I’ve made a bunch of progress re: wedding stuff. Made contacts, and may have even found a perfect location at the right price. The rundown:
Invites: These are going to be DIY and awesome. I am buying the materials (paper, envelopes, ribbons, whathaveyou) from a paper store on Fillmore, then I will assemble them with my pal Rena who has a silkscreen press. It will be comparably inexpensive, not to mention unique and fun.
Food: Going to meet with a caterer this week or next. I have been to one of her events before and the food was awesome, and she can work on a smaller scale which is what we’ll want.
Cake: I have no idea… but I am tempted to just find a very good bakery in town and order five dozen cupcakes from them, not mentioning the word “wedding,” and watch the price tumble down to normal. Wedding cakes are a shocking rip off.
Location: Found a nice small place on Forest Hill that has indoor/outdoor accomodations and the price was HALF of what we have seen. It may have to do with the smaller capacity, but that’s fine. Hopefully we will get to view it this week and maybe even do the reservation why not.
Dress: Still have a few ideas but really nothing concrete. There’s time to wait on this.
Photographer: God they’re expensive. I met a guy who would probably be a good one, but his fee is around $2500 (max). However, for what we will be saving on locale, dress, etc, we could put the money to a really good photographer and know that we will get everything we want. Also we aren’t hiring a videographer, so that saves a bunch more dough right there.
Flowers: There’s time for me to take a flower arranging class. I bet there are super cheap ones all over. If I can teach myself to make a lovely bouquet, there will be little need to hire a florist — we can just buy all the flowers from the Flower Mart the day before and put them together ourselves. My wedding is not going to be overrun with flowers.
Rings: We like these ones.
go for the cupcakes! everyone ends up forgetting to eat the cake and so much goes to waste! happy planning!
invites
When you go to the paper store, ask them if they have books of samples that people have done with their paper. We got a lot of good ideas from this.
a photographer will be at least 1200 and goes waaay up from there, and that may not include any enlargements. yikes! but it really is the fun stuff that you’ll look at later and go “awww…”
there are a ton of them in town so hold out for one you really like..
also cupcakes – ask jennifer about that too! or for recommendations at least. xo rena
One thing we did that saved us a whole bunch of money was looking for vendors that worked from home. Our DJ, our photographer, and our florist all don’t own store fronts but work from their home. (Photographer is a freelance, florist quit her job at the store and was about to move to Florida but is staying back a year to raise kid). All are certified/licenced professionals but they cost less becuase they dont have overhead costs of owning a store (rent, lighting, advertisements, hiring people..) Just a thought.
woo, I like the rings!
So this is going to be a family-only small affair? I secretly wish you would invite us so we could have a reason to go back home for a visit. NO PRESSURE. But it sounds like you want to keep it small. Which is sweet.
We do want to keep it small, but I consider you a dear friend, so if you can make it, that would ROCK! I wasn’t sure if you could come out, but hey, you have a whole year to plan for it! It’s next April 🙂
I love that paper store. I got Jamie a bunch of mexican wrestler printed wrapping paper there. Just wanted to let you know that as I am sure you are dying for mexican wrestler-themed wedding invites. I know I am. hee.
i love that DIY thing about you janey. you are my hero. /~did you ever know that you’re my heeeeerooooooo :>
your wedding is going to rule.
wedding cake
Hi*
There is a little pastry boutique in the Ferry Building called Miette that sells cakes and other goodies. You can also check them out at miettecakes.com. The added benefit is that all their baked goods are organic!