Los Angeles

***An average wedding for 100+ people in Los Angeles can cost anywhere from $30,000 to more than $50,000.

So I’ve longed for this moment. No, not the moment when you’re super stressed out wedding planning, where to find the perfect dress, what kind of food to serve, what kind of music to play, who to invite, which photographer to hire, who will be in the wedding party, and most importantly — how much a wedding will cost, but the moment when I learned that someone is actually patient enough to spend the rest of their life with me.

Let me start off by saying that this is years in the making, a decade to be exact. You know, at some point, you just have to take the plunge, move to the next chapter, and continue your journey.

This is our playbook on how we managed to have a spectacular wedding in an expensive city like Los Angeles. I want to share this with you and hope that you find this helpful in navigating your wedding planning. Here you will find tips, tricks, and a comprehensive list on how to plan a more affordable wedding.

Let’s begin:

• What’s most important to you in a wedding?
  Setting realistic expectations from the get-go would immediately help alleviate any stress. Know that you have to pick and choose the aspects of the wedding that is worth dedicating the most time in. Your guests will not remember every detail of your wedding, so don’t stress about the wedding giveaways, color of the utensils, or even the napkin fabric.
  
  For us, the most important is the people; family who have been there for us from the very very beginning, friends who were part of our childhood, and co-workers who has contributed to our success — everyone of our guests had touched our lives in some way. To us, this was more than a celebration of our union, rather an appreciation and a sincere show of gratitude for the people that have made a positive impact on us throughout the years. We thanked 108 of our closest family and friends.
  
  Order of importance for us:
  I. Guests, food/drinks, photographer
  II. Decor, cake, music, venue
  III. Everything else not mentioned above
  

• Location/Venue
  
  This is the one area that may really make or break your wedding bank.  Living in Los Angeles where the weather is nice and the real estate is expensive, finding the perfect venue is both exciting and challenging.  The good news...the City of Angels has a lot of amazing wedding locations. Location will need to be reserved months or sometimes a year in advance.
  
  Some venues offer packages which may include tables, chairs, food, cake, A/V, etc.  As we went through this process, we've learned that we prefer an outdoor venue. It came down to how much we can customize the decor, venue, food, etc. to our liking without having to abide by all the ‘rules’ of the venue and the ‘packages’ you need to get thru them.

  Create a list of “must haves” in a wedding location or venue. Are you going to have your reception in the same place as your ceremony? If not, how far is the drive to and fro?
  
  Consider the maximum capacity of guests, length of time of the whole wedding event and if there are any additional costs, property or surrounding area noise regulations, parking, security guard. Also, are tables, chairs, linens, lights, music/AV part of the package?
  
  Country clubs, wedding halls, banquet halls, museums, wineries, and hotels tend to cost more.
  
  TIP: Think about unconventional venues that may not be traditionally used for weddings. Those also tend to have free parking. Unless you’re having a church wedding, consider having your wedding ceremony and reception in the same location.
  
  We had ours at a university campus where we spent dreaming about our future during our collegiate years; now here we are. It’s bittersweet and it’s full of sentiment.
  
  This was at the Orange Grove Bistro at a California State University. The tables, chairs, and basic linens were included in the price. I will share the total cost of renting this venue+food+alcohol later.

• Season and Timing
  
  Pick a date. This may take precedence over the venue, unless you have already thought of the venue and are willing to work on their availability.
  Summer is always going to cost more. Most weddings are held in the Summer because of the nicer weather, less chance for rain or snow. Spring is a fairly low season and Fall/Winter tend to be the lowest season for weddings.
  
  With timing, Friday and Sunday typically costs less than a Saturday wedding.
  
  TIP: If you opt for an outdoor wedding, make sure to check the weather updates days leading to the wedding so you can make advanced preparations with the venue, if it becomes necessary. You may also need to inform your photographer for the day of pictorial.

We love Spring; the weather is perfect and the blossoming orange trees and the floral scent spread throughout the venue was unforgettable. I have bought
several candles which remind me of the orange blossoms similar to our wedding day.

