Everyone Wants A $10,000 Wedding

It must be “plan-your-$10,000 wedding” week. On Saturday, the Star ran a piece on how to have a green wedding on ten grand. Then on Monday, theknot.com’s weekly email contained a link to its “$10,000 challenge”.

That article profiles five under-$10,000 weddings that took place in five different American cities. While the pieces have some interesting, though rather city-specific, ideas, it feels rather hypocritical to be reading about budget weddings on a website that’s packed with images of elaborate, six-tier cakes and dresses that cost more than $10,000.

A better source for cheap wedding ideas are 2000dollarwedding.com and APracticalWedding.com. While 2000dollarwedding.com is bit too homey and DIY for my taste, it might be right for you it if you’re crafty and don’t dream of the Big White Day. The author also answers readers’ questions and provides plenty of detail on how she was able to pull off a $2,000 wedding.

APracticalWedding.com is more my thing. The author takes a very common-sense approach to planning a wedding and doesn’t make you feel guilty for spending money or not going the DIY route. She also profiles other practical weddings and links to over a dozen wedding-related blogs including one called a $10,000 wedding.

How To Have A Green Wedding For Under $10,000

If you’re planning on having an eco-friendly wedding on the cheap, check on this article that ran in Saturday’s Toronto Star. It’s about a Toronto couple who recently held an elegant, green wedding for $10,000.

Their steps to saving money (held a cocktail reception, eschewed flowers and the big white gown, had a friend get them a deal on the reception venue) and being green (offset their carbon credits, gave away tree saplings as favours, had a the wedding dress made out of bamboo) aren’t anything new but it’s always nice to a real life example of those steps in action.

The article also contains a great little sidebar on how to make your own video booth. The couple was able to create their own for less than $100 and they got to keep the video camera.

While their wedding certainly won’t be for everyone one, it certainly worked for them and it’s certainly a common-sense wedding.

Let's Talk Money

Let’s get honest about budgets for a few minutes. My wedding’s budget is $20,000 for an event that will have about 100 guests and will take place in Toronto. Now, I know that some of you are thinking, “Only $20,000? Are they planning on having a picnic in the park?” while some of you are thinking “$20,000! That’s the price of a car.”

My fiancé and I choose that number because it’s one we feel comfortable; a figure that won’t put us into debt but at the same time should be able to pay for the type of wedding we want – something elegant and urban, with an emphasis on simplicity and little concern for tradition.

Still, I agree that $20,000 is a lot of money and I completely understand those who think that spending that much on one day is a waste. But at the same time, I know that a $10,000 or even a $15,000 wedding would, for me, be a stressful and regret-filled event and I don’t see the point in spending any cash on an event that you’re not going to enjoy.

No one needs a $10,000 dress or a 500-person guest list. But if you know that you won’t be happy with your big day unless you get the big, white dress or get to invite everyone who you want to invite, then it’s probably best to put the wedding plans on hold while you start saving cash to cover those must-haves. Alternatively, you could go back to the drawing board and try to come up with plans for a cheaper, but just-as-enjoyable day, For example, maybe a destination wedding or even a wedding in the same venue but on a Friday night in March, could deliver the day you want at the price you can afford.


Of course, the worst thing you can do is to go into debt over your wedding. If you think you’re going to regret not wearing a Vera Wang, just wait until you find yourself still paying off that dress over a year later.

Planning a wedding budget makes me think of one of the Ontario Lottery Corporation’s slogan – “Know your limit, play within it.” You need to know your limit, on both ends of the scale, and then make sure your expanses stay within it otherwise one of the biggest days of your life will also be one of the most miserable.

Hello there!

Welcome to WedTO!

First off, a big “Thanks!” to 24’s Kate for profiling WedTO in today’s issue of 24.

If you’re checking out this site because of her article, a big “Thanks” to you for stopping by. I hope you find this blog packed with useful info. Please let me know what you think by sending me at email at wedtoblog[remove space]@gmail.com.

So far this blog has covered a variety of topics including useful wedding websites, how to save cash and how to reduce the drama that inevitably comes with planning a wedding. In the future, I plan on writing about bridesmaids (what they should and shouldn’t be handling), local florists and photographers and of course, more ways to have a common sense wedding.

One of my goals with this blog is to provide a place where Toronto-area brides can get honest, reliable info on various vendors. This led me to create my venue chart, a look at some 15+ local venues that aren’t your usual reception setting of a banquet hall, hotel or golf course. Please feel free to suggest other venues that I should look into.

And please get in touch with me if you’re a local bride who would like to be profiled on this site. More details on that can be found over here.

Thanks again for stopping by WedTO and please feel free to befriend this blog over Facebook or Blogger.

Megan's Wedding

Meet Megan, the next bride to be profiled here on WedTO.

Who are you: I am a 26-year-old, design coordinator at an interior design firm and my 27-year-old fiancé is a surveyor. We have been dating for over three years.

