#i will be giving a lot of this paycheck to Talas

[all-the-things-2020]

Pairing: Din Djarin x OFC (Tala Pavan)

Rating: PG-13. This is a soft, slow-burn romance. If things get spicy, I will change the rating.

Notes: Set post-season 3 and canon compliant for the most part. The title comes from a J.R.R. Tolkien quote: “Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.”

CHAPTER ONE

Summary: Tala Pavan is a newcomer to Nevarro. She meets an unusual father-son duo and soon becomes involved in their lives.

Nevarro was not as bad as many had led Tala Pavan to believe. True, there had been that recent business with the pirates, but as her new neighbors told her (at length) that issue had been taken care of by a passel of displaced Mandalorians, and there was still one of them living just outside of town.

“He’s a personal friend of the High Magistrate,” Anida told her. “So if we ever need them Mandalorians again, Karga just has to give the word and they’ll be here.”

Anida’s husband, Crik, nodded sagely. “Also got ties to the New Republic Rangers, so I’ve heard. So Nevarro is covered either way the wind blows.” He lowered his voice. “And he’s in tight with some crime boss on Tatooine, too. Fingers in lots of pies, that one.”

Tala dismissed the conversation as the usual town gossip. After all, she’d already been informed about who was stepping out on who, which children had dubious parentage, who was gambling away their paycheck, and which droids were most likely to malfunction and should not be hired. Rumors about a Mandalorian warrior who lived on the outskirts were just part of the charm of life on Nevarro. Like the repurposed assassin droid who served as Marshall. Nowhere else like it in the galaxy was the byword in Nevarro. Civil enough for the law-abiding, liberal enough for those wanting to make money, rough enough for those who lived on the edge of respectable, but always welcoming to those who were willing to live and let live. And pay their taxes.

Tala had seen High Magistrate Greef Karga a few times, greeting the citizens in his magnificent robes. He didn’t lock himself away like many in power; he was a hands-on type of leader, and seemed friendly. Tala hadn’t spoken to him, of course. She was just another cog in the town’s machinery, no one important, which was how she liked it. She was content to live quietly with her pet tooka, Neeli. Quiet was nice.

Her days were simple. Rise in the morning, feed herself and Neeli, walk to work, come home, eat again, shower, snuggle with Neeli while reading a book and then to bed. A gentle routine, broken only by her two days off which were occupied with house cleaning, shopping and other chores. Until the day she met Grogu.

She was food shopping, her basket halfway full, when she heard a clattering commotion from one of the stalls nearby. A frustrated whine, a sharp “No,” followed by something she hadn’t felt in ages. A thought-voice.

:Want the blue one!:

She spun, seeking the source of the voice, so insistent in her mind. A tall, silver-clad Mandalorian warrior stood, arms crossed, in front of the stall, where a tiny green creature on the counter defiantly faced off against him. :Dad, want the blue one:

“He wants the blue one,” Tala said, without thinking.

The Mandalorian’s helmet swiveled in her direction. “What?” His voice was modulated, low and raspy, but not unkind.

“He wants the blue one,” she repeated. 

“I know he wants one,” the Mandalorian said, a note of exasperation in his tone. “But I said no.” He tilted his head in the creature’s direction and its ears flattened in sorrow.

:I tried: she sent.

The creature’s ears perked up and its eyes went wide. :You hear me?:

:Yes:

“Wait, are you talking to him?” The Mandalorian’s hand slid imperceptibly toward his blaster. “Are you … Jedi?”

Tala snorted. “Hardly. And yes, I am talking to him. In a way.” She didn’t like to broadcast her abilities to the galaxy. “Can we discuss this somewhere else?”

:Grogu. I am Grogu: Images filled Tala’s mind, a confusing jumble of dark hallways, desert landscapes, a cool green forest, several spaceships and a … rancor?

“Pleased to meet you, Grogu,” she said aloud. “I’m Tala.”

“Din Djarin,” the Mandalorian said. “Come on, kid, let’s find somewhere private to talk to the lady.”