• Decor

After we’ve secured the wedding venue and time, we drafted and drew out how we envisioned the wedding decor — lighting, tables & chairs arrangement for the reception and ceremony. In the beginning, we didn’t necessarily think of how much a certain wedding decor may cost, but was open to the fact that we may not get it all based on the budget. It’s important to be very realistic when it comes to this area because this is not one that your guests (or even you) may remember. Once we had these in mind, the next step is looking for a company that can help you put this vision to life. You will need to get quotes from several different companies. Having drawn out the decorations helps with this a LOT.

We splurged a bit on having two chandeliers; one for the ceremony and another for the reception. It became a focal point and it elevated the feel of the wedding.

For the two chandeliers, string lights, orange and white satin fabric, gold fabric runner, plus set-up and breakdown, the total cost was $2100.

TIP: Ask your vendors for referrals or suggestions. For us, our photographer knew of this company we used to decorate our wedding
ceremony and reception. They tend to give better deals because of the similar connection in the wedding industry. Be Patient.

The other fun stuff, DIY.

Now let it be known that I’m not the most artistic or creative person but thanks to YouTube and Pinterest, I’ve managed to get by and DIY’d most of our small(er) wedding decorations. I must’ve bought at least 6 cans of gold spray paints at $7 each from Downtown Los Angeles. It’s amazing how much it can really transform and elevate an item. The frames were from Goodwill at less than $5/frame, the table numbers, empty champagne bottles (previously consumed from another party we did), and some of the vases were all finished with gold spray paint. The table number stickers, plastic crystals, LED lights, birds and butterfly shaped name tags, custom round stickers, and bulk Hershey’s kisses for each of the centerpieces were purchased from Amazon for a total of $76 for the 12 tables, excluding the gold Manzanita branch tree centerpiece.

We opted for fake flowers because it is much more economical and it is much easier to decorate in advance of our wedding day. The gold wooden tree branch
centerpieces were bought from Downtown Los Angeles (same vendor as the fake flowers). We purchased it at $7/tree and bought 12. The fake flowers on the
centerpieces were a part of a big bouquet which we separated and placed on the centerpieces. Another win!

The wedding giveaway was actually a last minute purchase from IKEA. I was looking for small frames from IKEA and came across the gray throws for sale at $3
a piece. So I thought, why not? It may get chilly at night and it serves a function. I bought about 30 throws, put a colorful ribbon around it, and put a cute
sign on a small frame. What a great find!

Since our wedding motif was gold, the sweetheart table and cake table had to be gold. Instead of buying a gold table cover which would cost hundreds
of dollars, we once again went to Downtown Los Angeles and bought a gold fabric by the yard. This was a much cheaper alternative. It was less than $30!

TIP: Buy stuff in bulk from one store and ask for discounts. Also, consider buying from non-chain stores for bulk items, it’ll be easier for you
to get a bargain that way.

• The Dress(es) 
  
  I scouted what felt like bajillion places all over Los Angeles in search for THE dress. It’s not an exaggeration when I say that I went to at least 12 bridal boutiques all over the area; anywhere from your chain store such as David’s Bridal to small bridal shops. Of course, I was excited to bring along my parents and sisters during this process, however having to drag them around these bridal shops was a BIG hassle. Also, you have to make appointments and ensure that it matches with your schedule and crew’s schedule was a major inconvenience. In addition, some of these dresses costs north of $3,000! I fell in love with a Berta wedding dress which costs $7,000!! I don’t know about you but that is very very expensive for a dress.
  
  Did I mention that traffic and parking in LA sucks?!
  All of these made this wedding dress shopping experience undesirable.

  This was not the experience I imagined for such a special day, so I created a SOLUTION.
  
  Behati Bride makes your wedding dress shopping a real experience you’ll look forward to. Behati Bride brings the experience to you at your convenience. Behati Bride is the first ever wedding dress shopping service that brings the wedding dresses you like, to you. This way, you get to try on dresses in the comfort of your own home with a live personal wedding stylist from Behati Bride at a cost you can afford —— no need to worry about traffic, driving, or parking! Invite your friends and family, and Behati Bride will bring the party (complete with a bubbly!)
  
