This wedding just makes me feel so happy! I LOVE the color scheme, the playful blues and greens were carried over into all the different aspects of the day- they really pulled everything together so nicely! I love the lime centerpieces and the colorful lanterns everywhere! I think this wedding is so adorable and I am shocked that they were able to do it for only $8200 for 130 people! It helps that they didn’t have to pay to rent their venue– if we could all only be that lucky! Thanks to Janna & Jacob for allowing us to feature their wedding and to Brittney Melton for submitting it via TwoBrightLights! xoxo-Jessica

Janna + Jacob

June 18, 2011
KC Ranch   |  Lytle, Texas

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

Our budget was $ 8,200.
$1700 on the tent, tables, chairs
$2600 on food (tiagos) and beverage (Costco)
$1600 on photographer
$1000 on decorations
$500 on DJ
$600 on the cake
$175 Bartender
$150 Margarita Machine
$400 miscellaneous

How many guests did you have?

130

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

We wanted a fun laid back event and we also wanted it to be individual. Having it at the ranch made it very personal and we had a lot of family and friends to help us put it all together. We couldn’t have done it without them and I think all the love put into making it our special day made it even more special. I love the colors that we choose, turquoise and lime green, we used limes in vases for centerpieces! It was perfect for a June wedding and very affordable.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

We saved the most money by having the wedding at his Grandparents ranch.

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

Find someone to help you. I knew what I wanted but I didn’t know how to put it all together. Lucky for me I have a sister who is an Interior Designer and Event Planner and is really good at pulling things together, so she really helped me out a lot. It was quite a task since she lives in Texas and I live in Nevada, but we emailed each other a lot and sent lots of pictures.

What was your biggest splurge?

The food and drink!

What was your favorite detail?

I really like the paper lanterns that hung in the tent.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

I think the most memorable moment was being married under the oak tree. For us we couldn’t imagine a better place or a better moment.

VENDORS

Drinks: The Cocktail Concierge   |   Music/Entertainment: Music Connection    |     Drinks: Mr. Margarita    |   Rentals: Alamo City Party Rentals     |   Photography: Brittney Melton Photography and Design

I really fought making a wedding website, but it just had to happen. In the past I’ve found it both cute and slightly annoying when people make the websites, have a drawn out ten page story about their first meeting, their first kiss, their this, their that… I feel like there’s a fine line between giving some precious background information and boring people to death. It’s just simply not the way we roll. Two months ago I finally caved in and did it, primarily for pure function.

After some research and trial/error I decided to create a site with Nearlyweds. There were several free options (and free is always great), but after going through them the RSVP function and designs that Nearlyweds offers seemed like a better fit for us. I also liked that I could only include sections that we wanted, and therefore have been able to nix the first meeting story and anything else we just simply weren’t interested in. With a little simple math it was clear that even with paying the low monthly fee, it’s still going to save us a bundle on not incurring the cost of printing the RSVP cards and all of the other extra details, the little envelopes to mail them back in, and of course the additional postage.

DISCLAIMER: I’m just on the front side of the RSVP’ing. I will update you if my magic “fix all” option turns into a nightmare.

 

Confetti.co.uk is everything you need to prepare for your big day. They are a huge retailer of wedding products and also offer expert wedding tips and advice as well as their large wedding directory which can be used to find everything from that dream venue to a local photographer with just a few simple clicks.

Here are just a few of the products from their shop.

Confetti’s range of wedding favours offers something to suit all styles, themes and budgets. The favours area of the website has recently been improved to make it much easier for brides to find exactly what they’re looking for.

Also on offer in the Confetti shop is a wide range of bridal accessories which includes everything from pampering products to keepsake boxes, jewelry to garters so you can walk down the aisle feeling and looking your best.

Finally, the wedding stationery section is divided in to 2 clear areas; professionally printed stationery and DIY stationery. For brides with a slightly larger budget (or those who are in a bit of rush!) the professionally printed invites include beautiful handmade designs. Budget savvy brides can choose to assemble their own or even design the wedding stationery themselves by choosing from a wide range of mix ‘n’ match options. Be sure to check out Confetti for your wedding needs!

