BUSINESS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2015
A4 HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Send submissions or story ideas for the Herald Business page to Editor Jessica Keller, jkeller@hermistonherald.com
Planning a wedding
on a tight budget
S
hould a dream
wedding mean
delaying a down
payment on a home?
That’s a tradeoff many
couples make these days.
The Knot, a
wedding planning and
publishing company,
recently released its
Real Weddings Study
(http://www.xogroupinc.
com/press-releases-
home/2015-press-
releases/2015-03-12-
the-knot-2014-real-
weddings-study.aspx) of
average wedding costs
for 2014, announcing
a national average
price tag of $31,213
(not including the
honeymoon).
The average cost of a
wedding is a good point
of comparison against
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goals in a new marriage.
Considering that the
average price of a new
home in America is now
$200,000, that wedding
estimate would cover the
majority of a 20 percent
down payment —
$40,000. Despite getting
married to my wife at our
family home 15 years
ago, I still remember
the sticker shock for all
the wedding costs — a
whopping $10,000 for
the entire event from tux,
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honeymoon.
Here are a few
suggestions to plan a
wedding that won’t break
the bank:
• Marry off-season.
The most popular
wedding months are now
June and October, with
longtime leader June
losing a bit of ground.
The most popular day to
get married is Saturday,
and nighttime is the most
competitive time slot for
receptions. Consider a
January wedding when
the post-holiday rush is
over — cold-weather
wedding venues are
generally empty and
priced to move. Weekday
weddings have the
potential added bonus of
guests drinking less on a
work night and weekend
brunch weddings can be
served buffet-style with
more reasonably priced
menu choices.
• Find alternative
venues. Farms, barns,
warehouses, art galleries
and, of course, family
property can be less
expensive venues for a
wedding, but make sure
such spaces are properly
insured for alcohol, food
or other party-related
risks. Also, in many
communities, party
-$621$/'(50$1
MONEY MATTERS
Visa columnist
venues must be properly
licensed and/or zoned
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action.
• DIY if possible.
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for party planning,
decorating and cooking
might be able to slash
costs planning and
executing their own
event with minimal
dependence on hired or
volunteer help. From
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wedding cake to wedding
planners, check for
affordable options. If a
venue allows couples to
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and decorations, it is
wise to comparison shop.
Consider professional
photographers or skilled
amateurs who meet your
tastes and budget.
• Use a gift registry
to pay for the wedding.
Couples can set up
online gift registries that
allow guests to directly
fund honeymoon trips
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associated with the
wedding.
• Plan a destination
wedding. Resorts
around the world and
well-known domestic
wedding/travel
destinations like Las
Vegas or Hawaii offer
wedding packages
that blend a ceremony
and vacation getaway.
Planning a winter
wedding? Research
options for a warmer
climate or snowy
destination at a ski
resort.
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Some venues have
cancellations and if a
couple is willing to put
themselves on a waiting
list and move quickly if
they get the call, savings
might be possible.
Before planning a
wedding, it’s wise to start
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help put wedding costs
in perspective with other
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Bottom line: Dream
weddings don’t have to
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life on hold. Consider
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¿UVWDQGEXLOGDVPDUW
wedding budget from
there.
— Jason Alderman
GLUHFWV9LVD¶V¿QDQFLDO
education programs. To
Follow Jason Alderman
on Twitter: www.twitter.
com/PracticalMoney
Bottom line: Dream weddings don’t
have to put a couple’s fi nancial life
on hold. Consider real fi nancial
priorities fi rst and build a smart
wedding budget from there.
SEAN HART PHOTO
A crowd gathers outside of the H&P Cafe Saturday in downtown Echo. Mike and Tonia Barzee purchased the business May 11
and said business has been going well.
New mom and pop acquire Echo cafe
H&P Cafe
Family purchases
restaurant after
enjoying its
food for 15 years
BY SEAN HART
HERMISTON HERALD
After eating at the H&P
Cafe for many years, Mike
and Tonia Barzee recently
purchased the restaurant in
downtown Echo.
Mike Barzee said his
family moved to the small
town 15 years ago, and the
cafe quickly became his
daughter’s favorite restau-
rant. When an opportuni-
ty to acquire the business
became available in April,
Barzee said he toured the
kitchen and knew it was a
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“You know, when you’re
standing some place, you
can see the end of your
life, and I just felt, standing
in the kitchen, it was my
kitchen,” he said. “We just
want to work hard for the
rest of our lives and run a
cafe and have a great time
working with family, mak-
Address: 231 W. Main St., Echo
Hours: Mondays through
Saturday s7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sundays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone: 541-376-0406
cafe,” he said. “That’s what
we want. We don’t want to
do anything super-fancy.”
