rachel, partnerships at salesforce & nima, commercial real estate

SUM-UP OF THE WEDDING VIBE: Two cultures unite, both indoors and out, at this romantic midsummer affair.

PLANNED BUDGET: $50,000
ACTUAL BUDGET: $60,000
NUMBER OF GUESTS: 170
LOCATION: Vallejo, California

Where we allocated the most funds:

Catering by far. Food is very important to us and the worst thing you can do at a Persian wedding is to run out of it. With that being said, we saved a few bucks by putting together our own fruit table, and by bringing cookies up from Haleh Pastry in Campbell. Music was also very important, so we paid a little more for the DJ, didn’t skimp on the sound equipment, and brought in a bongo player.

What was totally worth it:

Having musicians who can keep the dance floor going from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Paying more for a quality photographer—we love our photos, and unlike a video, we get to look at them every day. Having plenty of food—there’s nothing worse than going hungry at a wedding.

Where we allocated the least funds:

Flowers: we paid for half of the tables to have arrangement and picked up flowers for bud vases and two large garlands from the Flower Mart ourselves. I also saved quite a bit on shoes and decor by using sites like The RealReal and Tradesy.

What was totally not worth it:

Paying for an officiant—we should have asked one of our friends to do it. That’s so much more meaningful. Spending a lot on clothing—you can buy almost everything used at half the cost. Fancy dance floor lightning. Outdoor lighting does make a difference though. Flowers. Less is usually more, and they’re easy to DIY.