In general, I am thinking:
$500 food (Korean BBQ – including plasticware etc, maybe a couple of new coolers)
$350 booze (including champagne)
$400 film and processing
$200 flowers (downtown L.A.)
$200 invites, thank yous, and postage (make our own)
$50 bartender (+tips)
$75 BBQ griller/food person
$100 cake (Costco)
$100 gifts/games for the kids and party favors
$25 marriage license
$0 music (long playlist on iTunes)
I plan on either wearing a dress I already own or my sister’s dress and veil. Chad’s suit will be an engagement gift from me.
I have 40 invitations listed, but that includes relatives and friends far away who are unlikely to attend. Of course, some of the invitations mean a couple or an entire family. I guess I need to sit down and make an excel spreadsheet or something. Sue says she invited 151 people, anticipated 35, and then 51 attended (including all the children) for her wedding in Maui.
I called the 29 Palms Inn today, but that is out of our range: $50-$100 per person, and that includes food and service only – the bartender, bar set-up and booze would all be extra. While I like the Inn, I prefer something far more informal; in fact, I am thinking of a pumped-up version of my annual birthday BBQ.
Worst case scenario would be to have it at my house – which is not really that bad. More likely we will land a group campsite in Joshua Tree National Park and folks can stay at the Inn if they want. The wedding will be in the evening I think – and most likely at the end of June.
Four useful docs on wedding traditions my sister sent to me as point of reference: