Brides USA

WHERE THE

MONEY WENT

BUDGET GOAL: $40,000

VENUE

$4,400

OFFICIANT

$500

BRIDE’S DRESS

$4,000

BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES

Veil, jewelry, shoes

$610

HAIR & MAKEUP

Bride and wedding party

$950

GROOM’S ATTIRE

Suit, accessories

$260

WEDDING BANDS

$2,500

CATERING

$17,766

BEVERAGES

$4,680

CAKE

$250

FLOWERS

$5,600

ADDITIONAL DECOR

Escort-card table,

guest sign-in table

$80

PAPER GOODS

Invitations, programs,

escort cards

$740

DJ

$1,70 0

PHOTOGRAPHY

$4,569

VIDEOGRAPHY

$1, 60 0

WEDDING-PARTY GIFTS

$1,70 0

MISCELLANEOUS

Favors, photo booth

$570

TOTAL

$52,475

FOR 253 GUESTS

THE SAVES

GROOM’S ATTIRE Jonathan bought his navy suit at an outlet and

wore shoes he already owned.

PAPER GOODS Janice timed her stationery shopping to Paperless

Post’s pre-Christmas sale so she could score discounted save-

the-dates and invitations.

VENUE Instead of heading north to Napa, the couple found a

vineyard close to home for a fraction of the price. Bonus: Rentals

and a day-of planner were included in the site fee.

CAKE The bride and groom minimized their cake costs by

displaying a two-tiered buttercream masterpiece and serving

slices from Costco sheet cakes.

Venue Nella Terra

Cellars; nellaterra.com.

Day-of coordinator

Palmdale Estates; palmdale

estates.com. Dress Victor

Harper; victorharper

couture.com. Flowers

Studio Choo; studiochoo

.com. Photography The

Great Romance Photography;

thegreatromancephoto

.com. For more information,

see Shopping Guide.

THE SPLURGES

DRESS The bride’s ball gown,

an embellished strapless
from Victor Harper, cost

more than she’d budgeted
for. “But it was elegant and

dramatic, which is exactly
what I wanted,” she says.

BLOOMS “Flowers were a
top priority for me,” Janice

says, so she was happy to
shell out more to re-create

the organic, loose table
arrangements of peonies

and ranunculus she’d fallen
in love with on Pinterest.

PHOTOGRAPHY The couple
hired both a videographer

and a photographer to
capture their wedding.

“It was a big expense, but
those images will help us

relive that day for the rest
of our lives,” says Janice.

BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES
To thank her girls for making

multiple out-of-town trips
to the engagement party,

shower, and wedding, the
bride surprised them by

picking up the tab for their
Ann Taylor gowns.

BRIDES.COM FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 431