Grogu jumped gracefully off the counter and toddled ahead, his mind buzzing with excitement. Tala could feel it, but not really read it, which was just as well. She reinforced her mental shields and followed him.

“Explain,” Djarin said when they were seated on a shady bench. Grogu began to inspect the contents of Tala’s basket.

“I’m not Jedi,” she began. “I guess Force-sensitive would be the best label to put on it. A lot of people are, where I come from. We’re telepathic, nothing more. And don’t worry — I can only ‘hear’ other telepaths. Like him.” She gestured toward Grogu, who was humming happily as he peeled a citrus fruit.

“Hey,” Djarin said. “That’s not yours.”

Grogu looked innocently at them both and then offered a segment to her. :I share:

Tala stifled a laugh. “He said he’s sharing,” she said as she took the slightly squished piece of fruit.

“You can’t share something that doesn’t belong to you,” Djarin said firmly. “Give it back.”

Grogu’s ears drooped, but he held out the rest of the fruit. 

“It’s okay, you can have it, I have plenty,” Tala said. Immediately, the ears went back up and Grogu began stuffing fruit into his mouth.

Djarin shook his helmet. “He won’t learn if you give in to him. I know he’s cute, but he’s also manipulative.”

Grogu paused in his munching to make a phfft sound. 

“And rude,” Djarin said. “That is not behavior becoming of a Mandalorian apprentice.”

Grogu shrugged and continued to eat.

“So,” Tala said. “What’s your story? The kid called you Dad, but you’re clearly not biologically related.”

Djarin was very still for a moment. “He called me Dad?” It was hard to tell with the vocoder in the helmet, but he sounded a little choked up. Tala nodded and Djarin cleared his throat. “He is a Foundling. I have adopted him as my own so that he can train as a Mandalorian. He is my apprentice … and my son.”

“And he just happens to be telepathic.”

“He … was raised to be a Jedi, long before I met him,” Djarin said. “He chose not to follow that path anymore. He chose to follow the Way of the Mand’alor.”

Grogu dropped the sticky citrus peel and tugged at the collar of his robe, revealing the bright gleam of silver armor. “They make armor that small?” Tala asked. Grogu sent her an image of a Mandalorian woman, her horned helmet gleaming in the darkness as she pulled molten metal from a roaring forge and beat it with her hammer. 

“It was made by the Armorer,” Djarin said, with respect in his voice. “From pure beskar, like my own armor.”

“And Mandalorians typically make armor for their toddlers?”

Djarin stiffened. “Grogu is over fifty years old. I know he appears very young, but … he is more than he seems.”

“Obviously.” Tala looked into Grogu’s eyes. Mischief, yes, and childhood wonder, but also a solemn wisdom and a sense of deep, unfathomable power. She shivered. 

“We understand each other,” Djarin went on, “but sometimes it’s hard. He can't — or won’t — speak yet. I don’t know enough about his species. Maybe he’s too young, or maybe he’s just stubborn.”

Grogu made an offended noise. :Not stubborn: he sulked.

Tala bit her lip to keep from laughing. “I suspect it’s more of a developmental thing,” she said diplomatically. “He definitely understands Standard, and he thinks in it, more or less, so I’d say he's just not physically ready to speak.” She shrugged. “I used to know a linguist. Guess some of it rubbed off on me.” 

Grogu reached out and laid his hand on her arm. She felt a sense of compassion from the child, a gentle probing from his mind. :Miss him?:

:Yes: she replied. :All the time: There were so many people she missed, but losing Rix had hurt the most.

Djarin shifted slightly, bringing her back to the present. “You seem to have a connection with him,” he said softly. “Maybe you can help me understand him better. I would, of course, compensate you for your time.”

“There’s no need to pay me to converse with this little guy,” Tala said. “To be honest, I could use the practice, flexing my mental muscles, so to speak. It’s been a long time since I’ve had another telepath in my life. I’d be happy to spend some time with him. I’m off work on Taungsday and Benduday.”

