per person, because we included the cost of the reception space when figuring out the price pp, similar to what it would be at a country club.

So, it wasn't the huge savings we were hoping for. And the food and bar setup were just horrible--but that is a different story. I will make a caterer update when we have the whole situation figured out.

I want to say the total cost was about $17,000, including EVERYTHING (my dress, all my family's attire, etc.) and it might even be $15k if we get $$$ from the caterer back. Still more expensive than we hoped, though.

I've changed my mind a bit about DIY. Before the wedding, I would have said, do it, you will save money no matter what. But for those with a smaller guest list, I'm starting to think in some ways, finding a venue like Sky Creek Ranch Golf Club is the way to go. We didn't know what our size was going to be until it was too late, so I think we were still thinking correctly. Things might have been different had we hired a better caterer, but that would not have brought the cost down.

I put so much effort into the centerpieces, decorations, etc. only for some of them to barely look okay (mostly due to the caterer). I'm still not sorry I did them, because the still added a lot, but jeez, the worry and hassle they caused almost wasn't worth it.

The one thing I really am glad we did DIY was the flowers--we did save a load there, and it wasn't too difficult.

So anyway, that is my somewhat jaded view looking back. Don't get me wrong, I'm still happy with how everything turned out, but I honestly wish it had caused less worry before, during, and after the wedding.

CJandML

Thanks for the tips and the perspective of after the wedding!

Jay+Marissa

I guess my post was sort of "inspired" by the girl who posted she is having an $8000 wedding for 200 people. Definitely possible, but sure not easy to do. I would say my wedding was pretty dang extravagant, but to have all of the "frills" like a good DJ and videographer for 8k would be hard. I mean--I went the "cheapest" route everywhere I could and it still ended up being pretty expensive

llc2011

Thanks for the perspective Marissa!  If I went back and totaled up all of the receipts from my many trips to Hobby Lobby/Michael's/Joann's I'm sure these DIY projects are costing more than I would like.

Donnaaries

Thanks for sharing your perspective Marissa!  I didn't DIY a lot for my wedding (mostly just bought things for the florist/coordinator to use and bring to the venue), but even with just the few items, I still felt stressed the closer we got to the wedding.  Also, I did keep track of my receipts from Michael's and other places during the entire wedding planning process and they did add up to be pretty significant!

That being said, I have a lot of admiration for the budget brides out there.  I thought I was planning a "middle of the road" wedding, and ended up spending a bit more than I thought for fewer guests than I had anticipated.

juliebug1997

As we (my mom and I) started planning stuff, I knew that DIY wasn't a true option for many things.  My apt. and my two cats were out for having DIY projects.  Mom an Dad's house with three cats wasn't a real consideration either.  Bill's house?  Well, that wasn't an option either.  We did one thing I guess:  we bought little organza bags from Hobby Lobby and put a mix of Hershey's Hugs and Kisses in them.  We talked about doing the programs ourselves but, in the end, my mom, Bill and I decided that our time was a little more valuable than having to stand around the computer and printer for an enttire evening feeding cardstock one at a time through the printer.  We talked about doing our own invitations but then we decided not to for the same reason as the programs.  Did we end up spending more than we planned?  Of course we did but we were all less stressed and, looking back to my mom's current situation, I'm glad we went the less stressful route.  Did things turn out the way I envisioned them or the way I wanted?  No, but I think every bride feels that way about her wedding in one way or another. 

Plus, we are terrible procrastinators and I was still wanting to work my basketball games, go to HS events where I worked, have dates with Bill, spend time with my family and friends, etc. 

In the end, I do think that it's an exchange of what's really important to you and what's less important.  We spent approx. $12000 on a wedding for about 100 people.  We spent some extra money at the end for extra musicians for the wedding, the programs (we were talking about doing them ourselves up until six weeks before the wedding) and added beef tenderloin to the menu.  My dad had originally wanted to only spend $5000 so we blew that out of the water but he doesn't regret any of it.  In fact he said that he wanted to do it again.  :-) 

JessAndColton

My wedding was under $6k for everything, so it is def. doable.

bsn1752

Marissa - Sky Creek Ranch Golf Club! That's my venue!!!  Why is that one a good place, in your opinion?  I just love it, so I always like to hear feedback on the location and any experiences.

The coordinator and I haven't gotten down to the nitty-gritty yet of decoration, but she seems to very helpful.  Anywho - just wondering what your opinion was on it!

bellagrace

I really like this post. Technically for our guest count we have a very good budget to not have to do DIY. But, I wanted to save more money and thought about doing a lot of DIY. However, after doing some stuff and feeling super stressed I changed my mind. I think it is about finding the right balance between what you can handle and what is worth it. I am still doing DIY project because I like doing crafts, but I am only doing the things I can handle. My advice for a bride starting the planning process think about the time you want to invest and what you can handle. In the end you might find you really are not saving the money you thought.

linzcw04

I sort of put myself in a DIY overload situation...spending more time and money than I thought I would initially. Looking back - I probably could have done without some things...things that didn't get noticed at the wedding or things that just took way too much time! However, I don't regret stressing out a little over the things I did accomplish. I did a lot and it all came together at the wedding which, in itself, was GREAT self satisfaction. I never knew how crafty I could be until I started my DIY fever. The best thing I could get out of it is that I knew my wedding decorations and extras were mine - they were unique and made everything blend very nicely.
Budgetwise though...let's just say I am a little happy I didn't save my receipts - I may not want to know how much was spent, lol. Granted that was my money I gave up for the DIY only and not the "wedding fund" b/c it was my decision to take those tasks on.
Great post Marissa!

Jeff and Deepthi

I was thinking of doing a lot of DIY, but then when I thought about it. I really just want to enjoy this time and not have to worry about doing things last minute. I remember my sisters wedding and all the stuff that happened around then and it made me change my mind. We are saving on something that will offset the cost of not DIY. Plus, It's an expensive wedding either way and hopefully our trip to India will cut more of the costs.

Jay+Marissa

Go Jess & Colton! I should clarify that for what we got (5 hour evening reception with full meal, almost full bar, etc. decorations, nice centerpieces, etc) it really wasn't bad. I had a very nice wedding. I guess my biggest point was we could have had the same thing at a place like Sky Creek Ranch for a very similar price and no hassle. I'm certainly not saying a nice wedding cant happen under 8k.

BSN--Sky Creek Ranch was one of the first places we looked at and nixed it because our guest list was too big. They really did seem reasonable though, and we really liked it. It was gorgeous. Lantana Golf Club was another one that was pretty and had pretty good prices.Sky Creek Ranch was going to let us buy wine by the case and beer by the keg from them to save money instead of buying it by the glass/pour.

bsn1752

Oh, awesome!!!  I love the venue and yes, the kegs/wine option is amazing... It's very reasonable... and she is so great with working within a budget... she took $2500 off the rental space to get the price where we wanted it!

bdettecrow

We had about 160 people at our wedding (invited 200), and in the end it cost us just under $6,000.

tam427

We're spending about $7k for 60 people. More than I wanted to spend but I loove our venue and wouldn't want to do it anywhere else. Our guest list size is the only thing that's making it remotely doable.

rednesss

We are on a pretty stricted budget, but have been able to produce a pretty great affair with minimal DIY. We happened to know a lot of people who discounted for us or did/gave things free. Doing a morning wedding has also helped trim it greatlu, but we are at to about 9,000 for 250(not including children 3&under, which is about 50).

I first posted this and then had to edit after realizing I had 'bridal brain' and accused someone of a typo, when it was really my brain adding more zero's to their budget. If you read my un-edited, first post, please forgive me, I have a serious sleep deficiency right now.