Happy Wednesday, Lovelies! We’re back with another fabulous Wedding of the Week shot by Joanna Wilson. I love the eclectic feel of this wedding, it’s got alot of fun little elements that make it special. Some of my personal favorite details are the bride, Gillian’s brooch bouquet, the use of Scrabble tiles, their handkerchief invitations, and the seed packet escort cards! Such a darling and sweet wedding! Hope you enjoy this edition of the BSWOW! xoxo-Jessica

 

Gillian + Justin

June 18, 2011

West Stockbridge, Massachusetts

 

 

What was your budget? If you are able, give us a rough breakdown of how you spent your budget.

Our budget was $20,00. But we only spent 17,912!

Video: $550
Photography: Free- close friend
Flowers and decorations: $300
Dress: $260
Ceremony Location: $300
Reception: $9,000 (Location, Catering, Cake, etc)
Transportation: $350
Brooch Bouquet: $200
Groom’s Ensemble: $180
DJ: $750
Invitations: $400
Rings: $70

How many guests did you have?

We had 109 guests (including children and an infant)

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

Our invitations were made on vintage hankies and the Save the Dates on vintage postcards. We shared letters we wrote to each other years ago in our ceremony. I made my brooch bouquet from family and friend’s brooches. The boutonnieres were made with antique buttons that Justin’s grandmother had collected. We used seed packets for the place settings. And four generations of my family helped us put together our herb centerpieces.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

To save money we made a list of what was important to us and spent more on those aspects. We budgeted everything- rings, honeymoon, postage, etc. We saved by doing a lot ourselves and getting our family and friends involved. We also wanted to keep things green and create as little waste as possible. That helped us cut down on unnecessary details.

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

I am so lucky that I married Justin. I’m even luckier that he wanted to be a part of the wedding planning. Let your groom help. Let other people help, too! Surround yourself with people you trust, can delegate to and will keep reminding you why you are getting married.

What was your biggest splurge?

My veil was my biggest splurge! It was hand made by an Etsy Artisan and I love it so much. I need to find more occasions to wear it!

What was your favorite detail?

It is a toss up between my brooch bouquet and the “international” kids table. My husband and my brother made the seating chart. And they set up a table with our teenage cousins from Indonesia, England, Massachusetts and Florida. They all talked about their lives, hit the dance floor, sparked rumors among the parents and keep in touch via Facebook!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Our most memorable moment of the day was the last dance. The song was a different version of our first dance, which also is “our song.”(All I Want is You). The photographers had gone, the night was over and it was a really sweet moment. Our friends and family surrounded us on the dance floor and we were just enveloped in love.

VENDORS

Photography: Joanna Wilson Photography
Video: Tuesday Night Pictures   
DJ: A1DJ Russ Davis
Makeup/Hair: Lauren Germain
Reception/Catering: Crissey Farms
Ceremony Location: West Stockbridge Outdoor Chapel

I can’t deny the happiness I feel when I see tissue paper flowers– the pop of color just gets me! And that’s saying alot, after I handmade about 200 of them for my own May 2009 budget wedding. Holy smokes. But when I saw the result, how could I not be in love?

That’s why I was excited to partner with Annabelle Noel Designs for a giveaway for *5* of their Paper Flower Packs! (up to $50 total value). The lucky winner will get to choose between 12 color options and 4 sizes. The greatest part is the pieces are already assembled for you, so all you have to do is fluff!

These fluffy, flower poofs are made from colorful tissue paper. Each pack includes two folded tissue paper flowers that open to 20″ diameter. Perfect for decorating on a budget for weddings, events, parties, bridal showers and more!

The scalloped-edged tissue flowers are pre-assembled, folded and secured with a tie-loop for hanging or mounting. Simply make the poof by gently seperating the paper petals. You have the option to create a full sphere or half-sphere and the result is a crafty, eye-catching flower.

How to Enter:

Simply leave a comment stating which color you’d choose in order to be entered to win! I’ll choose the winner on Friday and will announce it as an update to this post, so be sure to check back to see if you’ve won! Good Luck!

Margaret

who posted on March 21st, 2012:

The orange has such a happy feel to them… would definitely go for those. Thanks for the opportunity!

 Congrats! We’ll be contacting you via email. Thanks to everyone who entered!

I’m in love with magazines. I always have been… I can think back to receiving my monthly Highlights, Disney and Nickelodeon magazines as a kid,  into the teenage years of YM and Seventeen, and then as an adult it became a full-blown obsession. I discovered sometime during my college years that I wanted to work in magazines, and in college I interned at one of the biggest magazine publishers in the world. At one time I subscribed to around 13 different titles. Total insanity. I’m very happy to say that my entire professional career has been in the publishing industry, mainly in magazines. I LOVE what I do!

