Wedding in the Wild: Saladang

Dispelled Wedding Myths? I love it when this happens.

Dispelled Wedding Myths? I love it when that happens.

So, every Friday night is Date Night for my husband and me. Last week, we went to our favorite Thai place, Saladang Garden, in Pasadena(not pictured above!). Directly across from us, 30 people were seated at a long table. One couple was dressed a little fancier than everyone else. Ah, I thought, it must be a wedding rehearsal dinner. I was wrong—according to the waiter I asked, it was a post-wedding dinner.

Huh.

Say four 8-pc appetizer plates at $14 each. 30 entrees at about $20 each. 30 drinks averaging $10 each, and yes, that includes wine and beer. Add 30% for tax and tip, plus roughly $200 for the marriage license and a ceremony. So, their wedding day probably cost around $1500? Certainly less than $2000.

Obviously, there a few assumptions on my part about this – that no one got the sake, which is $28 a bottle, or shared a plate or thrown a couple of Boba ice teas in there for $7 each. Or that they tipped 20%. But my basic wedding cost principles still held:

1. Wedding Receptions are expensive because you are buying in bulk.

They paid about $35 per person, a little more like $40 per person with tax and tip. $40 x 100 = $4000.

2. If you want to lower your wedding costs, invite fewer people and/or buy less stuff.

This is the hill I will die on.

3. You’re buying at the level of your expectations and priorities.

Saladang has great food, excellent service, and a lovely outdoor patio. But if you want chivari chairs, a champagne fountain, or a wedding cake, Saladang doesn’t have them, and you’ll have to pay more per person to bring those in. You cannot reasonably expect to pay the same per person at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Or the same for a dress at Vera Wang as you would at David’s Bridal or Nordstroms. What do you want your wedding to look and feel like? That’s what you’re paying for.

Read: The Olive Garden Rule

The Wedding Tax is a myth.

And, yeah, this can be hard to believe when you’re handed a four- to six-figure bill. But the most important thing to remember about wedding costs is: YOU get to choose.

What else do you need to know about your wedding? Contact me and let’s talk!

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith

Silver Charm Events

Buy: 365 Wedding Wise Tips