Pocketfold Cost Breakdown

This weekend, my friends and I made pocketfold invitations. I thought I got it done in under $30, but it turns out that it was closer to $40, mainly because of the stupid paper scorer that I bought (otherwise it would've been just over $30). Not bad, though, considering if I'd purchased them online, it would've been upwards of $80.

Anyway, here's the cost breakdown:

3 packages the "value pack" cardstock. Each pack had 50 sheets of paper, but I only liked three of the colors (about 30 sheets) so we needed 3 packages to get the 75 sheets needed. $9.50 (One was 50% off when I bought it and the other two were 25% off). I do plan on using the remaining sheets (i.e. the colors we didn't use) for the cards that are going inside the pocketfolds, like our RSVP cards and directions, so they're not going to waste!

Corner rounder by Fiskars $7.20 (used a 40% off coupon)

Stamp $5.40 (again, used a 40% off coupon)

Stamp pad $5.40 (used a 40% off coupon)

Paper scorer that didn't really work $8.40 (used a 40% off coupon)

Two boxes of zips $5.00 (used 50% off coupons on them)

Total cost: $40.90

Not bad, yes? The cost should've been $8 less...or at least $5 less if I'd found the bone folder I'd originally been looking for. I also have half a roll of zips left and a corner rounder that I'm planning on using for other projects. (See how I like to justify costs to myself?)

What the budget includes:

Everyone has a different definition of exactly what is included in the wedding budget. We have decided that our wedding budget includes:

• Venue rentals (for both the ceremony and reception site; including clean up fees, permit fees, insurance if required, etc...)
• Food
• Alcohol (but we will limit the types of alcohol we serve and likely cap the time we host the bar)
• Attire for the bride and groom
• Entertainment (i.e., music)
• Decorations
• Flowers
• Marriage license fees
• Invitations, reply cards, postage, programs
• Wedding photography
• Transportation on our wedding day (transportation for the bridal party; discussing possibility of transportation for all wedding guests between ceremony and reception site as well)
• Hair/makeup
• Gifts for the wedding party and favors for guests

What our wedding budget does not include:

• Honeymoon
• Wedding rings
• Engagement photography

You can find a useful (and free!) budget worksheetat Real Simple. We nixed a few things from the worksheet (as well as other items that wedding magazines/books/websites claim you need) that we decided we really didn't need at our wedding:

• Corsages (bridesmaids don't need boquets and corsages!)
• Ring bearer pillow (no ring bearer; best man's going to hold onto those)
• Flower girl's buds and basket (see, neither of us have nieces or nephews or anyone else close to us with children in the ring bearer/flower girl age . . . turns out, we don't mind because it lets us cut a things from the budget!)
• Cocktail hour musicians and DJ/band (we're going the iPod route, though we are entertaining the idea -- budget permitting, of course -- of having acoustic music for our ceremony)
• Videography (I certainly am not going to watch my wedding again and again . . . I'd rather allocate this money for a better photographer)
• Welcome gifts for out of town guests (the vast majority of our guests are out-of-town and there's no way we could afford welcome baskets for everyone; we are trying to do some other cost-effective things to welcome them, including transportation services between the hotel and wedding day events, hosting picnics, etc...)
• Save-the-date cards (saves not only on the cards themselves, but also postage which adds up!)
• Seating and place cards (sit where you like! Also, we're probably hosting a more informal cocktail-type reception so place cards are really unnecessary)