It’s been a while since the Facebook founder got married to his long-time love Priscilla Chan. However, their wedding was a beautiful outdoor affair to be remembered. That’s why Riverview Recreation Park looked at what went on there to truly make this garden wedding a success.
These tips applied to the perfect garden wedding venue are a surefire way to make your ceremony a success.
Don’t Break The Bank On Your Garden Wedding
According to Adweek, Zuckerberg’s garden wedding was no over-the-top faire. With a short guest list, catering from local favorites, and no excesses like a cake or reception favors, the couple stayed under the average wedding budget of $27,000, and even further under the Northern California average of $32,000. Yet, by all accounts, their wedding was beautiful and memorable.
The same goes for your garden wedding. Don’t spend unnecessarily high prices to include the key points you want. Look for an affordable venue with beautiful outdoor surroundings, caterers that won’t charge extra for a wedding, and savings and discounts for all of the décor, favors, and other facets you’ll need to make your garden wedding memorable.
Your Garden Wedding Needs A Musical Friend
Music for your garden wedding doesn’t need to be expensive to be unique and memorable. Just ask Zuck. He had a good friend play for his reception, for free none the less. Granted, that friend happened to be Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, but that shouldn’t dissuade you.
Everyone has a musician or DJ in their circle of friends and family. Consider asking them to take care of the music for your garden wedding. Often, a close friend or family member will offer a significant discount or, like Mr. Armstrong, provide the service for free. If you don’t have someone in your family, ask anyway. Certainly, someone will know how to get you the right music without killing your budget.
The Perfect Garden Wedding Dress Shouldn’t Be Expensive
There is no question that Priscilla Chan looked amazing in her ivory wedding gown. The laser-cut, sleek, floral gown was designed by a Los Angeles-based couturier of the lesser-known variety. It only set the billionaire couple back just under $5,000. That’s a bit more than the national average as reported by Cosmopolitan but much less than the upwards of $10,000 that the average Say Yes To The Dress option costs.
Remember that it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to look great. The average bride can likely get away with a dress budget of under $1,000, with some options from major bridal retailers going for as low as $200. It’s also important to remember that a bridal gown for a garden wedding might be better without some of the embellishments that drive up the cost of the dress, like a long lace train or lots of fluffy tulles.
Keep The Food At Your Garden Wedding Outdoor-Friendly
We already mentioned that the food at Mark & Priscilla’s wedding came from Palo Alto local favorites. According to E! News Online, it included sushi and Mexican food (an odd combination, right?). These options were a great choice considering both the time of year and the coolness offered by shade trees in their garden wedding venue.
When you decide which food to serve, your garden wedding environment is going to play a factor. Choose foods that will work well with the expected temperatures, exposure to sun, and of course, the guest list. The right food will taste just as fresh at the last bite as it did at the first.
A Garden Wedding Needs Not Have A Giant Guest List
You might be surprised to find out that a garden wedding between the Facebook billionaire and his long-time love, which featured music from Green Day’s frontman, only had a guest list of about 100 people. Normal weddings of that stature are grand events, with guest lists that run into the thousands. According to Bustle.com, the average wedding has 120 people.
Depending on what your guest list looks like, you have a few things to consider. The average wedding guest adds $250 to your budget so that 300-person guest list could get expensive very quickly. Instead, you may want to consider a smaller list of attendees for your garden wedding, allowing you to make the same budget go much further.
Garden Weddings Are Beautiful On A Budget
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan clearly took a note from Warren Buffett when they planned their garden wedding, opting to keep the budget down so they could focus on what matters. Obviously, it worked for them 6 years ago, as their wedding was beautiful.
Your garden wedding can be as well, especially if you work with a great outdoor venue like Riverview Recreation Park.