A few weeks back, after I posted this amazing wedding, lots of commenters did a little jig of joy, pointing out that there are very few resources and models for parents getting married. With that in mind, I am thrilled to share Sarah and Bryan’s Seattle dinner cruise wedding. The pictures of the bride and groom with their son melt my heart.
Couples Names: Sarah & Bryan
Ceremony/Reception: Parsons Garden/Royal Argosy Cruises
What Made Your Wedding Creative: Since most of our guests were from out of town and first time Seattle visitors we thought it would be perfect to have the ceremony at a historic Seattle park and then a dinner cruise reception on the Puget Sound. It’s a fantastic way to take in the city. We had a view of the skyline, the breathtaking sunset and Mt. Rainier. Plus it was a full moon. Everyone was so grateful and commented on what a unique and creative idea it was.
What made your Wedding Thrifty: We concentrated on the Big Picture and nixed a lot of little details. We decided against a cake since our buffet included a dessert bar. Our ceremony flowers became the reception flowers. My shoes came from my closet and my best friend made my jewelry. The biggest money saver was the fact that our cruise was all inclusive. It included tray passed hors d’oeuvres , a dinner buffet, open bar and a DJ or band. Also, using a public park for the ceremony was very budget friendly. We were able to do the entire wedding for around $9,000.
What Made Our Wedding Sane: My husband and I had dated for 10 years prior to getting married so we already had a great deal of history together. We met when we were 16! We also have a 20 month old son, so the wedding day was more about celebrating our love and unifying our family than stressing over color schemes and monograms. Our guest count was 60, which was a very manageable number. It allowed for quality time with each person rather than an endless receiving line. We knew that we also wanted to kick back and enjoy ourselves so we opted against the traditional wedding events of toasts, cake cutting, bouquets/garter toss and the YMCA. Instead it was more of an over the top dinner party.
Congratulations to all three of you! I love the idea of thinking about a wedding as a over the top dinner party. I, for one, have a million ideas for wildly extravagant dinner parties that I’d love to throw, all of which would cost a fraction of the cost of the average wedding.
