_________________ Thanks for reading Stunning Budget Wedding by Sunglow Photography from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

Here’s every last detail just for you! This photo is of Dane and I in front of the Liberty Theater in Dayton, Wash. All photos are by the talented Ali Walker at Ali Walker Photography.

To my dear friends,

It has been so fantastic to share my journey with you. We have all 600 of our wedding photos and I’ve combed through them to find all the best details to inspire you. The wedding was a really emotional time for us and each day that passes I love the details of our wedding more and more and I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish. Enjoy!

Our chapstick favors! Our guests hoarded these! There were none left!

Maid of honor Jennifer helps with my dress.

Our program was a two-sided newspaper I made.

Me, mom and Jennifer.

I used puzzle-maker.com to make a free word search with all of our guests’ names in it for our guest book.

Glamour shot!

Sister Alison and Jennifer helped me put I Do stickers on my wedding shoes.

My favorite project — my bouquet made of heirloom brooches from family and friends.

Our ceremony was late in the day so we did a first look. I loved spending more time with Dane on our wedding day. It was one of the few times I didn’t feel stressed.

Dane gives our snowflake girl Brooklynn a high five.

Our bridal party! The buys rented suits and my maids picked out black dresses. Their tights had small polka dots and their jewelry included pearl dangly earrings and pearl bracelets with black bows.

Dane made his boutonierre out of duck and goose feathers and copper wiring to go with our no-flowers decor.

My maids had bouquets made out of vintage sheet music. The sheet music was actually music for Christmas carols!

We were all freezing for pictures but that kind of made it more fun because we were a little more candid.

Our ring bearer Kolton wore suspenders and a gray bowtie and looked precious. We’re proud of him for making it down the aisle.

These little plastic deer were on the cupcakes. Loved them!

Our s’mores bar was a hit. We ordered peppermint and caramel marshmallows to add some variety.

My mom, and my best friend, gave me away. This was one of the best choices I made.

Yup, I cried the whole way through the ceremony. I managed to laugh a little bit too as I read my vows to Dane. He and I chose to write our own.

My father-in-law and his buddies made us this eight-tier cupcake tree. The cupcakes were red velvet and chocolate cake with peppermint icing.

After the ceremony was over and the food was served I could finally let my hair down. I popped into the photo booth with Dane and enjoyed showing off the photos.

And then when my dress got too hot I changed into my second dress and we danced the night away!

Jillian & Dane

December 15, 2012

Weinhard Hotel | Dayton, Wash.

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

Our original budget was $12,000-$15,000.

Venue  – Restored hotel was $2,000 for the day, including all 14 guest rooms for the night

Catering – $3,895

Day-of Wedding Planner – $1,050

Photo Booth – $600

Decorations – $300

Rentals (Cocktail Tables, linens, heaters) – $390

Bridal Dress & Accessories – $1,730

Groom’s Suit & Accessories: – $130

Favors – $60

DJ – $558

Ceremony Pianist – $100

Paper goods – Save-the-dates, invites, stamps, favor tags, programs – $1,047

Photographer (all-day wedding coverage & engagement photos) – $3,075

Gifts for Wedding Party – $400

Total: $15,335

How many guests did you have?

75

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

It was a goal of mine to make our wedding feel personal and do as much for free as we could. I worked for a newspaper at the time of our wedding and so I designed a two-page newspaper as our wedding program, complete with personalized crossword puzzle. We printed out childhood photos of ourselves as décor near the restrooms and spent countless hours cutting out paper snowflakes for our 3-D snowflake wall. Our guest book was made for free. I used a free puzzle maker program online to make a word search with all our guests’ names. I made our card box, my bouquet out of family heirloom brooches and all of the special touches including embossing, ribboning and stamping our invitations.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

We saved the most money on our venue and our food. I originally thought we would get married at a winery, and those venues start at $4,500 for an evening. Our hotel at $2,000 was a steal. Also, because we had heavy appetizers for our food, we saved a lot of money there, too. Also, because of my new husband’s allergies, we didn’t do any real flowers. My bouquet was made of heirloom brooches and my girls’ bouquets were made of vintage sheet music flowers.

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

I felt like I was really prepared and organized until the last month. When we had deaths in the family and I left my job for a new career, things got really crazy and all of a sudden I had almost no time to finish up the last-minute details. I started throwing money at projects to get them done, which hurt my budget. But, every detail was perfect the day of. My best advice is take the week off before the wedding so you can devote plenty of time to handling last-minute issues that pop up. I also will never regret shelling out the $$$ for my day-of wedding coordinator. If there were any issues, I wasn’t aware of them! Ignorance is bliss sometimes!

What was your biggest splurge?

Photography! And it was so worth it- Ali did an incredible job capturing our day. We also splurged on our photobooth and everyone had a great time with it.

What was your favorite detail?

I loved my bouquet. I had brooches from all grandmothers and family friends and it sparkled like nobody’s business. I also loved the plastic deer toppers on our cupcakes. It was a nod to my new husband’s love of nature and “exploring.”

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

I LOVED taking photos with my fiancé, soon-to-be husband, before the ceremony. We spent about an hour together freezing in the December weather and running around Dayton getting mud on my dress. It was one of my only low-stress points of the day. It also started to snow during our ceremony and I could see the big fluffy flakes falling through the windows of the hotel. That was awesome.

