#652: more boring words.

first thing we did...we cut out a lot of things that didn't matter to us. it wasn't easy at first because peoples' reactions to things just scared me (what? no flower girl dresses? what? no favors? what? no hair and makeup artist? what? a lunch wedding? what?).

but through the great counsel of the blog community, i got over it and became a cutting machine. not only did it save us money, but when we decided to do or not do something...it was because it did or did not matter to us.

even better.

here's a short list of things that got axed: a hotel venue. hair and makeup artist.
bathroom goodies. out-of-town bags. real flower centerpieces. favors. a big guest list. an evening reception. a live band. a wedding planner. a wedding cake.

we were unconventional, to say the least.

and along those lines, and perhaps most important of all, i started this blog. before i was even engaged. i mean, who does that? (me.)

and...our bottom line was hugely affected by this blog...and the generosity of vendors who found me through TTO. if it hasn't been obvious, let me make it obvious. by saying it again. and giving it its own line. and bolding it.

our bottom line was hugely affected by this blog...and the generosity of vendors who found me through TTO.

we also happened to run into plain dumb luck. things that worked incredibly in our favor, had absolutely nothing to do with this blog, but just really was something like stars aligning. or something.

so. now that i've said all those things (i guess i had a lot to say), i'll be jumping into the details. i don't really have any advice (except that you should start a blog).

but i've got stories. stories like spending $50 on 7 peonies bouquets and 4 orchid bouts. (it's the truth.) and i'll be doling them out in bits, through this blog and through opb (other people's blogs).

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who you are and what's important to you, your approach and reaction to things, how much time you have, where and when and how and why, who you know and what you do...every single variable that affects your bottom line, what you even consider to be part of your bottom line...

...will be different from mine.

there's no one obvious answer. i don't have a formula. it's a journey. and your journey will not be like mine.

but. if what you're curious about is whether i think a $10,000 wedding in LA is possible...after doing this for 2 years and knowing what i know...

my answer is a yes. but it's a yes with many resounding disclaimers.

in one of my posts, i talked about something i learned kind of late in the game. which is -- you can't have a $50,000 wedding with $10,000. you just can't.

if someone throws a $10,000 wedding for 50 people, who has the right to say "but that's not REALLY a $10,000 wedding because i need to have a $10,000 wedding for 200 people".

??

that said, i hope some of the things i share from this point on help you along your way. it's the best i can do.