The $10,000 Wedding

Ambience: Chic & Intimate
Venue: The Castle Hotel & Spa’s Tapestry Room
Guests: 25 “For a $10,000 wedding, your best bet is to make your wedding a small, intimate affair and to do DIY wherever possible,” says Melisa Imberman, owner of Event of a Lifetime in Mount Kisco, who points out that food and alcohol take up the biggest part of any wedding budget. At the Castle Hotel & Spa in Tarrytown, your $10,000 budget will go furthest with The Castle’s Intimate Wedding Package, which gives you access to the Library Room or Tapestry Room for the duration of your cocktail hour and reception (up to five hours).Venue Rental: $2,100
Rental fee gives you access to the Tapestry Room, Library Room, and GardensOutdoor Ceremony in the Castle Gardens: Officiant’s fee only
Say your “I Dos” in the Gardens, with views of the Hudson River as your backdrop. Cocktail Hour & Reception: $5,300
For about $165 per person, plus tax and tip, you get a cocktail hour with five passed hors d’oeuvres, Champagne toast, fully stocked bar, including top-shelf brands, and a four-course plated meal, not including the wedding cake.Minimalistic décor: Must use separate vendor
Simple but lovely centerpieces, including floral bud vases and votive candles, can be provided by your own vendor.Flowers: $500–$1,000
Since centerpieces are covered, your flower budget will be spent primarily on bridal-party flowers and, of course, cost varies greatly depending on the types of flowers and size of bouquets chosen, as well as the number of people in your wedding party. (Hint: If you’re on a budget, and you want everyone to have flowers, you may want to have two or three bridesmaids and groomsmen rather than a royal-family-sized party). At Joseph Richard Florals in Armonk, a bridal nosegay bouquet of roses, hydrangea, peonies, and orchids will run you about $200. Bridesmaids’ bouquets with the same flowers will cost $100 ($125 for maid of honor); rose boutonnieres for the guys run $15 apiece; rose wristlets for the mother of the bride and groom are $35 each; flower-girl rose petals are $40.    DIY Music: No fee
Skip the DJ and create your own iPod playlist. Then plug into the Castle’s top-notch sound system.DIY Photography: No fee
Ask a friend or relative with a good eye to take your photos, but be sure to make a list beforehand of the specific shots you’d like.   Pre-Owned Wedding Gown & Rented Tux: $500 – $1,500
You’re going to wear your wedding dress just once, and, though every woman wants her “very own” dress, it will be yours for the duration of your wedding, and that’s what really matters — especially when your funds are limited. And you’re not alone, either: The pre-owned wedding-dress market is thriving. Check out www.preownedweddingdresses.com and www.stillwhite.com for savings of up to 95 percent! Renting a tux for under $300 (and even as little as $100) should be easy at most places in the Valley, or online at sites like www.blacktux.com. Here’s what a different budget could get you…

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