Jessica, writer & Chintan, engineer
Sum-up of the wedding vibe: A sparkling fusion between the traditional and contemporary—with peacocks and donuts.
Planned budget: $10,000
Actual budget: $9,500
Number of guests: 40 at the reception
Where we allocated the most funds:
It is definitely the gown and the peacock bouquet. I didn’t mind splurging on the gown, as it was something that meant a lot to me. Also, the bouquet wasn’t necessarily the most expensive element in itself but I suppose it was pricey for its purpose. It was actually handmade from a seller on Etsy and had real Swarovski crystals and jewels in it, but I figured since they weren’t real flowers, the bouquet would be a beautiful memento from the wedding to treasure forever.
Where we allocated the least funds:
Definitely the venue! Having a civil ceremony at a courthouse saved us a lot of money, and so did having the reception at our home.
What was totally worth it:
The dress! I could not have been happier with how it looked and fit. The fabric used and golden details matched our overall theme so beautifully.
A few things that helped us along the way:
Considering that we had an extremely large, traditional wedding in India just a few weeks before our American ceremony, it really helped to put the whole process into perspective for us. The Indian wedding was so much more stressful just due to the size of the celebration, so we know that once we got to our American ceremony, we could just relax and not stress over tiny things.
Favorite thing about the wedding:
For an hour in between the ceremony and reception, we took a pedicab tour around downtown Portland. It was time we could just spend together before hosting the party at home. We also got married again (our third time after India and the second at the Portland courthouse!) at Voodoo Doughnut where legal ceremonies are performed with blessings from the “Voodoo gods.”
Anything else we should know:
Prioritize making time to spend with just your partner on your wedding day! After all, that’s what it’s really about.