  Behati Bride does not mail wedding dresses to you. Behati Bride elevates your experience by personally bringing the dresses to you and help you try-on with a personal wedding stylist, at an affordable cost!
  
  TIP: Stay away from wedding dress trends. Wear what makes you feel the best. Focus on experience and convenience when it comes to wedding dress shopping, it makes a world of difference.

The winning dress + veil for $1,000

• Hair and makeup
  
  If you live in Los Angeles, chances are you know someone or know someone who knows of someone who does hair and make-up. If not, that’s what Yelp and Instagram are for!
  
  I scoured both sources to look for THE look for our wedding day. I found my make-up inspiration on Pinterest and my hair and make-up stylist were in my network. This make-up was airbrushed to ensure that it lasts throughout the day, and it did! I went for a simpler make-up because I still wanted to look like my self. My hair accessory was a gift from my mother-in-law, it was purchased in Bangladesh to incorporate my husband’s background. My hairstylist did a great job ensuring that this was in-tact throughout the night.
  
  Hair and make-up = $150.
  
  TIP: Do not get a facial or any skin treatments the day before or the day of your wedding. Facials often cause redness and dryness to your skin which may take a few days to subside. This may be difficult to hide during your wedding day. Allow at least 3-5 days in advance before your wedding day to get a facial or any type of skin treatment.

Initially I thought I wanted a really stylish wedding shoes, like something that Carrie from Sex and The City would wear — then I thought, how uncomfortable would that be and I wouldn’t be able to dance. I went to Off Saks 5th and bought this Michael Kors wedge for $70. This is important to keep in mind especially if your wedding venue will be held where there’s grass. I was glad I made this decision because I was very comfortable throughout the night.

TIP: You will be walking around a lot during your wedding. Opt to be more comfortable rather than fashionable when it comes to footwear.

• Photographer
  
  I knew which photographer I wanted from the very first time I saw his photographs on Instagram. He was thru friend of a friend in the wedding industry. tnkphoto did a great job capturing our most cherished moments during the wedding. I love the dramatic and bright feel of the pictures. The play on color was also quite interesting and different from other photographers. This was an area we definitely did not skimp on because we know that these pictures will truly last a lifetime. It’s a representation of a period in time of our love that we look forward to sharing with our family together.
  
  This was the ‘first look’ picture, it was taken at the exact place where we first met on campus years ago — talk about sentimental. There’s something so special about having our wedding at the same place we met and spent most of our days as we grew up learning about each other.
  
  You have to dedicate a time just to have your photographs taken before and during your wedding, make sure to include this time buffer on your wedding schedule.
  
  Photographer = $2,000
  Capturing these memories and looking back at it when you’re old and wrinkly = Priceless.
  
  TIP: Don’t be shy to tell your photographer what kind of looks or shots you want for your wedding. Yes, they are professionals but they are not mind-readers. If you want your first look to be taken in a certain place or in a certain way, tell them. Go to wedding or bridal expo shows, where they have more competitive prices.

• Groomsmen suit and accessories

  Of course, we initially looked at chain stores such as Men’s Wearhouse but found it super expensive and impractical to rent a suit for $200 a day. We knew that we didn’t want this inconvenience for the groomsmen. We looked at an alternative such as H&M because of the decent quality and fitted tailoring at an affordable cost as well as the accessibility, however H&M did not have the sizes for all of the groomsmen. At random, we were at a mall and came across this suit store in Northridge. They had a wide selection of suits, mostly catered for high school prom type of occasion. It was a small mom and pop store, so we were able to ask for discounts and they were able to grant it because we were buying in bulk. The suit, bow tie, handkerchief, plus hemming (if needed) was only $110 for each set to purchase and not rent. That’s a steal!
  
  TIP: Stay away from large chain stores and stick to smaller stores instead. They are more flexible in giving you discounts if you buy in bulk. Don’t be afraid to ask for discounts.

