I just love Sebrina– she was a longtime reader and supporter of BSB so I am so excited to share her wedding with you! I really love the black, white and yellow color scheme- especially the way she totally rocked her black bolero and the black lacing on her gown. I’m a huge fan of the sunflowers as well- which the couple got on the cheap for their bouquets and centerpieces. She picked her favorite things to splurge on and still pulled off this fab wedding for under $6k! Way to go, Sebrina– thanks for sharing your special day with us!

What was your budget?

Originally we set our budget at $5000. At the end I think we spent $5806. I was a little bummed about going over but I am happy that we stuck to our plan of having zero debt after the wedding

Save the Dates: $25 w/ postage
Ceremony Officiant: $300 donation to cover travel expenses
Reception Location: $250
Wedding Invitations: $170 w/ postage
Rings: $125
Wedding Dress: $323
Veil: $13 for supplies
Bolero: $52 for supplies
Shoes: $28 for both ceremony and reception pairs
Hair: $32
Make-up: $20
Nails: $100
Flowers: $70
Food & Drinks: $1000
Dishes & Napkins: $240
DOC: $200
Photographer: $500
Rentals: $566
Gifts: $165
Cake: $800
Linens: $362
Decorations: $365
Misc. Expenses: $100
Everything else was free through freindors and skilled family members. For instance my dad was the dj

How many guests did you have?

We invited 450 and I think we figured around 250 came.

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

Basically, everything about our wedding was personal and mostly handmade by myself, my mom, and our very amazing friends and family. We fell in love with the Old Pumphouse because it offered the picturesque butterfly garden that was perfect for my dream outdoor wedding and the fact that it’s a museum was great for Luke because he’s a mega history buff. I kept having to drag him away from the various plaques through the course of our reception

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

We saved a lot of money by making and doing things ourselves. My mom was able to make all our linens and table toppers for less than $10 a table. We contacted local sunflower farmers who let us pick the huge sunflowers for our bouquets for free. The smaller ones were picked from wild fields so we only had to buy the filler flowers for our bouquets. This meant we got to have floral centerpieces that only cost $.24 a table. Originally we planned on having a local restaurant provide the food but that would have been way out of budget, so we contacted a friend who used to be a caterer. He provided all the fajitas and sausage for the cost of the meat. Another family friend made the rice for a very reasonable price and we had our DOC prepare the beans in roasters on site along with the salad. Some friends gifted the mexican wedding cookies and punch and we bought concentrated tea from a restaurant supplier. So we were able to provide unlimited drinks and dinner for everyone for under $5 a person.

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

All the wedding blogs can get overwhelming so don’t feel like you have to catch up on every post from every single one but don’t rule them out either because I found life-saving inspiration from one barely 2 weeks before our wedding. Also account for about double the estimated time for diy projects and call in as many friends and family to help. There’s no way I would have been able to get through without my amazing support system. And don’t pick vendors hastily but give yourself enough time to do your research while booking early. We probably saved nearly a thousand dollars by booking our photographer and venue a year early.

What was your biggest splurge?

While planning we discovered that my mom and I are cake snobs. So we ended up spending nearly as much on the cake as the rest of the food. But it was so worth it because it both looked and tasted amazing. Unfortunately we ordered way too much and ended up with nearly 150 pieces to take home.

What was your favorite detail?

Looking back it’s really hard to pick one favorite detail because I absolutely love how everything came together. However, we both agreed that the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse is what really made the event. Luke loved the museum part of it and I couldn’t imagine finding a more beautiful venue.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Our first dance was very special to me because it was a surprise I planned for Luke. I took a song he had written for us called “Let’s Grow Old Together” and gave it to my dad to play for us. He took the original lyrics and matched it with a melody he had written 20-some years before for my mom. So it made the whole moment really sentimental and unique especially since we had to keep it a secret from Luke right up until my dad announced the song.
Please also include a list of all your vendors including any website links.
Venue: Old Hidalgo Pumphouse
Save the Dates: Vistaprint
Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal
Photographer: SixFourteen Photography
Rentals: All Party Rentals
Cake: Honey’s Cakes by Nancy Cortez

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