Djarin nodded. “Benduday is good for us. We’re usually in town then. I have a weekly meeting with Greef. Maybe … you could babysit?” He sighed. “Grogu gets bored easily and while Greef is very fond of him …”

“He gets into trouble,” Tala said, winking at Grogu, who was doing his best to look completely innocent. “I’d be happy to. As long as Grogu promises to behave better for me.”

:Always behave!: Grogu was indignant, but there was a glint in his eye that betrayed the truth.

“Agreed,” Djarin said. “We’ll meet here, in the marketplace, next week, say at eleven o’clock? My meeting with Greef is at noon.”

“I look forward to it.” She held out her hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, Djarin shook. His gloved hand was large and very strong. He was clearly a formidable warrior, yet he was surprisingly gentle as he picked up Grogu and carried him away. The child waved goodbye over his shoulder with one hand, then popped a berry into his mouth with the other. Tala glanced at her basket. Yes, her box of redberries was missing a few off the top. 

:Thief: she sent, shaking her head at him.

:Sharing: Grogu replied, one ear up and one ear flopped down. Like a wink.

*******************************************************

Din could tell Grogu was excited. He kept bouncing around in his carry bag, making inquiring noises that could only mean “Are we there yet?” The child was clearly looking forward to spending time with their new friend Tala. 

“It must be nice to have someone who can really understand you,” Din said quietly.

Grogu pricked up his ears and made an affirmative sound. 

“You have to behave for her.”

Grogu’s ears lowered slightly and he made a grumpy sound.

“I mean it. If you’re too much trouble,she won’t want to watch you and then you’ll have to sit quietly in Greef’s office while we talk.”

The ears went lower. “Patu.”

Din patted the child’s head. “I know you’ll be good, kid. I just wanted to remind you what could happen if you aren’t.”

Grogu nodded firmly, then reached up and took hold of Din’s gloved finger. His tiny hands were surprisingly strong. He squeezed tightly.

“Yeah, I love you, too,” Din said softly. “Little womp rat.”

When they reached the marketplace, Grogu Force-leapt his way out of the bag and into Tala’s arms.

“My goodness!,” she said, barely able to catch him in time. “Someone’s excited to see me.”

Din dug a handful of credits out of his pouch. “Here. In case he gets hungry. I may not be paying you to watch him, but I can’t expect you to feed him, too. Kid’s a bottomless pit.”

Grogu narrowed his eyes. Tala laughed. “He says he’s a growing boy.”

“Must have heard that from Greef,” Din said. The kid was smart. Too smart, sometimes. “And he ate three frogs this morning, so he should be full. For the moment.”

Tala pocketed the credits. “Thanks.” She looked a bit different than she had last week. It took Din a moment to realize that her hair was in a more elaborate style. Had she really gone to that much trouble just for Grogu? More likely she wanted to make a good impression her first day on the job. But it wasn’t really a job, since he wasn’t paying her. He stifled a sigh. Women had always been a bit confusing to him.

“If we aren’t in the marketplace when you finish your meeting, we’ll be at my place,” she was saying. She handed him a chip with an address neatly inscribed on it. “I thought some privacy for our conversation might be prudent.”

Din nodded. She had thought things out. A good strategist. “A wise choice.” He laid his hand on Grogu’s head. “Be good, kid. I’ll see you later.”

Grogu waved and babbled something that could have been “Bye-bye” if you squinted hard enough. Maybe Tala was right about his not being physically ready to speak aloud. He was clearly trying, but the sounds weren’t cooperating.

With one last glance at his son, Din turned his attention to his meeting with Greef. He wondered what new scheme his friend had come up with to increase the wealth and prosperity of Nevarro — and his own pockets.

***********************************************

:Kitty!: Grogu sprang from Tala’s arms and made a beeline for Neeli. The tooka arched her back and puffed her tail.

“Careful,” Tala cautioned. “She has to get to know you first. Be gentle and she’ll warm up to you quickly.”