• Bridesmaids dress and accessories
  
  The incorporation of Bangladeshi culture was important for us. I’ve always loved colorful weddings similar that of Muslim culture so I opted to have my bridesmaids wear a saree. In the beginning, I was looking all over the internet to find bridesmaid sarees, though it is more cost effective, the shipping and handling may take weeks and did not want to take a risk on a saree that I have yet to see live. Instead, we went to Artesia aka Little India. There I found several stores with hundreds of sarees. This particular saree was great because it came in similar print but different colors. The gold accent on the saree was perfect. Each saree was $35 plus $10 for blouse alteration. Where else can you find a $45 bridesmaid dress?! I love how colorful it is and how perfectly it matches the gold motif.
  
  The bindi sticker accessory on their forehead was a pack of 10 for $10. The bridesmaid bouquets were fake flowers. It was purchased in bulk at Downtown Los Angeles, the same store I purchased the table centerpieces. It was lightweight, beautiful and affordable at $3 per bouquet.

  Each of them looked amazing.
  
  TIP: Consider fake flowers instead of fresh flowers at least for your bridesmaids, they are more cost-effective and requires no maintenance. It’s just for pictures anyway. That’s one less thing you have to worry about!

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time; us pictured with our beloved pup. Her dress was purchased from Amazon for $20. I added flowers to her leash to make it more festive for the special occasion.

Notice the orange grove trees in the background, which looks like orange pearls. I can still recall the amazing scent of those orange trees.

On to the ceremony…

It is most helpful if you or your wedding planner/coordinator can help you with this to ensure that your wedding goes smoothly as planned.

For us, we are our own wedding planners though we had a day of wedding coordinator, which was super super helpful. More on that later.

The wedding officiant was a close friend of ours. We wrote the officiant’s speech which again had deeper sentiment. Of course, you may hire a wedding officiant if you prefer and it can cost north of $200.

We created a timeline of events — the time the wedding starts (which may not be followed depending on the time that most guests show up), the duration of the actual ceremony, the wedding officiant speech, who gives the rings, who lights the candle, and other symbolic moments throughout the ceremony.

In addition, we had to create the the ceremony playlist for the wedding court as they walk down the aisle, the song as I walk down the aisle, and the post ceremony when my husband and I walked down the aisle — this playlist creation via Spotify was actually something I enjoyed. I walked down the aisle to ‘La Vie En Rose’ as this was a defining moment from our favorite TV show we loved watching together while in college, How I Met Your Mother. As the ceremony concluded, we walked down the aisle to ‘The Best Day of My Life’ by American Authors because that is just so fitting, literally.

You can see the union of both marriages and cultures in our ceremony and reception. My mother and father both wore traditional Filipino attire, which I loved. My mother-in-law wore a traditional saree.

• Food and Drinks
  
  There’s a minimum that we had to spend, this is part of the policy for renting the venue. Most venues have this because this is how they make their money. Others would require you to chose from a list of caterers they work with.
  
  Things to think about:
  Will you have a cocktail hour? If so, how long? This is usually a time buffer used between the ceremony and reception. The time is used to prep for reception or may be used for taking photographs or socializing. Consider serving only finger foods for cocktail hour.
  Do you want a sit-down or buffet style type of service?
  Any dietary restrictions for your guests?
  What type of food does the venue provide? (For example, some venues include cake as a part of the package) If it includes cake, what is the cake cutting fee?
  Are you allowed to bring your own cake from a third party vendor? If yes, the venue may require for the vendor to provide insurance information as this poses a liability on the venue should the cake cost any health issues — such as food poisoning and such to the guests.
  Do you have any food favorites that want to include in the menu?
  Will you have a cash bar?
  Will you have an open bar, do you need it, and how long? What is the minimum for the open bar? Do your guests even drink alcohol?
  Do you want to offer a full bar or just beer and wine? How about specialty cocktails?
  How flexible is the venue or the caterer with any special requests?
  
