If you’ve ever been on Pinterest for any length of time, you’ll have noticed all the pins about how cheaply you can throw a wedding: for under $12,000, for under $7,000, for under $5,000…

Here’s where we stand:

• Bride’s dress: $4 (I ordered it from ModCloth and had to pay shipping, but the dress was free.  They had screwed up slightly on a previous order, and sent me coupon code for $50 off, which I saved for the right time)
• Bride’s shoes: $7 (never-used pair of sandals from the thrift store)
• Bride’s headband: $16 in materials, handmade by me!
• Bridal Jewelry: $0 (handmade by my mom!)
• Groom’s clothing: $0 (shorts, a polo, and his Keens)
• Wedding venue: $0 (public park on the waterfront with a small gazebo, so no fee is required to reserve)
• Officiant: $180
• Flowers: $10 – 50? (I’m thinking of either heading to the grocery store for a bouquet or ordering a bouquet online to arrive the day before the wedding, and in either case, just using a few blooms from it)
• Handmade bowl: $0 (for The Boy to hold the rings, handmade by my friend, an art teacher, and featuring the imprint of my grandma’s crochet *sniff*)
• License: $60
• Rings: $100?  (I know we can get a nice set on Etsy for $80-100, but haven’t ordered them yet)
• Reception: $0 (Not having one! – just heading to dinner with family and close friends)

No cake, no invitations (although The Man seems to have invited the whole town to the ceremony!), no chair covers, no favors, no place cards, no limo, no boutonnieres, no formal photographer, no bridal party, no DJ…

We don’t need it.  We’ll have each other, and The Boy, and the people closest to us on the planet.  What more could a bride want?

PS No pictures now, because I want to share pics from the wedding afterwards!