The Money Saving Bride: The Budget So Far

"Alive"
Photo by Robin Lear

If you've been checking back to this blog, you'll notice that I've had a sort of radio silence here for a while. And that's because, well, let's face it, as a nursing student who also was working part time and playing a lead role in a large Easter production (I played the pregnant wife of the youth group worship leader), time was a little tight and most of whatever I had to spare went to studying. So blogging took a back seat and kinda got forgotten.

But since then, my schedule has cleared significantly. I quit my job just before Easter to give myself some breathing room. And now, obviously, the Easter production is over so I'm not spending 4 days a week at the church either. So here were are (hopefully) back to regular, consistent blogging.

I thought I would take this post to give you an idea of how much we've already spent on our wedding and how much we've saved given the averages of what people normally spend on these things. Given some unforseen circumstances, I have a feeling we're going to spend a little more than we wanted on our wedding, but hopefully not too terribly much. So, here goes.

Venue
Average spent in 2010 (ceremony only): $1,393
Average spent in 2010 (reception only): $12,124
Venue for our wedding (ceremony and reception): $450
Amount saved: $13,067

Originally we were going to get married at my church, costing about $600 including the officiant's fee and a day of wedding coordinator. However, because we got engaged in December and wanted to be married in June, the dates had already all been filled. So we had to start looking elsewhere and found (kind of) a farm with a concert hall that we could use for both ceremony and reception with dates available in June. So we ended spending less than we had intended for the ceremony/reception venue.

Wedding Dress
Average spent in 2010: $1,099
Spent for our wedding: $257.94 (including shipping)
Amount saved: $841. 06

I don't even know if this can count into our budget because I've actually had the dress for a while. I found it on a discount dress site about a year ago and, with no intention of getting married any time soon, went ahead and bought because it was the dress I really wanted for my wedding.

Reception DJ:
Average spent in 2010: $900
Spent for our wedding (estimate): $375
Amount saved: $525

My children's pastor actually does DJ-ing (is that even how you spell it?) to help raise money for his children's ministry. We haven't yet secured him for the wedding, but I'm hoping I can, since it would mean a lot to me if he was our DJ.

Invitations:
Average spent in 2010: $351
Spent for our wedding: $349. 50
Amount saved: $1.50

I could not find any invitations that I liked to fit my theme (Tangled, whimsical, lanterns) and so I had asked my sister if I gave her a general idea of what I wanted if she could design them for me and then we would just have them mass printed. But then I found Wedding Paper Divas and they had a perfect design that matched both theme and color scheme. So we ended up spending a little more here than intended, but it was well worth it.

Catering:
Average spent in 2010 (cost per head) $61
Spent for our wedding (cost per head) $7
Amount saved (per head): $54

I'm using the same caterer my mom used when she remarried about five years ago (or something. I never remember the right number). The caterer has also been a friend of the family for years. That being said, to save money on catering, we skillfully plotted this one out. Our ceremony time is 2:30pm, just after lunch but far enough away from dinner so the reception time will be roughly around 3:30. This way we can just serve finger foods instead a full meal and drastically reduce the cost per head.

So in all we've saved $14,448.56 so far and, given that the average wedding costs around $26,000, I'd say we're on a roll. See you next week my lovelies!

Note: All statistics taken from TheKnot.com. Survey results can be found here.

The Money Saving Bride: Tip 4

So we finally got our venue sorted out this week-at least I hope so. It's been such a rollercoaster ride trying to figure this out. Which brings me to tip number 4-find a place where you can have both the ceremony and reception and just have the pastor come out for the ceremony. I know most people like to have theirs in a church-and that's perfectly fine. But then you also (usually) have to book a separate building (or another part of the church) for the reception for an additional fee. And that can make things more expensive.

I wanted to get married in my church because I had been born and raised there. But between dates that we wanted already being taken and the cost of things, we decided to look into other venues. My parents actually suggested a concert hall on a 135-acre farm that I had done a Christmas show in one year. I hadn't even thought to consider it. But, for $650 less than the church, we landed a building that could be used for both-all we have to do is put up the tables after the ceremony.

Now I'm not saying this option is for everybody, but it's worth a shot. They say, in all the books I have been reading, that you need to have one area in which you splurge (within your budget) and the rest you keep strictly to. The venue could be it for you but I believe if you save the money here, you could spend on something else-like oodles of flowers or the dress of your dreams.

Have a happy week everybody and I'll have another tip up for you next Monday.

