The splurge wedding (on top), starts off with a lovely empire waist gown from Romona Keveza ($4,000). For the ceremony, what better than a beautiful garden reminiscent of "Twelfth Night", at Seattle's Yang's Garden ($1,400 for just the ceremony). For the reception, move it indoors to Barolo, an up and coming restaurant that's been featured by the Seattle Times, Alaska Air Magazine, and is one of Seattle Magazine's best restaurants. For an intimate dinner of 22 (which is our number used for cost for both weddings), dinner runs at $1,500.
The cake by Maisie Fantaisie is a beautiful combination of flavor and poetry, with lines from the famous sonnet number 43 "How do I love thee, let me count the ways..."
The invitations are scrolls, with a direct printing, from Majestic Invites, and come in a box to send them in, $12 each ($120 for 10). For flowers, tulips. Why? In Shakespeare's time, the tulip was a very popular import to England. This bouquet is from Flower Bud ($88). Lastly, the favors. I found this beautiful book of Shakespeare sonnets with an introduction by an English professor of poetry (Duckworth Overlook, $37.50, 20 for $750). Total wedding cost of these couple items: $8,976.
In contrast, our steal wedding is, in fact, a steal. The dress, which I like better, is from Ginza's private label ($450). The cake is from the Pink Cake Box and has an entire Shakespeare sonnet, as opposed to just two lines, and costs the same as the dress ($450).
The garden ceremony, is the rose garden at the Woodland Park Zoo, at only $140 an hour. The restaurant is one of my favorites, and a great Seattle secret - the Pink Door. Incredible food, and if you go for dinner, you may be surprised by being entertained by a circus performer hanging from the 20 foot ceiling. Dinner for 22 is much easier to swallow at $600.
The invites I found on sale, regularly $12 each, now only $5.79 ($57.90 for 10) from Hanson Ellis. The flowers are simply FTD ($59), and the book, from Amazon, only $13.49 ($269 for 20).
{Rebekah} Poetry: Poet's Love by bekahross