Grogu plopped down on the floor, one hand held out, gently crooning. :Nice kitty. Soft kitty.:

“Her name is Neeli,” Tala said, sitting beside Grogu. “Can you say Neeli?”

:Neeli:

“No, I mean out loud.”

Grogu tilted his head. “Nee,” he managed after a moment’s concentration.

:Excellent!: Tala sent to him. Neeli slunk into her lap, never taking her eyes off of Grogu. Tala stroked the tooka’s fur, which was in need of a good brushing. :Can you fetch me that brush on the shelf?: 

Grogu held out one hand and the brush floated from the shelf into his hand. 

“Whoa,” she said. “You really do have powers, don’t you?”

:Jedi training: he thought smugly. :Like Mandalorian training better, though.:

:I’ll bet you do: Tala got a quick impression of a young man dressed in black urging Grogu to meditate, followed by a rush of excitement as Din flew a sleek starfighter through a firefight. 

She took the brush from him and began to groom Neeli, who closed her eyes and started to purr. Grogu tried to imitate the noise.

:Not growling: He tilted his head, one ear up.

:Purring. It means she’s happy, relaxed. She feels safe.:

:Me, too: Grogu leaned against her arm, a gentle purr rising from deep inside him. He gently reached out to touch Neeli’s fur. :I like you:

“I like you, too, kiddo,” Tala said. 

Mrrtt, said Neeli, which Tala knew meant “Keep brushing, human.” So she did.

**********************************************

Neeli warmed up to Grogu once she realized that he could make her toys hover in the air and skitter across the floor like live prey. Tala had to calm them both down a few times when the game got a little too rambunctious, but otherwise it kept them both busy and out of her hair. Neeli, like all felines, was prone to random bursts of energy, which Tala usually kept at bay with a game of fetch. With Grogu around, she could actually get a little housework done. 

Eventually, Neeli grew tired and climbed up to her basket on top of the shelving unit. When she saw Grogu calculating the jump himself, Tala stepped in. “She needs a nap. Tookas sleep a lot.”

Grogu pondered that for a moment, then nodded. :Naps are good. If you are sleepy. I’m not sleepy.:

:Then let’s figure out something to do, that won’t disturb Neeli.:

Grogu looked around the room. Not much to interest a child, Tala realized. Basic furniture, a few books — the tooka toys were the only brightly colored objects in sight. :Dad tells me things. And I help him.:

:What sorts of things? Stories?:

Grogu shrugged. :About Mandalorian things. Weapons. Ships. Sometimes stories.:

“I don’t know any Mandalorian stories,” Tala said, “but I can tell you some stories from the place I come from.”

Grogu hopped onto the small, worn sofa and snuggled up next to her. :Tell me.:

Tala was deep into the classic tale of Hanta and Greema, and how they left a trail of stones to help them find their way out of the haunted forest where the Witch-Creature who had stolen their father’s prized fathier lived in her castle made of bones, when the door chimed.

:Dad!: Grogu leaped off the sofa. Before the door was even open, he was chattering away, a hundred sounds tumbling from his lips as he tried to tell Djarin everything. :Neeli is taking a nap. She’s a tooka cat. I petted her! We’re having a story. The witch lives in BONES!:

“Looks like things went well,” Djarin said, after picking Grogu up and listening patiently to his babbling. 

“Very well,” Tala said. “He made friends with my tooka, Neeli, and wore her out, which is more than I can usually do. And just now, we were having story time.”

“Did he eat?” 

Grogu’s ears pricked up at that, and he grumbled. :Tummy is EMPTY.:

“We were too busy for that,” Tala admitted. She reached in her pocket for the credits. 

Djarin: held up his hand. “No, keep it for next week. I’ll get him something in the market on our way home. Maybe we’ll get some meiloorun. We haven’t haven’t had that in a while.”

Grogu shook his head. :Blue fruit. And namba patties.: He turned to Tala. :Tell him.:

“Um, he wants the blue fruits and namba patties,” she said.

“The blue fruit is too expensive,” Djarin said, “but we can get a namba patty. And a nice meiloorun for dessert.”

