Moriah, Healthcare & Steven, Software and Business Development
sum-up of the wedding vibe: Island backyard with Moroccan flare.
Planned Budget: $10,000
Actual Budget: $18,000
Number of Guests: 68
Location: San Juan Islands, Washington
Where we allocated the most funds:
Catering, cake, and flowers. Rental equipment—tent, tables, chairs—were discounted due to a family relationship.
Where we allocated the least funds:
Music: Besides the ceremony, a cousin made the dance playlist. Setup and breakdown: Other than the tent, friends and family helped Moriah and Steven with most of this. Wedding clothes: Moriah’s dress was a “special event dress,” not wedding dress; Steven’s suit was on sale.
What was totally worth it:
Everything! We were very happy with all of our vendors and had a great time decorating the tent together with our friends.
What was totally not worth it:
Nothing!
A few things that helped us along the way:
A Practical Wedding Planner by Meg Keene. Our wonderful wedding planner, Kimaya Maitreya. My (Moriah’s) mother!
My best practical advice for my planning self:
Pick a date early. Find your venue and caterer early. Generate an idea board early of how you want things to look. Make sure your photographer will depict the day as you want to remember it. Talk with your fiancé and officiant about what you want the ceremony to look like and build the planning around that. Let someone else worry about where guests are staying and how they’re getting there.
Favorite thing about the wedding:
The connections between our families and friends; the memories we made.
