2 MONTHS TO GO!

Sixty days and counting. Still lots to do. But a few big items have been checked off my list, so I feel somewhat productive. The invitations are set to go out next week.

I realized something insane a few minutes ago, which prompted this post. This Saturday, my company is hosting their annual Summer picnic aboard one of the Gateway Clipper boats. Originally, I really wanted to have my reception on one of the boats, having attended a fantastic reception aboard one several years prior.

But when Dan and I met with their wedding coordinator last Summer to get an idea of cost, we almost fell out of our chairs. The base rates for the packages were $8,000 for the small boat and $16,000 for the large boat, more if you added on things like more time onboard, better food & alcohol, etc.

Each package includes 4 hours up and down Pittsburgh's three rivers, hors'doerves, alcohol, waitstaff including bartender, impressive food choices, the cake, decorations, all linens/catering rentals, a dj, photography, flowers/centerpieces, free parking for guests, plus a stay in the Station Square Sheraton for the bride and groom.

At the time, we foolishly believed we could pull the whole thing off for about $5k so we politely thanked the wedding coordinator and ripped up the brochures she gave us. Looking back, those packages are actually a STEAL. Chew on that for a minute.

Sure, people can have weddings for under $5k. It is totally possible, but you will have to make HUGE sacrafices and be SUPER creative, plus have an ARMY of friends and family help you with basically everything. And definitely no more than 100 guests.

If you commit to having it at any kind of facility that frequently hosts weddings/receptions (that is not a fire hall) and you have at least 150 people, you are looking at an easy $1-2k just to rent the space. Then pile on at least $3-5k for FOOD, the staff, linens, chairs/table/other rentals. Tack on another $1-2k for ALCOHOL unless you want to be a dick and make it a cash-bar.

So you're already at maybe $5-8k and that does not include the cost of: bride's dress/veil/accessories/shoes, the rings, the flowers, the cake, photography/videography, a dj or band, the ceremony (if it's not at the same location as the reception), decorations, programs, car rental, hotel stay, gifts for the wedding party, tips for the vendors, the invitations/save the date cards (don't forget postage!), a wedding shower of some kind, the bachelor/bachelorette parties, hair styling/manicures and oh yeah, maybe a honeymoon. EASILY all of that shit will add up to another $10-12k, for a rough total estimate of about $15-20k...at a MINIMUM.

So...yeah, $8-16k for almost everything you need is actually a pretty good deal plus the added fun of partying on a gorgeous cruise boat for your reception. It's also pretty accurate for what an average (Pittsburgh) wedding costs these days (if you don't have any vendors who can donate their services), based off my observations and calculations in the past year.

But I consider myself very lucky. I got some AMAZING deals of my own and I am quite proud of my efforts to strike a balance between frugal and fabulous in order to keep the costs down.

We are also extremely grateful for the amazing friends and family members who are able to help us...there is no way we could do this without them. Well, there is, but it would definitely knock us quick a few pegs down on the 'fabulous scale'. :)