Grogu’s ears drooped a little. :Like the blue fruit better.:

Tala gave him a look. :Listen to your dad. He said it’s too expensive.: Grogu’s eyes narrowed.

Djarin chuckled, an incongruous sound coming from a fully armored man. “I recognize that look. You just scolded him, didn’t you?”

“I just told him to listen to you. I hope I didn’t overstep any boundaries.”

“Grogu needs all the boundaries he can get,” Djarin replied. “And right now, we should respect yours and be on our way.”

Grogu grumbled, but didn’t protest too much as Djarin picked him up and settled him in his carry bag. “Say goodbye to Tala and the tooka,” Djarin prompted.

:Neeli: Grogu corrected as he waved his hand. “Baa.”

“Bye,” Tala replied. “You can drop him off here next week, if you want, instead of meeting in the marketplace. And I’ll buy a few snacks to have on hand.”

Djarin nodded, started to turn away and then stopped. “Are … are you sure you don’t want compensation for your time?”

Tala waved the thought away. “Paying for his snacks is more than enough,” she said. “I enjoyed having him here, and so did Neeli. In fact, he actually helped by keeping her busy so I could get some things done. But thanks for the offer, Mr. Djarin. I like that you value my time.”

His stance softened a bit. “Please, call me Din. Or Mando. I answer to either one.”

:Dad: Grogu chimed in. “Da.”

“Or Dad, apparently,” Tala said, nodding toward Grogu. 

Din stiffened, his head turning slightly away. “Yeah, well, I guess,” he said. He cleared his throat. “We’d better be going, kid. See you next week.” He walked quickly toward the door. Grogu shifted in his bag to wave at her again.

When the door closed behind them, Tala felt a wave of … something. She’d never minded being alone; in fact, in a community with a large percentage of telepaths, being alone was a rarity and always refreshing. And she had Neeli. It wasn’t loneliness. 

Envy, maybe? Grogu loved his adopted father, and the feeling was clearly mutual. She didn’t have to be able to hear Din’s thoughts to know that. Their relationship was so pure and innocent. They would never betray each other.

Or perhaps a bit of attraction? Din was honorable and courteous, big and strong but gentle at the same time. He was not flashy, despite his highly polished armor. It had been a very long time since she’d had … feelings. She’d nearly forgotten what it was like. 

Neeli jumped down from her perch and stretched extravagantly before rubbing against her legs. She picked up the tooka and carried her to the sofa. “I think I like them,” she said, gently stroking Neeli’s fur. “Both of them.”

[runawaymarbles]

Getting commission is great because each paycheck causes one of two emotions: either “I am Scrooge McDuck rolling in money and i can buy as many colors of bookbinding leather as I want” or “I should not have bought that Starbucks sandwich last week, what poor foresight, what was I thinking,” and neither of these emotions are reasonable

[sambergscott]

notes from the palm springs commentary !! 🏝

i know not everyone has access to hulu and i know i'd be gutted if i couldn’t watch it too so bc i'm lucky enough to have an american friend who let me use her hulu account i thought i'd share the commentary with you all on here <3 

- their first bit of commentary is “there’s a title” (cristin) and “there’s a goat” (andy)... 10/10 anaylsis thanks guys

- andy joked that they talked about waiting for an earthquake but decided they didn’t have the budget to wait that long (he said the glowing lights at the end were real tho 🙄)

- andy: “we’re gonna start off pretty racy” djfdjfkdjgh

- “for all those kids out there, the b99 fans, you probably don’t wanna watch this”.... but andy,, we absolutely Do

- andy was cristin’s least favourite person in the movie

- nyles spread eagle on the bed was in the script not an acting choice

- according to andy there were 700,000 bugs just hatched where they filmed the wedding scenes that they had to edit out in post (also it was suuuuuper cold and cristin was shivering)

- ANDY CALLED HIMSELF A BUTT UGLY WEIRDO. NO SIR. U ARE THE FURTHEST THING FROM THAT.