Barzee said he will be
perfecting homemade rec-
ipes for as many items as
SEAN HART PHOTO possible and has already
New H&P Cafe owner Mike Barzee, left, talks with customers
created chili, soup and bis-
Saturday at the restaurant in Echo. After eating at the cafe for
cuits. Soon, the business
the last 15 years while living in the small town, Barzee and his will introduce larger ham-
wife, Tonia, purchased the business this month.
burger patties and specialty
burgers.
Barzee said his family
ing great food.”
if I worked a 12-hour shift at
Barzee said he has man- any other job. It feels great is excited to work hard and
aged restaurants for more to have your own thing and provide quality small-town
service.
than 15 years, but this is his make your own food.”
“You’re going to get a
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The business offers a
said the family operation “classic cafe menu,” Bar- family taking care of you
started May 11, with his zee said, with chicken when you come to the
wife and daughter waiting fried steaks and breakfast H&P,” he said. “We care
tables and he and his son in served all day, including a lot about the food that
the kitchen. So far, he said, biscuits and gravy and we’re making. When you
business has been great, omelettes. The cafe fea- come here, you’re walking
and the cafe busy.
tures iced and blended into our living room, and
³7KH ¿UVW ZHHN ZH coffees, raspberry- and we want to make you feel
worked our butts off,” he SHDFKÀDYRUHG WHDV DQG like that. We just can’t wait
to see folks come through
said. “I’ve never been hap- classic milkshakes.
pier. I don’t have any stress.
“The plan is to keep it a our door and share our food
I don’t feel so exhausted as small-town, mom-and-pop with us.”
Wal-Mart aims to double its hiring of veterans
EO MEDIA GROUP
Locals who have served in the mil-
itary could see more job opportuni-
ties after Wal-Mart announced it was
increasing its commitment to hiring
veterans.
Since the company — one of Uma-
tilla County’s largest employers —
committed two years ago to hiring
100,000 veterans by 2018, Wal-Mart
has hired 795 additional veterans in
Oregon. A spokeswoman said Wal-
Mart’s Hermiston distribution center
and stores in eastern Oregon have
contributed to that number.
Last week, Wal-Mart announced
it was more than doubling its goal
of hiring veterans, aiming to em-
ploy 250,000 veterans by the end of
2020.
Hermiston distribution center
manager Joshua Burns is an Air
Force veteran and graduate of the
U.S. Air Force Academy. He said
in a statement that the teamwork
and leadership skills he gained
through his military background
have helped him be a better man-
ager to the center’s employees,
which include several other veter-
ans.
“There is something special about
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integrity that our veterans are bring-
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he said. “The sense of service and
teamwork is infectious.”
One in every 34 people in Umatilla
County’s workforce is employed by
Wal-Mart. About 800 people are em-
ployed by the Hermiston distribution
center, and another 500 are spread
between the Hermiston and Pendleton
stores.
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Best Western Hermiston Inn announced
Tuesday it has received a 2015 TripAdvi-
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lence in hospitality and is given to estab-
lishments that consistently achieve great
traveler reviews on TripAdvisor, according
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winners include accommodations, eateries
and attractions all over the world that con-
tinually deliver superior customer service.
According to the press release, when
selecting winners, TripAdvisor uses a pro-
prietary algorithm to determine the hon-
orees, which takes into account the qual-
ity, quantity and recency of reviews and
opinions submitted by travelers on Tri-
pAdvisor over a 12-month period, as well
as businesses’ tenure and ranking on the
popularity index on the site. To qualify, a
HermistonHerald
VOLUME 109 ɿ NUMBER 30
JESSICA KELLER
EDITOR
jkeller@
hermistonherald.com
541-564-4533
business must maintain an overall bubble
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minimum number of reviews and have
been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12
months.
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of Excellence is a true source of pride for
the entire team at Best Western Hermis-
ton Inn, and we’d like to thank all of our
past guests who took the time to complete
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising
or subscription information:
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• VWRSE\RXURI¿FHVDW(0DLQ6W
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is no greater seal of approval than being
recognized by one’s customers. With the
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based on customer reviews, the accolade
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business and our continued commitment
to excellence.”
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