We had an Indian/American Christian ceremony at 10 AM. Instead of a cocktail hour we had a "hot cocoa hour" with hot cocoa, Indian chai, and cookies (plus soda and juice).
The reception (12 pm) was a big Indian buffet that was so delicious that people went for seconds! I changed into an Indian dress and Indian jewelry for the reception. We had our DJ play Amercian music and Tamil (the language the Indian people there spoke) music and everyone danced like crazy (did I mention this was a dry wedding?)
We were expecting 125 guests but ended up with 100 day-of because of some airlines canceling flights. One of the things I was really happy about with this wedding is that the the price tag came in just over 12k.
Some of the things we did to save money included:
- Walmart wedding cake. People loved it and couldn't believe it was from Walmart!
- Having an Indian restaurant cater the reception. Due to covid we were able to negotiate the price to about 12$ per person (doesn't include drinks)
-A dry wedding (save for a champagne toast gifted by my dad). We made this work by telling guests in advance, having the early daytime wedding, providing the hot cocoa/chai/soda/water, and also that dry weddings are pretty common among our crowd. We also made sure we kept the day moving along. If there's no alcohol guests are less tolerant of a lot of down time.
-I diyed the decor, our guest book, the hot cocoa bar, the invites, the signs, the bridesmaid gifts, and the ceremony programs. I started early and paced myself and it was worth it in the end!
-no florist. I rented bouquets from Something Borrowed Blooms and made centerpieces with Mason jars I already had plus Lings Moment flowers.
-my wedding dress cost $200 because I bought it on a whim when a bridal store was closing down, this was even before I met my husband, lol. A small-town hobby seamstress did my alterations and she did a great job.
-my bridesmaids did their own makeup and hair. I'm so happy we did this because I wanted each lady to look like themselves and have control over how they looked. I'm so happy with how that decision turned out. It also made it so we didn't have to be at the venue super early.
General tips include:-have a detailed plan, share it with everyone, and stick to it; it really helps when events keep moving.
-my husband and I decided our day wasn't about us; it was just another day to glorify God and it was a day to honor our family and friends who have done so much for us. This really helped our focus and eased stress.
-there will be little hiccups; just take some deep breaths, smile, and ask for help if you need it. Even if everything isn't according to plan chances are no one will notice! For example, husband and I forgot to practice dancing and totally winged it which was complicated by my wheelchair. We still got lots of compliments on our dance.
-don't stress too much over details. My maid of honors dress wasn't exactly the same color as the other maids because she had to have a maternity dress. For the groomsmen suits we just told them a general color and none of the suits matched; just the ties, shirts, and boutineers did. No one noticed!
In summary, it was a slightly crazy and super happy day and I only wish I could relive it!