- the dance move when he clapped his hands over his head “lightly hurt his schlong”

- they had 20-30 options for orchid explosion by fournier, cristin pitched some too that she “does not remember!” (she said that very cute)

- they talk about how great june squibb is and how andy is impressed that she wasn’t complaining about the cold/shooting at 5am/the fact that they improved a lil bit.  “she doesn’t not give a what”

- during the make out scene on the rock cristin goes “ohhh ~spicy~”

- they also had to have a snake wrangler come out before they shot that scene and he was like “uhh i think it’s good?”

- andy was excited about having to get shot by an arrow when he was reading the script (it was also the moment they realised this movie was zanier than first thought)

- the cave was the same place they shot the old batman movies

- they started working on palm springs on november 9th 2016…. hence the wedding date

- cristin said they did about 30 takes (at least) of her opening her eyes/sitting up.. basically the entire first half of the first day shooting she spent doing the same thing

- “i just think you’re the coolest cristin, way to go man!” “you too andy!”

- the beer is fictional and has a meaning behind it.. the tortoise is to do with a myth about the universe or smth

- andy wants someone to make the beer fr

- “so here is cristin in the desert pretending to be hot” “he means physically” “TEMPERATURE HOT… i have no opinions on her appearance”

- they wanted to skip past the set-up-y parts to avoid it being too groundhog day and add diff dynamics and comedic elements that come from that

- according to andy, nyles has been in the loop an “insanely long time” (cristin and andy like that you don’t know the exact number of years bc however many years it’s been nothing has changed for nyles)

- cristin’s fondest memories were spending days in that dusty ass car together (i too would like to be that girl in his car)

- “i like your hat” “of course you do” was improved by andy and jk

- andy said jk is a “national treash”

- andy loved shooting the montage w jk (and he thinks that montage + the scene at the end is why jk signed up to do ps)

- “i went full butt” - andy samberg, 2021

- HE HAS A STUNT DOUBLE CALLED SETH WHO HAS A SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER BUTT THAN HIM (but andy’s butt was funnier so they went with his)

- the very last shot of the movie was nyles getting the handjob in the car

- max or other andy i can’t remember who talked for a while about how talented our andy is. can’t wait for that oscar nom!!!!!

- if andy were in a time loop he’d try to catch up on shows for a few years (and then try and leave)

- cristin is horrified that he’d choose to watch all of MASH to get him through a time loop

- cristin LOVED filming all the deaths

- andy said that their dance scene in the denim jacket replaces every iconic dance scene ever like fame/dirty dancing/etc etc and he’s right

- he dropped her in that scene bc his arms are “weak and floppy like a baby calf”

- the tattoo moment was the only fully improved scene

- they REALLY wanted it in the movie

- cristin insisted on the hook hand and eye patch and they obliged and she said she kept the hook hand and put it on her mantle and andy was like “prove it prove it prove it prove it prooooooove it”

- she did Indeed prove it

- orange in the movie significies intimacy and that whole montage is coloured orange to show them falling in love

- they loved shooting the tent scene

- the first night they filmed it there was a sandstorm and rain and they had to hide under a tarp and they came back the next night and they were able to get looser with it bc it was the last day of shooting and they’d basically done the whole thing the night before

- the dinosaurs bit was a “symbolic moment between the characters - they are 2 people who don’t believe they can be loved so they’re feeling something impossible and therefore they should see something impossible”

- the wake-ups were like an acting exercise in a way bc each wake up was diff emotionally based on where they were in the loop

- nyles finally cares about something (her) for the first time in maybe hundreds of years and he immediately gets slapped down :(((

- “suck my dick officer bitch” was cristin’s ad lib!!! (if anyone makes a montage of her life’s work she would like it to either begin or end w suck my dick officer bitch, andy said why not both)

- “for some reason i rolled up one of my sleeves [after nyles woke up after their fight] and then we couldn’t get out of it so that was a lesson! it was a terrible choice”

- andy loves the overhead pool shot

- everytime andy watches the confrontation at the wedding he feels terrible for tala, we love an empathetic king