  For us, since it’s also marriage of two cultures, we had to make sure that this was represented in our food. This was a bit tricky in our case because Filipinos love pork and Muslims do not eat pork. Our venue was flexible in that we were able to request any type of food for them to serve at our wedding reception, it was not limited to a certain type of meat or vegetables or cuisine. This was great given the diverse food preferences for our guests. We were able to do this easily because we had buffet style; communal eating is common in both cultures and it’s something we enjoyed as well.
  
  We ended up hiring a third party caterer for the Bangladeshi food because of the complexity of the cooking techniques used for cooking this type of cuisine. This was a decision we made after the food tasting at the venue because they were not able to cook the Bangladeshi dishes well.
  
  For the cocktail hour, we served 3 selections of appetizers — grilled cheese with tomato shooter, mini-waffles with fried chicken drizzled with maple syrup, and panko-breaded shrimp with mango chutney. The total cost of the appetizers for 250 pieces was $562.
  
  For the buffet style dinner service, we had 4 Filipino dishes — pancit, lechon-style pork belly, fried garlic rice, and chop suey. For the Bangladeshi dishes, we had chicken Biryani, chicken roast, beef kabob, and roasted lamb. We also had greek salad. The total cost for the food came out to $35/person. Kids were priced at $17.50 for each. This price included soda, lemonade, and coffee. This is very very reasonable given that an average cost per person can be north of $75. Major cost savings here!
  
  TIP: The flexibility of having a wedding reception in a non-traditional wedding venue really really helps in cutting unnecessary costs when it comes to food and drinks, which is one of the major expenses in a wedding.

We had an open bar throughout the night which people loved! Apple cider was also made available.

Food, drinks, alcohol, venue fee = $10,700

TIP: Champagne and apple cider toast service on the table was something we opted out because the guests were able to get drinks from the bar anyway. We were able to cut down on the cost by doing this.

TIP: The in-thing nowadays is having a dessert bar but do you really need it? Is this something that your guests would remember of your wedding, let’s say after having multiple alcoholic drinks? Focus on the taste rather than the visual of the cake, unless that is something that is truly important to you. Elaborately designed cakes can cost more than $500 and yet a lot of it gets wasted.

• Day of Wedding Coordinator
  
  The day of wedding coordinator is the point person in charge of making sure that your wedding day goes smoothly as planned. They are not there throughout your whole wedding planning process but only for the day of your wedding.
  
  We did not initially think we needed a Day of Wedding Coordinator because since we were planning our wedding and we had help from our wedding party, as well as family, we can have them run point as our wedding coordinators. I can’t remember now exactly how we changed our mind in hiring a wedding coordinator but I’m very glad that we did. This was a very very last minute decision, like 2 weeks before our wedding day that we decided we needed a wedding coordinator. We were lucky to know a good friend of ours, Joe Gravina Events. We knew he was the perfect person for this because of his in-depth knowledge in directing large scale events. We did a wedding rehearsal so the wedding party knows exactly where to stand, the right pacing for walking down the aisle, and what to do for certain parts of the ceremony that required their help. I also sent a detailed timeline of events to both the wedding coordinator and the DJ so they can tag team, this was very important.
  

  Another thing they’re there for is to tell your guests if they sat in the wrong table, or if the open bar needs to be closed down because your guests are partying too hard —— you don’t want to be the person telling your guests those as it is your wedding day and you don’t want to play bad cop.
  
  Since we were fortunate enough to know of our wedding coordinator, Joe Gravina at a personal level, we were able to get a friend discount at $500 for 6 hours.
  
  TIP: Seriously consider having a wedding coordinator, they do play an integral role if you don’t want to have to worry about anything during your wedding day. You need a filter for any mishaps and they are there to make sure your wedding goes as planned. Meet with your wedding coordinator in advance of your wedding day and provide a wedding timeline.