When’s the wedding: June 5, 2010

Where is it: The wedding is taking place in my hometown of Kitchener, ON, at Victoria Park. Both the ceremony and the reception are being held there.

What will it be like: We are inviting 165 people. Here is my wedding concept: I want it to feel like a garden party in a field of lilacs; with white-on-white with splashes of a robin egg blue table runners and hints of lilacs in the air and featured in centerpieces. A hint of vintage style with a relaxed feel.

Why are you having that type of wedding: My inspiration is Martha Stewart. I am making almost everything except for the food. My dad is contributing some to the wedding, and then I am paying for the rest of it. That's why I am making everything, plus I find that most wedding supplies are corny or over done, and everything is so over-scaled, and not really unique. As far as our cultural background, both sides have Irish/Scottish ancestry so we are having bagpipes.

Any advice for other couples who are busy planning: Do lots of research and ask questions. As well, you would be surprised by how many resources online are out there for brides; I have done almost all my planning for my wedding online. Also, early on I purchased a wedding planner, it’s something that I used to store all my clippings out of magazines, etc. Make sure that when you see something you like in a magazine or on a website you put it in a planner, because sometimes you can't find it again.

The biggest piece of advice I can give is that if you are kinda picky like me, give yourself over a year to plan because then you are most times guaranteed to be able to book the venues on the dates you want. Don't wait till the last minute.

5 Things My Wedding Won’t Be Having

1. A Massive Bridal Party – Some people swear by their baseball team-sized wedding parties and if you know lots of responsible, reliable people who are happy to spend tons of hours and cash on helping make your big day a reality, then go for it. But personally, I know that my wedding will be a lot less stressful with a simple, family-only wedding party. Plus it’ll be cheaper this way as well,

2. Separate Ceremony and Reception Site – Having everything in one spot just seems so much easier for both the wedding party and our guests. Less traveling + less rushing around = more time to just enjoy the day.

3. Stretch Limos – Seriously, who rents these tacky things? Besides being cheesy, they’re also ridiculously expansive.

4. A DJ – I don’t care how big your music collection is Mr. DJ, it’s not as good as mine. My fiancé and I will be creating the playlists for our reception and loading them into two different laptops (one will be for back-up), which will then be baby-sat by our teenaged cousins. This way, the music will be exactly what we want, the dance floor will be packed and we’ll save ourselves some cash (you may be noticing a theme here).

5. Programs – It’s a wedding, not a theatrical experience. And while I can see the point of a program if your wedding is packed with different events or is spread out over a day (or weekend), I don’t see why people need a program to tell them that dancing will follow the dinner.

Need To Share A Secret?

Sometimes a bride just needs to vent in a way that will lead to no hurt feelings, no regrets, no bad reputations. In other words, she needs to vent anonymously and that’s where Truu Bride Confessions comes into play. Formally known as just TrueBrideConfessions.com, this revamped site lets you vent without fear of repercussions (unless you get really, really detailed).

The site also lets you comment on, share and “me too” other bride’s confessions. The “me too” feature is particularly nice because it lets you know that you’re not the only other person out there who wants to strangle the best man because he’s insisting on a cigar roller.

The site does force you to create an account in order to post but you can basically post anonymously and the sign-in aspect does allow for some fun features like being able to follow your post and see what kind of comments it generates. And while creating an account is a bit of pain, it’s probably worth it if you’re the type of person who knows that she’ll enjoy making multiple confessions to this site.

But even if you’re not one for publicly sharing your secrets, this site is still worth checking out simply for entertainment value. Dozens of posts are made each day, varying from the gossipy (“I was about to ask one of my dearest friends to be my maid of honor, but she erupted: ‘I am so tired of people getting married! everyone's getting married, you are getting married!’ “) to the just plan random (“I do not understand the desire to have your wedding cake look like your wedding dress.”). In other words, it’s a fun way to kill a few dull minutes at the office.

Oh, Wow, Your Dress Is So...

I have a friend who will be a bridesmaid in her best friend’s wedding this summer. She’s thrilled at being part of the wedding but less than thrilled about the bride’s dress. In fact, she thinks it’s ugly.

I haven’t seen the dress but according to my friend, it’s plain to the point of boring and not at all the type of gown you’d want to wear on your wedding day. Fortunately, the dress does flatter the bride-to-be’s body so my friend isn’t completely lying when she says that the bride-to-be looks great in the gown.

I told my friend that she’s doing the right thing by not sharing her true feelings on the dress; that all that matters is that the bride loves the dress and that it does look good on her, even if it’s not particularly memorable. She seems to agree that this is one situation where honesty is not necessarily the best policy.

While I would certainly want my friends to tell me if my wedding dress didn’t fit properly; if it made me look fat or short or deformed; I wouldn’t particularly care to hear their opinions on the overall style of the dress. After all, they aren’t the ones wearing (or paying) for it; I am and because of that all, all that really matters is that I love how it looks on me.