- re: roy’s arc andy talks about how important it is to relish what you’ve got and it was v v v v sweet

- everyone laughed so hard in the arrow/garbage bin scene

- apparently tyler’s shirtlessness in the shower was distracting for people in early tests and they had to tone it back w colour correction 💀

- cristin was like “did that happen when i had to take my shirt off?” and andy was like “uh huh yeah”

- the goat was on set for a couple of days + apparently cristin would talk to it in between takes 🥺🥺🥺 can she get any cuter

- max talked about how they lucky they were to get andy and cristin and how the movie wouldn’t have worked without them, they were so on the same wavelength and there was an early meeting where nobody else could get a word in bc they were talking so much

- nobody was in it for the paycheck, “it was for the love, and dare i say it, for the art” <3

- they took 3-4 nights to shoot the entire wedding, andy can Not stress enough how much they were rushing

- they haven’t busted out any bloopers yet bc they used pretty much every frame they could/reused them in different places

- cristin doesn’t want to know if nana knows bc the mystery of it is what makes the movie so great!

- andy said there’s no definitive answer to a lot of stuff bc a lot of the people working on the movie had diff opinions

- the french song w the slo mo bit of sarah in the bar was cristin’s choice

- andy is v confused why people think spuds is nyles’ dad,, he’s just tricking him into getting a ride and andy’s sorry to everyone who thought it was real

- cristin liked that the payoff at the end felt like payoff while still staying true to who nyles and sarah are and not just super romantic bc “it’s a romcom!” [andy said throwing his arms in the air]

- cloudbursting was andy’s idea from the very first meeting about the movie but we been knew

- andy: “here’s the ending! nobody knows what it means!”

- the family at the end was the producer’s family, they drove a very long way to do that 2 second scene lol

- andy and cristin were swaying to when the morning comes at the end 🥺

- andy clapped and shouted “WELL PRODUCED” when his/tli’s credit came up hahaha

[micaramel]

Tala Mahdieh and Clive Christian live in London and got married at a hilltop castle in Italy.

Fifty guests attended their wedding in the Italian countryside near Perugia in May 2016.

They paid for their wedding themselves, setting aside a portion of their monthly paychecks in a joint account to pay for it.

Here's how they spent every last dollar on their wedding — from the venue to the flowers to the wedding planner. 

Tala Mahdieh and Clive Christian got married on May 28, 2016, in Perugia, Italy, with 50 guests in attendance. Tala is an international business director at Business Insider and Clive works for the UK National Health Service as a compliance and governance manager.  

Tala and Clive paid for their wedding themselves, setting aside money each month from their salaries into a joint account.

They had about a year-and-a-half between their engagement and the wedding. At the time, they were living with Tala's parents so they were able to put more money toward their wedding fund.

"It was quite nice to come out of the wedding knowing we didn't have any debt," Tala told INSIDER. "I didn't want to put anything on the credit card."

She also didn't want to throw money at a situation, and made sure to be smart about spending. 

"I didn't believe, in terms of my wedding, that it should cost a lot to have a great time, so we tried to keep it as low as possible," Tala said. "I find it mental when I see people spending thousands on ridiculous stuff."

The bride walked INSIDER through how she and her now-husband spent their money on every detail of the wedding.

Note: All prices have been converted from euros and British pounds to US dollars based on the exchange rates at the date of the wedding.

VENUE & DECOR: $13,884.15

Tala and Clive originally looked at wedding venues in the UK, but the historic properties they liked were too expensive and came with too many restrictions. When Tala met a woman who got married in Italy and learned that it was the easiest European country for British citizens to wed, it seemed like a no-brainer. 

To find the perfect venue, Tala and Clive took weekend trips to Italy where they rented a car and "basically just drove around the middle of Italy."

"It was probably one of the best experiences ever, because we got to see more of Italy than we ever would've done if we'd planned something," she said. "We did about four trips like this to figure it out."

