Well, all the planning is finished, the wedding is over, and married life has begun. It’s crazy to think that all of that hard work is finally complete, and there is nothing left on my to-do list. The day was truly amazing, more than I could have imagined or planned.

We got married on April 28, 2012 in the small rural town of Orangeville, Ontario (Canada), at a golf & ski resort tucked in the hills of Hockley Valley at Hockley Valley Resort and Spa.

We had 190 Guests. With a lot of Sam’s family coming from overseas, it was a truly special day for Sam to see how far they all had come for us.

We tried to make our wedding as personal as possible, and allow our guests to see who we are individually and as a couple. I included some DIY projects and my mom and sisters were a big part of pulling it all together. One of my favourite details was the floral archway that my mom made for our ceremony. We brainstormed long and hard to try and figure out the best option for the trellace, and I think it turned out beautiful. (The wedding after ours actually asked to use it as well!) I don’t know how I can just pick one most memorable moment of our day, so I will share a few with you…

During the small Indian portion of our ceremony, our dad’s picked each other up (as is part of the Indian tradition)! I was shocked and everyone had a good laugh.

Seeing my 9 yr. nephew cry during our ceremony. So precious.

Sam and his mom doing their “Jai Ho” dance!

Here is the final breakdown of our $20,000 budget:

Stationary $400

Beauty & Attire $1,400
(Second outfit was a gift from groom’s parents)

Rentals & Decor $1,200

Photography $2,000

Flowers (Gift from my parents)

 

Food & Bar service $12,000

Band/ Entertainment $1,700

Our biggest splurge was the entertainment. We really wanted our guests to be wowed and enjoy the night with us. Going with a band was definitely a budget breaker, but we have heard so many people raving over them still a month later.

Cake/ Rings/ Gifts/ Misc $1,300

One of the ways we saved money was by using friends and family as vendors. My mom did the flowers, cousin did the decorating, friends did makeup and photography, and Sam’s dad was the officiant.

  

My advice for those of you who are in the middle of planning, is to go with your heart. There are so many decisions to make and so many different options to choose from, so when you know that you love something, don’t second guess it. Make decisions as quickly as possible to avoid getting over worked and stressed about every minor detail. In the end, you will be married, and no one else will remember the colour or amount of tea lights you had on the table.

To see more photos of our wedding day, you can check out some recent posts on my blog.

All photos credited to Erin Leydon Photography.