Even though the public (and pricey) nature of a wedding dress might seem to justify sharing one’s opinion on it; only share that opinion if it’s positive. No bride wants to be told that her dress is “boring” or “plain” or, on the other end of the spectrum, “tacky” or “trashy”. So if you ever find yourself in my friend’s position, having to comment on a dress that you’re less than impressed with, just smile sweetly and say, “It does look really great on you.”

Three Great Lists

Who doesn’t love a list? I’m certainly a fan of information being presented in a quick-to-read, easy-to-digest, numerical fashion.

theknot.com recently sent around a newsletter that contained a link to “The 12 Worst Pieces of Wedding Advice Ever.” While that list was a bit of a disappointment (it’s really just twelve brides talking about weird things people told them to do), that list did lead to some interesting and useful articles.

For example, “10 Rules for Every Bride” offers some down-right common sense guidelines such as “I can live without lady’s slipper orchids” and “I won’t have unrealistic weight expectations”. True, both of those examples are rather obvious but they’re also completely true and on theknot.com, a leader in wedding porn, they’re also quite refreshing.

“12 Wedding Day Details Not To Miss”, meanwhile, offers great advice that’s not so obvious. I certainly haven’t given any thoughts to what our exit will be like and I just assumed that the venue would take care of just details as the cake table and the washrooms.

Then there’s “10 Inventive Wedding Ideas”, a lighter-toned list that once again is packed with great ideas, like having a cookie bar instead of a dessert bar. I think that’s a really and affordable idea. I also quite like the low-tech slide show, which is really just a bunch of childhood photos lined up in matching frames. It’s a classy alternative to a traditional slide show which is often more embarrassing than entertaining and, unless it’s being handled by the DJ or some other professional, a source of much stress.

I’m sure that there are more great lists buried on theknot.com and other sites and I’ll be sure to post them as I come across them.

[Note: I believe you’ll have to be a member of theknot.com in order to read some of the above lists.]

Simone's Wedding

Today I’m introducing a new, regular feature on this blog – the WBride profile. It’s quick look at a Toronto-area bride’s upcoming wedding, created using the five “Ws”.

If you’re a local bride who’s planning a “common sense” wedding and you’d like to be profiled, please send me an email at wedtoblog[remove space]@[remove space]gmail.com

Big thanks to Simone for volunteering to be our first profiled bride!

Who are you: My name is Simone and the groom’s name is Sam. We are both in our late 20’s and have a 14-month-old daughter who was born on Christmas Day 2007. This wedding is as much about her as it is about us. We want her to bear witness to us affirming our love for each other and for her in front of God and our family.

When’s the wedding: March 20, 2010

Where is it: The ceremony is taking place at the Prayer Palace House of Worship in North York and the reception is at La Gondola Banquet Hall in Vaughan.

What will it be like: We are expecting anywhere between 200-300 guests and the colors are chocolate brown, gold and burnt orange. We are going for a romantic, warm feel. It is the wedding we both grew up wanting so we are incorporating all the things we want in it since we don’t plan to ever do this again J

Why are you having that type of wedding: We are having the type of wedding we both want and had always imagined ourselves having. The two of us are paying for it on our own and we are not going to incur any debt from it. We both have large families and based on our backgrounds (African and West Indian) a wedding is a large celebration.

Any advice for other couples who are busy planning: Enjoy the process because hopefully you will only have to do it once and while some aspects are stressful others are a lot of fun.

Involve your family to help you in any way they can as you will need the help. Do not make any rash decisions. No matter even if a vendor says you have to book today because your date will go it doesn’t hurt to sleep on it to make sure you are doing the right thing. NEGOTIATE… every vendor I have worked with so far has been willing to negotiate on at least one thing e.g if you’re paying with cash, get them to knock the tax off (I’ve done this with many of my vendors),

Keep track of how much you spend along the way as it helps keep you accountable to your budget and most importantly don’t “settle” when it comes to your reception venue. This is the part people will remember the most so make sure you are happy with it. We visited about 30 different reception venues until we found the one that was “us” and we are thrilled.

Planning on wearing a Maggie Sottero?

Is your dream dress a Maggie Sottero? (If so, you’ve got good taste, some of those dresses look stunning.) Then you might want to seriously consider buying your dress before Monday, March 9. According to an email I recently received from wedding superstore Bridal & Beyond, Maggie dresses are jumping up in price on March 9, in some cases by more than 15 percent. So for example, the dramatic SaBelle dress will be jumping in price from $1,569 to $1,829.

Now, in all honesty, I haven’t actually done any research to find out whether or not this price increase applies just to Bridal & Beyond (a store that’s received some mixed reviews) or whether all Maggie dresses will be jumping up in price. But if you’ve got your heart set on one of these gowns, I suggest you get on the phone to the dress retailer of your choice and find out if buying your dream dress this weekend will save you a few hundred dollars.