Our road to a $10K (or less!) wedding...
Jason and I decided from the very beginning that spending $30,000 on a wedding was not only out of our reach, but completely ridiculous. Joining together in marriage and planning the rest of our lives proved to be far more important than going into debt over ONE day. (Each of us already has enough debt due to credit cards and student loans.) We set our spending cap for EVERYTHING to $10,000. I knew it would be a challenge, but I've never faced an obstacle that I couldn't overcome. It honestly makes me sick to think of how much the wedding "industry" takes advantage of soon-to-be-newlyweds, especially those of us who are naïve as to how much something like a wedding cake actually costs.
This is our version of the $10,000 wedding. One that takes place on a Saturday evening (during a holiday weekend!), not a Thursday or Friday. One where we can invite almost 200 guests and still feed them a real dinner. One where they can enjoy wine and spirits, without the need to take out their wallets in order to do so. The truth is you can have a beautiful wedding on ANY budget if you put your mind to it. You can find just about anything for the right price, you just have to be willing to do the research. Luckily, I've done some of that for you! I really hope this planning bio and blog will inspire other brides to have the wedding of their dreams...without maxing out credit cards or going into debt.
*** Traditional Knottie disclaimer: If I have not credited a photo of yours, blah blah blah...just let me know. ***
This is our version of the $10,000 wedding. One that takes place on a Saturday evening (during a holiday weekend!), not a Thursday or Friday. One where we can invite almost 200 guests and still feed them a real dinner. One where they can enjoy wine and spirits, without the need to take out their wallets in order to do so. The truth is you can have a beautiful wedding on ANY budget if you put your mind to it. You can find just about anything for the right price, you just have to be willing to do the research. Luckily, I've done some of that for you! I really hope this planning bio and blog will inspire other brides to have the wedding of their dreams...without maxing out credit cards or going into debt.
*** Traditional Knottie disclaimer: If I have not credited a photo of yours, blah blah blah...just let me know. ***
How We met...
_When applying to graduate schools, I decided to take a leap of faith and
apply to a school in Milwaukee...almost 900 miles away from
Williamstown, NJ, and all my family and friends. I was accepted at the
Medical College of WI and moved to Milwaukee in August of 2007 to pursue
my PhD. It took me a few months to get situated, but I eventually
bonded with some new friends...and had a few failed love interests. It
was hard to meet men outside of the graduate school environment, and I
often found myself without something to do on "date night". One
evening, I received a Myspace message (go ahead and roll your eyes, I'll
give you this one opportunity) from a handsome gentleman named Jason. I
don't remember exactly what it said, but it certainly wasn't "hi ur
hot", which piqued my interest. We scheduled a meeting (I refuse to
call it a date) for later in the week. Since I had never met anyone
online, I insisted it be in a public place: a coffeehouse named Mocha's
in downtown Milwaukee (which has since closed). We talked for hours,
and I felt like I had finally found a decent guy in the city, i.e.
someone who wouldn't dump me after two dates. After that first
encounter, we were pretty much inseparable. And still are. :)
The Proposal...
_It was the week before Thanksgiving 2010, and I was getting ready for
one of my trips home to New Jersey to visit my family. Jason came home,
cleaned the entire kitchen from top to bottom, and cooked me an awesome
meal! We sat down at the table, and just as we were getting ready to
eat, I noticed the ring tucked inside my napkin! We had talked about
getting engaged often and I knew it was coming, but I still cried like a
baby! He even admitted that he asked my father when we visited my
family in July...and he had the ring since September. What a jerk for
making me wait! ;) It was the best day of my life, and I can't wait to
start the next chapter in our lives together!