Let's talk money...

Hello weddingbee readers!  Its been a long time since I've blogged, but I read something today on WB that piqued my interest.  I'm talking about budgets, of course!  In response to one of the comments, I'm going to break down my budget for you.  Hopefully it will help some brides budget their wedding.  Just a quick note - I dont actually remember the exact amounts anymore, so these are the closest estimates that I could come up with.

Total Budget - $40,000

Reception:  $22,000
Florist:  $4,400
Photography and Video (excluding albums):  $4,100
Invitations, STD's and Programs:  $1,000
DJ:  $1,350
Officiant:  $400
Tea Ceremony:  $1,350
Wedding Dress (including alteration) & Shoes:  $1,750
Groom's Tux:  $700
BM and GM (everything including clothes to gifts):  $1,200
Hair & Makeup (for everyone):  $600
Transportation: $1,600
Quartet: $500
Hotel for 2 nights:  $1,000
Tips:  $1,500
Other and Miscellaneous:  $1,500

Total Cost:  $44,950

I ended up going over by about 12%.  Plus, I'm not even including things like facials to prepare my skin, the hair appointments prior to the wedding, wedding bands for both of us ($4,000), and personal training sessions.  So I probably spent another $8,000 if you count that.

Did I think that my budget was "high"?  Well, no....not for NYC anyway.  I've been to weddings that cost much more than this.  But I've also been to ones that cost much less.  Personally, (and I am completely biased here!) I think $40 to $50K is a very reasonable amount for a NYC wedding.

I'm sure I could have had a much cheaper wedding if I didn't have it in Manhattan.  But Manhattan was just so much more convenient for everyone involved.  I probably did not need to stay at a hotel for 2 nights either- but then again, I just really needed to NOT be home before and after the wedding.  Did I really need a 16 person limo to drive us around the day of?  Probably not.  I could have probably spent a lot less on the florist - but I loved her work! I also probably didn't need the string quartet to play for 1 hour - but I wanted that too!  At the end of the day, I probably could have scrimped and saved on a lot of things which would have saved me about $6,000 ~ $10,000 without changing the location.  Mostly though, I think of that money as my "sanity money" - meaning that I spent it to keep my sanity during those stressful planning days. 

My parents gave me about half to help me pay for the wedding, and we came up with the other half.  We truly consider ourselves to be very lucky because we were able to afford the wedding of our dreams. 

Whatever your budget may be, I think the most important thing is this:  that the memories of your wedding day brings a smile to your face when you are old and gray.  I know mine will. 

Mother-In-Law

Ok.  Let's be candid about this.  How many of you like your mother-in-law (MIL)? Anyone?  Anyone? 

I'm just kidding.  I know there are plenty of you who get along fabulously with your MIL.  For the rest of us, I found a hilarious blog called MILDEW (Mothers In Law Do Everything Wrong).     They've recently moved to another site (click here), but all of their old stuff is on the MILDEW site.  I have been laughing my ass off for the last hour reading this stuff (I should be working....oh well).

Enjoy!

Informercials

I am an infomercial whore.  I love watching these paid commercials late at night.  I love all kinds of informercials - skin care, kitchen gadgets, cleaning gadgets, and most importantly, fitness inventions. 

Admit it.  When you first saw one of theseyou wanted it too, right?.  Toned abs without doing anything!!!  How cool is that?  Just push a button and it works out the muscles for you.  Wow!  But, logic won out in the end and I didn't end up buying it.  I mean, if its too good to be true, it usually is.

However, the last few nights, I've seen some products that really makes me want to pick up the phone and order.  (I blame my addiction on insomnia.)

   Hip Hop Abs - get the best abs ever by dancing to hip hop and without doing any sit ups!!! Wow!

The Bean - it cradles your back and you wont have any back problems while sculpting your core! Double Wow!

This time, I decided to do some research on the products.  This is a site where real customers review informercial products after they've tried them.  And for each review, you can vote whether you believe the review is real or a fake.  Based on this, you can decide if you want to order.  They review everything.  Abdominal products, exercise equipments, diet pills, workout videos, etc. 

Then there is the InfomercialBlog, and it keeps you up to date on the world of informercials, including fraudulent companies and products.  Based on this blog, and the reviews on Amazon, I am in the process of purchasing Turbo Jam. 

Now, there were complaints about the original company, Beach Body, regarding fraudulent charges.  I think that's why the Beach Body's website no longer works.  Either way, I am ordering from trusty Amazon.

Its a bit pricey at $79.99, but it was rated as the top infomercial product in all categories by InfomercialBlog, and has a 4.5 rating on Amazon based on 51 reviews.  Since I've gained about 7 pounds since the wedding, I figure I can spend $80 bucks and see if it works.  If it doesn't, well, then its a lesson learned, right?

So I am going to try out Turbo Jam, and I will definitely keep you updated! 

I'm a star!!!!

Ok, not a star, but I am starring in my own wedding video!  My videographer just sent over the link for the highlight video today and I couldn't be happier!  I only wish I were more.....telegenic or videogenic...or whatever word is the equivalent of photogenic is for videos.  Click below for a peak into my wedding day!

The Butterfly Wedding

I have to take this moment to thank my photographer/videographer, 5 West Studios.  Spencer has been amazing throughout this process, and I am extremely excited about the pictures and the videos.  Just watching this video brings a smile to my face. I highly, highly recommend them!  You wont regret it!

Blog-Worthy

My husband is such a sweetheart.  Whenever he sees something interesting and wedding-related, he sends me the articles so that I can blog about it.  Today, he sent me something that is really blog-worthy and combines my two favorite things:  weddings and Disney! 

Here are some excerpts from the Wall Street Journal.

Fairy-Tale Wedding?
Disney Can Supply the Gown

Princess-Inspired Designs
Aim to Attract Older Crowd;
Subtle Mermaid Styling

Walt Disney Co. has made a fortune out of turning little girls into princesses. Now it plans to turn big girls into princesses, too.

In a move to expand the reach of one of its most popular franchises, Cinderella and her regal friends are moving into the bridal business with a line of wedding dresses and accessories. Disney has teamed up with couture bridal designer Kirstie Kelly to transform blushing brides into their favorite princesses, complete with billowing gowns and crystal tiaras. At a cost of $1,100 to $3,000 for each gown, brides will be able to walk down the aisle in dresses inspired by Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine or Ariel.

About dress designs.....

I would really like to see some of the dresses in person.  I'm so curious to see how Ms. Kelly interpreted Belle and Ariel (my two favorite Disney princesses)!

*Disclaimer:  Mr. Butterfly's interest in this article is slightly biased since he works for Disney, but it is still an interesting article.