Monday, January 25, 2010

Planning Paralysis

Whether it was because I started back at work and school, or because we're just natural procrastinators, Chris and I completely just stopped wedding planning. We'd muse fantastically about our plans, and neither of us is unexcited about our upcoming nuptials, but neither of us was taking the initiative to do any of the important stuff. And then the new year hit. And then an email from Caryn, happily noting we had five months left to plan. Crap.

So, we're meeting with a caterer on Tuesday who, for $3,000, would supply a buffet, tables, chairs, set-up, and service. This would eat up a huge chunk of our budget, but it would save a ton of trouble. We might do this.

We also have a very, very daunting checklist ahead, but we'll manage. Expect invites in April...

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Foods.

Food and drink are proving to be the most challenging part of our wedding to do on a budget. I posted the following on Chowhound, one of my favorite foodie websites:

Hi there,
I'm getting married (in Dumbo) next summer on a tight budget, but food is super important to me. Because I'm on a really tight budget (hoping, perhaps crazily, to spend $1000-1500 on food for 120-150 people), I'm considering throwing a simple cocktail party with hors d'ouerves and cupcakes or cake.
Does anyone have any experience with providing good food on a budget for a large group? Does anyone know of any affordable caterers or restaurants that cater? Any suggestions for specific items to serve? Our venue doesn't have a super workable kitchen, just a "catering nook," by the way.
Thank you!
Liz


I think $1000-1500 is a huge sum of money to lay out and food is cheaper in quantities, yes? Though I got some helpful suggestions, I also got a lot of responses like these:

"Your budget seems quite unrealistic for that many people "

"$10–12.50 per person isn't a realistic budget... If $1,500 is your limit, I'd suggest slashing your guest list to 50 people or fewer. It's still a wedding even if it's smaller." (This one annoyed me. I couldn't possibly slash my guest list! Y'all know how huge my family is!)

"Wow. That budget is totally unrealistic."

UNhelpful. There were some helpful responses, though. You can read them all here, if you're interested.

Any suggestions from the homefront? The only thing I'm sure about is that I want to serve something like cake or cupcakes. My current ideas are:
- An Indian buffet (no worries, I promise that there are non-spicy options. I don't eat hot food!)
- Only serving hors d'oeurves (pre-packaged and heated up) and dessert
- Really good quality Italian subs

Wedding Dress.

I won my wedding dress on eBay! I don't want Chris to be tempted to peek (one thing we ARE doing in a traditional fashion is the surprise-wedding-day-dress reveal), so if you want to see it, you can e-mail and I'll shoot you a picture!

In keeping with our bargain wedding theme, I'll share this detail: it was (for a wedding dress) very affordable. I won it for just over $100! Woohoo!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Bridesmaid Dress.

Here. Not necessarily with visible red crinoline.

Thoughts? Abby and Emily like it...

We booked a space...

... and set a date: Sunday, June 13, 2010. Mark your calendars!

The ceremony will be held at Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) Brooklyn, barring unforeseen weather issues. The reception will be held at the DUMBO Arts Center. Exact times and details are forthcoming!

We're so excited about the spaces we found. The Park is gorgeous and we went on one of our earliest, most special dates, to the Brooklyn Promenade and will get married with a similar view in the background. We also love the Arts Center. Not only is it really cool looking, but the (substantial) funds we spent on the venue rental will go to supporting future art exhibits etc. in the space, not back into the creepy industrial-wedding complex.

So, come and expect to see Sit & Die Co. perform, to dance (bad dancing is encouraged, to make the bride feel better about herself), and celebrate with us!