I totally swooned when these photos arrived in my inbox, so I just know you’re going to love this wedding as much as I do! The details are stunning, and so is the bride! All the handmade decorative touches and the bold green in the color scheme really makes these photos pop! Katy did lots of DIY to help keep costs low while adding personal touches to the wedding. Hope you enjoy this eye candy!

Where did you get married?

We got married in Denver, Colorado—which is where we both grew up. Our ceremony was at the Hudson Gardens in Littleton and our reception was at the Space Gallery in downtown Denver.

What was your budget?

Our budget was $16,500.00.

Here is the basic breakdown of it all:
Ceremony Site: 450.00
Reception Site: 1550.00
Catering: 4300.00
Rentals: 1200.00
Cake: 450.00
Dessert Bar: 300.00
Drinks: 500.00
Flowers: 1000.00
Reception Décor: 300.00
Reception Lighting: 1100.00
Ceremony Décor: 300.00
Stationery: 700.00
Harpist: 300.00
DJ: 700.00
Day-of Coordinator: 595.00
Photography: 1900.00
Videographer: 450.00
Bridesmaids Shoes: 160.00
Groomsmen's Ties: 75.00

We went a little over our budget because we originally budgeted for 100 people to attend and ended up having 127. That increased our catering bill by $800, but other than that, everything else went according to plan!

What creative or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

We included many personal aspects in our wedding. Bryan and I met each other in youth group at our church so our youth minister who watched it all happen was the person who married us. Our dads read a poem that I found online called “The Key to Love.” It is the sweetest poem about marriage—we love it! We also did a rose ceremony in place of a unity candle, which is what my parents did at their wedding.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

Well, first of all, my mom and I made almost every wedding detail. I designed and assembled all the programs, labels for the drink stand, candy bar, fans, guest book, and “reserved” cards. I also painted giant chalkboards for the reception entrance, photo booth, and menu. My mom is amazing with flowers so she made the altar arrangements for the ceremony. We also made all the table runners, out of town guest baskets, and vendor survival kits ourselves.

I also researched vendors like crazy! On several occasions, I found another vendor who offered the exact same thing at half the price of the first few vendors I had talked with. It was very stressful and tedious at times, but it ended up being completely worth it and all of our vendors were amazing. I had a certain vision in my head (complete with a full dinner, lighting, flowers, drinks, and dancing) and I was determined to achieve it—so I kept digging until I found someone who could provide everything for the price I needed.

I also have to mention the wonderful website Etsy. I am kind of addicted to it at the moment—and it made all the little details so much more affordable! I bought my hairpiece from Feathers and Frills, groomsmen's ties from Buttered Toast, makeup bags for my bridesmaids from Sweet Sugar Beet, favors stickers from Graceful Notes, flower girl dress from Sweet Plume, and all of our amazing stationery from Pink Lily Press.

What's the best advice you have for planning a wedding now that you're on the other side?

First, make sure to research your vendors! It will make everything so much more affordable in the end!

Second, when you are making your guest list, be sure to give a limit to yourselves, your parents, and your fiancé's parents and DON'T go over it! We didn't do this at all…which is why our guest list got too big and we ended up having a lot more people attend than we budgeted for.

Try to get all of your DIY stuff done 1-2 weeks before the big day. I did this and afterwards I just got to relax and focus on spending time with my family!

I know this is an overused piece of advice, but everyone needs to hear it—expect things to go wrong on your wedding day. I prayed and prayed for a sunny wedding day, but when it started to rain during our outdoor ceremony, I didn't freak out because I had prepared myself with the fact that something would go wrong. Just remember to look at the bright side of things and don't obsess over the little details. If you do this, you will have the perfect day!

What was your biggest splurge?

Well, catering took up the biggest chunk of the budget…but food is kind of necessary at a wedding so I don't count that as a splurge. I would have to say that the biggest “want” that I just had to have was the lighting—I loved it…it was so worth it!

What was your favorite detail?

Hmmm…this is a tough one. I obviously loved all of our DIY details or I wouldn't have spent so much time on them. I also loved the converses that our groomsmen wore, the drinks and fans at the ceremony, the lighting, our adorable menu, my bouquet, the photo booth…ok that's a lot. If I had to pick one it would be that I walked down the aisle to “Main Title”, which is the theme song from the movie The Notebook. Our harpist played it…and everyone got a little teary-eyed!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

That's another tough one. I definitely loved our “first look” and the few minutes we got to spend alone right after the ceremony. The toasts from our brother and sisters were hilarious, so that is one of my favorites. Also, my dad led the “YMCA” and that was also completely hilarious so that's another favorite. I really loved every moment, so it's hard to pick!

Photographer: Real Photography

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