As y’all probably already know, I flippin’ love me some Ebates! I do a TON of my shopping online, I’d say probably 75%, so discovering Ebates in 2009 was a God-send! In the last 3 years I’ve earned hundreds of dollars in cash just for using Ebates while shopping online and sharing their awesome site with friends! I am super excited to share that Ebates is currently in the midst of wedding week that runs through April 12 and there are TONS of deals to be had including DOUBLE cash back on some of your favorite wedding retailers! Check out the discounts below:

If you don’t know how Ebates works, first off you need to sign up and become a member. Then just make sure to visit the Ebates website before shopping online– find the store you want to peruse, click their link and get to shopping! Ebates partners with 1000s of retailers that you’re probably already shopping at already, such as the ones pictured above and SO many more. Each store offers a different percentage of cash back on your purchases, and Ebates even rounds up any applicable coupons on each store’s page so you can save some money, too! I NEVER make an online purchase without heading to Ebates first— it’s like getting paid for shopping! Or at least that’s how I like to think of it… At the end of each quarter, Ebates cuts you a BIG FAT CHECK that comes in the mail– I always do a happy dance when I find it in my mailbox. And then I use it to treat myself to some more SHOPPING. Are we seeing a trend here?

So I decided to do a little ‘shopping’ for online for a Frugal Fashion post and I headed over to Kohl’s– one of my favorite places to get awesome deals– and found quite a few solid bridesmaid-appropriate dresses for a total STEAL! Check them out over on the Ebates blog where I’m guest posting today! And for a special fun surprise:

Ebates is giving away a $200 cash prize to one BSB reader!

That could really help with a wedding expense, eh?

So, here’s the deal:

Go join Ebates (if you haven’t already).

Make sure you ‘like’ both BSB and Ebates on Facebook!

Leave a comment here sharing what you’d spend your $200 smackaroos on!

 I’ll announce the winner on Friday as an update to this post! Good luck and happy shopping!

AMBER

who said, “I already liked your page but I did like and join ebates today.  I would use the money to buy my wedding party and family nice gifts for all their help and support.”

Congrats Amber! We will be in touch to get you your prize!

Planning a wedding on a budget requires creativity to ensure that you spend as little as possible, while still achieving a beautiful wedding. One area for potential savings is with your invitations. While professionally printed invitations, reception cards, and reply cards will usually cost you at least $3 each plus postage, you can make your own for a fraction of the cost!

Do some research:

Start by looking at pictures of wedding invitations online for inspiration. When I did this, I found that one of my favorite styles was layering, with a sheet of white or off-white paper glued or tied with ribbon to a sheet of card stock of a different color. This style is simple to create on a tight budget that still looks elegant.

Shop savvy:

Craft stores and other retail outlets should have a variety of specialized cardstock that will suit your needs. Try shopping online for your papers, you can find really great deals and online coupons that might not be available in store. Purchase colored card stock in the color you want for the back of your invitation and cut it to a size that fits in the envelopes you want to use for the invitations.

Get great tools:

A good paper cutter really helps with this process. If you don’t have one, you can usually find them available for use at copy shops.  If you need to order it, be sure to check shipping quotes so that your overall cost still fits into your budget.

Design and Layout:

Format the text of your invitation to fit on a page ½-1″ smaller in each dimension than your large pieces of card stock. (For example, your cardstock pieces might be 4″ x 6″ and your smaller paper might be 3″ x 5″.) The paper for this part should be more delicate and fancy. Once you have the text right, print a test invitation to see how it looks on the paper and cut it down to the right size. A basic laser printer at home is the easiest and least expensive way to print invitations, but you can have them done at a copy shop if you need to.

In addition to the invitation, you will probably need to create a reception card as well. This card, usually about half the size of your invitation, tells your guests where the reception is taking place. You can also include hotel information or a wedding website on the reception card, which you should print on paper that coordinates with the main invitation.

Don’t forget the RSVP:

Many couples include RSVP cards in their invitations, but this is an added cost because of the cards and envelopes, especially if you pre-stamp the envelopes. One alternative is setting up a free wedding website where guests can RSVP online. Just say “RSVP at www.weddingwebsite.com” on your reception card. Alternately, give an RSVP phone number or email address.

Assembly:

The last step is to create an assembly line to put together your invitations. A piece of double-sided tape across the top of your page with text is the easiest way to hold it to the colored card stock. Another idea is to punch two holes through both layers of the invitation, near the top, thread a piece of ribbon through and tie it in a bow on the front. Stuff your envelopes, stamp and address them, and you are ready to go!

Mailing and postage:

One final consideration before digging in on your project is the cost of mailing your invitations. Before finalizing the paper, envelopes and contents of your homemade invitations, take a completed test invitation to the post office to see how much it will cost to mail. If your invitation weighs more than one ounce, you will have to pay an extra 20 cents in postage to mail each one. While 66 cents in postage doesn’t seem like a lot, it can quickly add up, particularly if you’re planning a big weeding.

If you’re willing to invest the time and energy into DIYing your wedding invites it really can save you a good bit of money! Best of luck in your wedding planning!

Maire enjoys DIY craft projects, especially those that allow her to use up the surplus of scrapbooking paper given to her over the years. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, making toffee, and going for walks with her Scottish Terrier, Pete.