Save and Conquer

I’d like to share a very memorable day in our lives: my wife’s and my wedding day.

We had an outdoor wedding in a park located in the California coastal mountains in the Summer of 1999. The ceremony was in a group picnic area with a natural redwood cathedral behind us. The reception was in the same location. Our boss later said he hoped when the time came, that his daughter would have a wedding like ours.

Something like 85 people attended. There were also several rabbits and quail in the undergrowth, birds in the trees, a doe and two fawns, and a buck deer that wandered by.

I arrived early at the site and set up chairs and the wedding arch. One of my brothers arrived and helped move tables and other large equipment. A few other friends then arrived and helped set up canopies over the seating area and lay out decorations. Total preparation only took around 2 hours. I then changed into my tux, greeted guests and waited for my bride.

Total cost of our wedding, including professional photographer, was $3000.

My wife’s dress was very pretty. She bought it from an outlet near San Francisco. The tux rentals cost more.

We had two wedding cakes and many varied food platters from Costco. Flower arrangements were done by several friends. Sound and DJ duties were handled by one of my brothers. (He had professional mixing and other outdoor equipment at his disposal.)

We requested no gifts, but for people who couldn’t handle that, we asked that they bring food or drinks.

It was a wonderful, memorable day for everyone. And it did not break the bank or put us into any debt. We saved during the preceding year to easily pay for our wedding and our honeymoon in Hawaii.

Stumble it!