The Money Saving Bride: Tips 1-3

So here's my first couple of tips for saving money on your wedding. And even though my wedding is still in the oh-my-goodness-how-am-I-ever-going-to-get-this-done stage, I can still offer what I've learned so far.

1. Make a pinterest wedding board. Yes, I said it. And, most likely, as a female, you will already have one. Start looking for those pins with links to sites that will give discounts on things such as invites and decorations. But be careful-some of these sites could simply be rip-offs.

2. D.I.Y. everything you can. And if you can't do something, like, for example, sew, there is most likely someone in your acquaintance who does. And that, my friends, is the beauty of planning a wedding. Just about all your friends are willing to help-all you need to do is provide the materials.

3. Find someone, whether it is your mom, sister, dad, friend, or even your third cousin Bobby Ray, to help you stick to your budget. For me, it's my older sister who is also my Maid of Honor. Because sometimes you just need that other voice to tell you no when you want to get that one extra thing. It also helps if this person has a creative mind that can come up with cheaper alternatives to something you think you just can't do without.

That's all I've got for you for you for today. I'll have more tips coming up next Monday.

Big News

So I've been keeping something from you guys...as of December 28, Brendan and I are engaged! He took me out, after I had been very sick with some sort of sinus infection (all while staying at his parents' in Georgia for Christmas) to see Les Miserables (I'm a huge fan). After the movie we went into the mall and he took me into the jewelry store and told me to pick one. Later he said, "If you had waited for me to pick one, you would have been waiting forever." I'm very excited to be getting ready to start this new chapter with a totally amazing, godly man!

Dixie Rose, not even a day old.
Photo by Elizabeth Pires

So with our wedding, we're doing a low budget. So for anyone in the same boat, I'll put posts up on how we're saving money and how you can too.

And my other bit of news...as of December 19 I an also now an auntie! My sister-in-law safely delivered Dixie Rose (we bear the same middle name) after 18 hours of labor. 6lbs 8oz, 21 in and looking oh so much like my brother with her big ears and blue eyes. But she's has her mommy's dark black hair. The little dear even arrived on her due date.

Bookworm-Princess Academy

This is another book probably only girls will like. It's a sweet little story about a girl named Miri who gets selected to enter a competition to become the prince's wife (a bit like the story of Esther). Here's what the backcover says:

High on the slopes of Mount Eskel, Miri's family has lived forever, pounding a meager living from the stone of the mountain itself. Miri dreams of working alongside the others in the quarry, but she has never been allowed to work there-perhaps, she thinks, because she is so small.

Then word comes from the lowlands: the king's priests have divined that the prince's bride-to-be-the next princess-will come from Mount Eskel. The prince himself will travel to the village to choose his bride, but first all the eligible girls must attend a makeshift academy to prepare for royal lowlander life. 

At the school, Miri finds herself confronting both bitter competition among the girls and her own conflicted desires to be chosen. Yet when danger comes to the academy, it is Miri, name for a tiny mountain flower, who must find a way to save her classmates-and the chance for the future that each of them is eager to secure as their own.

Now this book was written for a younger crowd (preteens and teens) but it is a delightful little story filled with adventure, romance and humor. And the best part? The main character has my name. Enjoy!

Bookworm

I love to read. I absolutely adore it, actually. However, there comes a point when you just can't find anymore good books to read. If you're stuck in that hole, that's what these posts are for. I'll post my favorites of everything-stories telling of great adventures by noble heroes, advice from Christian men and women that I believe should be taken to heart and practiced, missionary tales, heartwarming love stories...anything really. I'll place a brief description so you'll know whether or not you'd like to read it too. Oh, and the best place to get books-the local library (especially if you've got a brand-spanking new one right up the street).

So let's get started, shall we? For this week, I recommend:

Authentic Beauty: The Shaping of a Set Apart Young Woman by Leslie Ludy
This book means so much to me. It was the start of my journey that brought me closer to Christ. Now, given, it's only a book for girls, so guys don't win out on this one. Here's what the dust jacket says about the book:

In a culture that mocks our longing for tender romance, in a world where fairy tales never seem to come true-do we dare hope for more? For every young woman asking that question, this book is an invitation. With refreshing candor and vulnerability, best-selling author Leslie Ludy reveals how, starting today, you can experience the passion and intimacy you long for. You can begin a never-ending love story with your true Prince. Discover the authentic beauty of a life fully set-apart for Him. Experience a romance that will transform every part of your existence and fulfill the deepest longings of your feminine heart. 