• Music/Entertainment
  
  For a second we contemplated whether we wanted a disc jockey or a live band. The thought of having a live band play jazzy music as I’ve seen in movies was nice but it wasn’t us and didn’t really scream ‘let’s party!’ so we hired a DJ who we best understood the type of music we like. We actually knew of our DJ from a friend of a friend. My Bridal DJ was super helpful throughout the process. Yes, it does require a bit of leg work to get exactly what you want, which means we created a playlist for the ceremony, cocktail hour, reception and sent those to our DJ so he can get a taste of our music preferences. Additionally, since he is in the industry, he was able to refer us to other vendors such as the company we used for decoration. What we liked about My Bridal DJ was that he also offers other products for rent such as the cloud effect machine and spot lights. We used the spot lights against the trees for an added colorful dimension.
  
  Our DJ was also our emcee for the night. What helped was we created a detailed timeline of events for the whole night which we provided to the DJ and our Day of Wedding Coordinator since we trusted them to ensure that things ran smoothly throughout the night.

The cost for DJ/emcee for 6 hours was $1,300 — this included 6 spot lights and AV. Before you finalize your contract with your DJ, make sure to ask about equipment set-up and breakdown, whether that that is included in the fee depending on the duration of your wedding. Also ask your DJ if you can meet with them at the wedding venue to ensure proper set-up of equipment months or weeks ahead, some venues have strict regulations around electric voltage and power outlets.

TIP: Feel free to ask for a sample mix from previous weddings from a DJ you’re considering for your wedding. Those should be free of charge. Also, ensure whether your wedding venues has time limitations for playing music or even limitations on sound decibels. Some venues have this strict guideline for noise control, especially if the location is near a residential area.

Our entrance to our wedding reception was unforgettable; we immediately had our first dance upon introduction and rented a cloud effect machine for $275 thru our DJ. The pictures turned out amazing.

• Videographer
  
  We did not have one. Instead, we used these Snapchat spectacles to capture live clips from our guests’ perspective. These two spectacles were passed around among our guests. The videos are automatically uploaded to a phone. The challenge with this was that it is only able to capture seconds of footage at a time. Needless to say, our wedding vows and guests speeches were not recorded (though the ceremony was broadcasted in Facebook Live). It was pretty neat to look at raw video clips but I would have loved to see an actual professional wedding video.
  
  Snapchat spectacles = $130 for each, we used 3
  
  TIP: This may set you back anywhere north of $2,000 but that’s okay because these are memories you’ll cherish forever. You can look back at it and watch with your kids.

  In other words, I really wish that we hired a professional videographer.

• Wedding outfit #2
  
  Now I know that not everyone will have a change of outfit for the wedding but because we wanted to emphasize the union of 2 cultures, this was a great representation of that.
  
  My dress was actually purchased by my mother-in-law from Bangladesh. It had to be altered here in the US, which set me back $200. Yes, it sounds expensive just for alteration but because this dress alone weighed 20 lbs with individually hand sewn and glued beads, the tailor had to be extra cautious. I absolutely love the color and shimmer against the wedding decoration. My necklace was a gift from my mother-in-law.
  
  The groom’s jacket was part of the package bought with the ceremony tux, which was a total of $300. Yes, it is super sparkly just how we like it. The shoes was bought from Amazon for $29.

Some of our favorite candid photos from the wedding reception.

• Social Media
  
  At that time when Snapchat was still the thing, we bought Snapchat filters pictured below. The cost was minimal at $30 to customize. We had our guests save and send it to us throughout the night so we can save add to our wedding album.
  
  TIP: If you use Instagram, use a hashtag that’s unique to you and have your guests use it. This way you can capture pictures and save for you to compile later. For us, it was #DTLACouple

Total cost = $20,023

Check out these resources for more helpful information

Truth be told, I’m not a calm person. I have the tendency to over-think, over-analyze, and sometimes over-complicate things but on our wedding day, when I arrived at the venue, saw the decorations and the people that surrounded me, I was the calmest I’ve ever been. The truth is, no one will really know if you make a mistake during your wedding, only you will know; go with the flow and enjoy every single second celebrating because this is your day and it goes by very very fast.

Cheers!
-DTLACouple