They eventually narrowed down the region to Umbria — Tuscany's less expensive but equally beautiful sister. On their last trip, their choices had come down to two castles and an old monastery. When they stayed the night in one of the castles, it just felt right.

"We just fell in love," Tala said. "It had such a nice vibe about it. The dinner was divine, like some of the nicest food I'd ever had. Just the whole atmosphere of the castle itself felt really cozy and warm." 

They held both the ceremony and the reception at the castle, and many of their 50 guests also stayed the night there.

"About half of [the guests] stayed [at the castle] and the other half stayed in nearby hotels that were only like 10 or 15 minutes away, so we had a shuttle service in the evening for those that had been drinking to go home," Tala said.

Ceremony and reception venue: $2,997 (The cost for three nights of exclusive use of the castle was $9,279.60, but $6,282.60 was covered by guests staying in the rooms.)

Flowers: $555

Cake: $388.50

Food and drink: $9,301.80 (based on three days of full food service)

Favors: $142.35

Lighting: $499.50

Attire: $7,606.60

When it came to Tala's wedding attire, she used her media connections to find the dress of her dreams — a gown by Spanish designer, Pronovias.

"Previous to this job, I was working at Hearst, so for international for Elle, Harper's Bazaar, sort of quite big fashion brands," Tala explained. "I emailed them and I thought, 'If I don't ask, I won't get.' And I just asked them if they did any press discount, and they said yes. They agreed and they gave me 20% off my dress, which meant it basically covered the cost of the alteration. So it was still full-price, but it balanced out and it worked out quite nicely."

Getting husband a suit, however, wasn't quite as easy. 

Clive had originally ordered two suits from a tailor in central London for about $1,460, but they did "a horrendous job," Tala said.

"In the end, he ended up getting his suit from Marks & Spencer in the UK," she said. "So his tuxedo cost 100 pounds ($146), which is an absolute bargain, but he looked amazing. It just goes to show you don't have to spend so much money sometimes — just the cheapest item will do."

Dress: $2,715.60

Hair and makeup: $0 (Tala's regular hairdresser did her hair for free)

Accessories: $365

Groom's attire: $146

Wedding rings: $4,380

Vendors: $9,213.00

When it came to capturing the big day, Tala and Clive hired an Italian married couple — Andrea and Federica.

"They were amazing, like the nicest couple ever," Tala said. "They stayed really late, later than they were supposed to contractually... They sent us a couple of photos immediately that evening of our wedding, which was amazing because normally you would have to wait months to get that."

For entertainment, the fans of classical music hired a violinist. Of course, they made sure to give it a modern spin. 

"The violinist just seemed the most appropriate sort of soft accompaniment to the wedding," Tala said. "A lot of pop songs that are famous now, he would play them but the violin version." 

Of course, not every purchase was a good one. Looking back, Tala wishes they had have spent less money on a wedding planner. The one they chose presented the couple with a, "cut-copy-paste of other weddings that had nothing relevant to what I'd asked her for," Tala said.

"So in the end, I ended up doing a lot of what I wanted myself, which wasn't the whole idea of a wedding planner," Tala said. Fortunately, she also had help from her husband and an Italian friend.

The planner also made a mistake on their wedding night dinner — white meat was served instead of steak. Not cool. 

Photographer: $1,609.50

Videographer: $1,720.50. The videographers were reportedly very handsome.

Wedding planner: $4,440

Band/DJ: $499.50

Other entertainment: $388.50 violinist

Wedding officiant: $555

Miscellaneous: $643.10

Tala and Clive spent about $325 on transportation costs, which consisted of shuttle services for the guests who stayed nearby rather than at the castle itself.

It also included Tala and Clive's flights from London to Italy, which only cost about $90.

"We bought [the flights] like a year in advance because we knew what we were doing," Tala said.

Postage: $36.50

Invitations/Save the Date cards: $182.50

Website: Free (A friend did it.)

Marriage license: $102.20

Transportation: $321.90

Hotel: Included in hire of venue

Bridal party gifts: N/A

Total Wedding Cost: $31,346.85

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