Our Persian and Jewish $60K Wedding Was Midsummer Perfection

Plus a dance party till 1 a.m.

rachel, partnerships at salesforce & nima, commercial real estate

SUM-UP OF THE WEDDING VIBE: Two cultures unite, both indoors and out, at this romantic midsummer affair.

PLANNED BUDGET: $50,000
ACTUAL BUDGET: $60,000
NUMBER OF GUESTS: 170
LOCATION: Vallejo, California

Where we allocated the most funds:

Catering by far. Food is very important to us and the worst thing you can do at a Persian wedding is to run out of it. With that being said, we saved a few bucks by putting together our own fruit table, and by bringing cookies up from Haleh Pastry in Campbell. Music was also very important, so we paid a little more for the DJ, didn’t skimp on the sound equipment, and brought in a bongo player.

What was totally worth it:

Having musicians who can keep the dance floor going from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Paying more for a quality photographer—we love our photos, and unlike a video, we get to look at them every day. Having plenty of food—there’s nothing worse than going hungry at a wedding.

Where we allocated the least funds:

Flowers: we paid for half of the tables to have arrangement and picked up flowers for bud vases and two large garlands from the Flower Mart ourselves. I also saved quite a bit on shoes and decor by using sites like The RealReal and Tradesy.

What was totally not worth it:

Paying for an officiant—we should have asked one of our friends to do it. That’s so much more meaningful. Spending a lot on clothing—you can buy almost everything used at half the cost. Fancy dance floor lightning. Outdoor lighting does make a difference though. Flowers. Less is usually more, and they’re easy to DIY.

A few things that helped us along the way:

Rockstar staff at the venue. Pinterest, of course. Combining DIY with professional services. Planning ahead versus waiting for deadlines.

My best practical advice for my planning self:

Keeping track of EVERY detail, especially the payments. Don’t hesitate to ask friends and family for help. Some of my favorite memories came out of working on projects together.

Favorite thing about the wedding:

That it brought so many different types of people together, and that we were able to throw a kick-ass dance party during an event that oozed love, romance, and family unity.

Something else We’d Like to Share:

We couldn’t be happier with how our photos turned out, and we hope you enjoy them too!

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