I think every young woman should read this book. It has shaped my life in so many ways. I cannot be more grateful that my sister got me to read it. It took me from a girl who cared only about the things of this world to one who was joyfully consumed in the things of Christ. And Leslie has plenty of other books, should you enjoy this one. She also has a website that does a magazine every two months with plenty of good advice and little tidbits.

Coming Back

It's been a little over a year since I posted. But with all that's happened since, blogging has taken a backseat in my life. I decided to take it up once again. So let's catch up.

Since October 14, 2011:

Fall of 2011: I started my senior year in high school. I started courting my boyfriend, Brendan, on October 9. Other than that the season passed with not much more than the simple humdrum of school and work.

Winter 2011/12: Life got a little more exciting, a little more hectic. On December 13, I saw my boyfriend for the first time in three years since he left for college and his family moved back to Georgia (giving him no real reason to make the hike for Alabama all the way back to Delaware). Then, five days after Christmas, I headed down to Dixieland to visit him and his family in Georgia. I spent a week there, going hiking, watching football, going for walks, rollerskating, recording music, going to church, playing SmashBros, reading devotionals together, and, what would become a tradition for us, going out to eat at Chili's the night before I left. Then it was back home to school and work.

Brendan, his Grandma, and I after his college graduation

Spring of 2012: My soccer team had an amazing season. For the seven senior girls, it couldn't have been any better. We walked away as the regular season champions and with a second place finish in the tournament. I registered for my first semester of college at a local community college as a nursing student. My semester was to consist of four classes-Anatomy and Physiology I, Review of Math Fundamentals (yeah, I've never been good at math), Composition, and First Year Seminar. One credit above full time, I was set and ready to go. Just after our soccer season ended, during the first week in May, I headed back down to Dixie, this time to Alabama for Brendan's graduation from Auburn University. I stayed with a wonderfully sweet southern belle named Julia that week, since her two roommates were out of town. And conveniently, her house was five or so minutes from his (her boyfriend, Isaac, lived there with Brendan along with two or three or four, depending on who was crashing on the couch, other guys). The week held many things for me: meeting new people (which, if you know me, I don't do well with), graduation, seeing his family again (they drove from Georgia for the event), an anniversary picnic, going to see The Avengers (twice!), Chick-fil-A milkshakes and a walk in the park, and our dinner out the night before I left.

The family (and Brendan) in Virginia

And then, on June 7, I finally graduated! Brendan, of course, traveled up for the event. I gave my graduation speech without a hitch and my hit all the low notes on "Blessings" by Laura Story that I sang for my senior talent. The day after graduation we packed everyone up and headed to D.C. for a trip to the zoo (okay, it was mainly a trip for the younger ones, but I still enjoy zoos). The Monday after graduation I got my wisdom teeth out. Brendan, like any good boyfriend, stuck with me through it all, even in my worse drugged up, hydrocodine moments. We mainly watched movies on my laptop and he read all of Love Comes Softly by Janette Oak to me. My family also headed down to Luray Caverns and Shenandoah National Park once I was well enough to travel. We hiked through the caverns and got sprinkled with "cave kisses" (supposed to bring you one year's good luck with every one; I got something like 20 so I should have plenty of good luck). Then, twelve days after he arrived, he left again. We haven't had the chance to visit since.

Working the Fourth of July Parade with the world's favorite cow

Summer 2012: I meant to have a great last summer before college. You know how well that worked out? Not very. I worked. Usually eight to nine hours a day. Once I worked for twelve. I managed to make it to the beach once this summer. Other than that I waited impatiently for my financial aid to come through, bought textbooks and worked some more. I also moved in with my older sister (also a college student) and we now an apartment together. Oh the adventures that brings! As a side note, I worked Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day as a drive thru order taker. And let me tell you our whole team was exhausted for the following week. But we put on our smiles, said our "my pleasure"'s and worked as hard as we could. Because it truly was our pleasure to serve everyone, no matter who they were, and it was heartwarming to see all the support we were given. Bobby also made it safely home for Afghanistan. Praise the Lord!

Studying for my first A&P exam

Fall 2012: Let college begin! Classes took over my life and now I literally do not have one. I still work part time and have now been promoted to a team leader. My boyfriend and I reached our first year anniversary. He sent me a gorgeous lantern necklace with one of those sun crystals inside that catches rays of light and we had a one hour Skype date. And so, now, we are up to date.