One of my very favorites just happens to be Glamour magazine, which is why it’s such a treat and honor to have posts from this very blog being featured over at Glamour’s wedding blog this week. If you’ve made your way over to this blog via the Glamour site, WELCOME and thanks for stopping by! I hope you find something helpful here. And for you old faithful readers who didn’t already know that this fabulous magazine had an equally fab blog just for weddings– well, you’re in for a treat! They’ll be featuring some of our best-of posts all week long so be sure to check it out and leave some love and, of course, check out all the other wedding inspiration they’ve got to offer! Many thanks to the kind folks at Glamour for the feature!

Our posts featured on Glamour.com:

Monday, March 19: Flower Alternatives

Tuesday, March 20: DIY Wine Bottle Labels

Wednesday, March 21: DIY Envelope Liners

Thursday, March 22: Cupcakes in a Jar

Friday, March 23: Five Weddings that cost less than $10,000!

 

One of the many tasks involved in planning a wedding is setting up your wedding registry! Since it seems that couples are waiting longer to get married these days, many people are already established in their homes and have all the kitchen gadgets they’ll ever find a use for! So why should you register for a bunch of ‘stuff’ that you don’t actually want or need? Many couples would rather have money towards a honeymoon or a downpayment on their first home together, but how do you ask your guests for cash without sounding crass??

There is a way, I’ve found- thanks to a great site called Deposit a Gift! Their service acts as a traditional gift registry so it’s very simple to use, but it allows you to register for ANYTHING your little heart desires! The possibilities are endless- register for a honeymoon, a downpayment on a house, couples cooking classes, scuba diving lessons, or donation to a charity– you name it! Deposit a Gift also includes a free wedding website and room to list your other registries, for a true one-stop-shop. No shipping. No gift wrap. No need for time-consuming and costly returns!!

Don’t waste time registering just to register– you’ll spend even more time in the customer service department making all those returns to get the cash back. Not to mention if your guests have your gifts shipped to you then they are wasting their money on shipping if you’re just going to return it. If what you REALLY want or need is cash, then be honest about it! Share what you want it for to let your friends and family be part of the fun by contributing to your special goal. A Deposit a Gift registry is a nice compromise because you are still giving guests the registry experience that they expect to shop from, but its filled with things that you actually want instead of things you are going to inevitably return.

Deposit a Gift is SUPER simple to use! Just create an account and start building your registry. You can watch a cute demonstration video here! Then you can share your site with your family and friends via email, or even put your URL on your Save-the-dates or RSVP card since it also serves as a wedding website with event details about your big day! Then you can log in and see your registry grow as your guests start gifting! Read how previous couples used their cash wedding registries to get what they really wanted from their guests!

If you and your fiancé would rather get cash gifts for your big day, I highly recommend checking out Deposit a Gift!

Today I’ve got a lovely and sweet little wedding for you shot by KLK Photography that truly includes only what is most important- the people the couple love most! Cathy + Duc had been together for quite some time and already had three adorable children together when they decided to tie the knot! They had an intimate ceremony and then celebrated with their three kids and other family and friends who met them at the beach! I think this is such a great example of how you don’t have to do anything fancy to celebrate your big day– the people who love you will be there to support you whether or not you throw a huge crazy party! Thanks so much to Cathy and Duc for sharing your day with us! xoxo-Jessica

Cathy and Duc Chu

October 20, 2011

Laguna Hills, California. Laguna Hills Civic Center

What was your budget? If you are able, give us a rough breakdown of how you spent your budget.

My budget was as low as possible! JK I was looking at about $3000 for everything. I went a little over but it was well worth it in the end!
Hotel stay: 345
Photography: 500
Makeup/Hair: 750
Cake/Dinner: 200
Flowers: 200
Dress/Suit/Clothes: 1400

How many guests did you have?

We had a private wedding ceremony but later invited about 40 people to celebrate with us on the beach.

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

I am happiest to include our children in our wedding.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

Find and compare all your options. Pick a vendor that is right for you.

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

Develop and plan your ideal wedding. Talk to vendors and give them your ideas to make your dream a reality. It’s okay if you go over your budget. It’s your wedding after all! Have fun!

What was your biggest splurge?

That was probably the wedding dress! I walked into David’s Bridal with a budget in mind, but came out with an even better (but more expensive) dress!

What was your favorite detail?

I had made sure to incorporate everything that we both loved into our wedding details. It’s not just about the brides! The beach was his favorite place. He was really surprised and thrilled that I had rented a hotel with beachfront view. The next morning, we watched the sun rise. Very romantic.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Everything was memorable! The ceremony, the photo sessions with KLK Photography, and ending the night at a beachfront hotel with my family was romantic, amazing, and fun all wrapped into one! Wouldn’t have it any other way!

VENDORS:

Photographer: KLK Photography
Makeup/Hair: Katie B. Cosmetics
Flowers: Flower Fusion
Cake/Desserts: Filigree Cakes
Hotel: Pacific Edge Hotel, Laguna Beach