VENDORS

Venue Weinhard Hotel, Dayton, Wash.| Photography  Ali Walker Photography| Caterer Olive Catering| Dress Jasmine and Alfred Angleo | Hair & Make-up Marcia Willard | Wedding Coordinator Without A Hitch Walla Walla | Rentals Sandy’s U-Rent, Sun Rentals | DJ Loney Tunes

_________________ Thanks for reading Jillian’s Wedding Recap + Budget Breakdown from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

This wedding looks like a million bucks, but the bride and groom managed to pull it off for $15k! I’d say that they were definitely budget savvy. This is one of the most *glam* events we’ve featured on BSB so it’s awesome to know that you can pull this type of wedding off for less! Hope it inspires you! – xoxo, Jessica

Montserrat + Rafael

May 26th, 2012

Ceremony: St. Joaquim Church, Costa Mesa C.A Reception: Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, Santa Ana, C.A.

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

$15,000

Breakdown:

•  CEREMONY FEE: $0.00 Sponsored by groom’s uncle
• CEREMONY CHOIR: $250.00
• RECEPTION VENUE: $9,415 (including tax and service fee) appetizers during cocktail hr, sit down dinner, soft drinks, alcohol & cake
• LINENS & PILLAR RENTALS: $300.00
• LIGHTING: $0.00 GIFT!!
• GOWN & ACCESSORIES: $1,500 (Includes alterations)
• GROOM’S SUIT: $550
• VIDEOGRAPHY: $450.00
• PHOTOGRAPHY: $800.00
• DJ/MC: $450.00
• FLOWERS: $850.00
• DIY PHOTOBOOTH WALL: $60.00
• DIY FAVORS: $350.00
• MISCELLANEOUS COSTS FOR DIY PROJECTS: $250.00-$300.00

How many guests did you have?

120

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

I am all about details and personalizing! I like to add my touch to everything and of course my wedding was not going to be the exception!  Almost everything in the wedding had a reason and meaning behind it. Here are some DIY items I incorporated in the wedding: Vases for votive candles, candlelight table numbers, Manzanita trees for the entrance aisle at the reception, Wishing tree as the guestbook, photo booth wall (guests loved it). Brooch Toss bouquet, favors, Gift card box, Mexican candy station, table with photos of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents to show the generations of love and marriage!

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

I love saving money without sacrificing style and taste..it took a lot of research and work from flowers, vendors and every little detail and it was all worth it!  Our biggest money saver was sticking to a venue that offered us the most for our money! There were tons of beautiful venues but costs kept on adding on, from room rental fees plus dinner, or renting tables, chairs etc! Most of the wedding budget goes to food! We didn’t want to pay a rental fee for the venue and on top worry about the cost of food, so we got a venue that gave us both! The cost of $54.00 per guest was extremely reasonable considering appetizers, first course, main entrée, three tiered cake and soft drinks were included.

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

Set a reasonable budget and stick to it! Yes you can have a beautiful wedding- no, you don’t need to spend a fortune! There are so many beautiful ways to upgrade your wedding without breaking the bank! We had guests wondering how much we spent on our wedding! Some family members thought we spent around $30 to $40k!! With that much money we would have had our wedding and enough leftover to put money down for a house and buy furniture!

My tips:

1. Buy a glueglun!! DIY as much as possible! I also suggest you use friends and family members’ talents! My mom did the favors and they were so beautiful! Another friend of mine arranged the lighting!
2. Do research on vendors! It takes time but it pays off! As far as flowers, I suggest you don’t take for granted “non-fancy looking” shops around fancy areas; you will be amazed on what you can find for the cost!
3. Find a DJ that also Emcee’s! you won’t need a day of coordinator since the DJ will be announcing all events during the wedding and your wedding will be perfectly on time.

What was your biggest splurge?

We spent the most on food.

What was your favorite detail?

I loved the flower arrangements…when I walked in the ballroom and saw them and how every single arranged was spotted by light it made me want to cry!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?  

I have so many! but walking down the aisle and seen my husband still gets me teary eyed.

VENDORS

Flowers: http://www.santosflowers.com  |  DJ: http://www.jdstarproductions.com  |  Photography: http://courtney-mcmanaway.com/  |  Videographer: http://www.sophotography.net/

_________________ Thanks for reading California Wedding: Montserrat + Rafael by Courtney McManaway Photography from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

I haven’t posted in a while. Things have been…rough. Though, things are okay. Actually they are totally okay it’s just that life has a funny way of being inconvenient. That being said I just wanted to drop a quick update so that I didn’t leave you all hanging in the dark for too long. A few things:

• After my last post about budget woes we happened upon a minor financial windfall (not big enough to leave all my anxiety behind but enough to keep the panic attacks at bay).

• Fun Fact – We’re getting married on the 56th Anniversary of Doc Brown’s discovery of time travel!

"Marty! We've Got To Go Back!

• Multiple friends have offered fun ways to incorporate Back to the Future references during the reception. My favorite thus far is that at the end of the night someone grabs the mic and says “Hey! Why don’t you make like a tree…and get outta here”
• I’ve somehow succumbed to the fact that there will be light sabers at our wedding.
• This Saturday we’re hosting a Craft-o-Thon at our apartment (we have conned most of the bridal party with food and booze)
• I’m excited about giving Katie’s Napkin Flowers a try
• I’ll have a much better update for you next week

Until then, have a lovely weekend!

_________________ Thanks for reading {Michelle} Not Sure If Anyone Noticed But… from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

The first thing that we started looking into (pre-engagement ring hunting) was the perfect venue. Traditional catering halls just don’t do it for us. We weren’t completely certain as to what we wanted, we just knew that we wanted it to be different. I believe I may have spent the better part of an entire weekend tunneling through the internet. Continuously clicking my mouse as I viewed and scrutinized every raw event space website in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn. Why a raw space you ask – well, because I thought that perhaps it would be a touch cheaper.  Boy was I incorrect.

Now don’t get me wrong, a blank slate of a space is a fantastic concept if you have the means to set it up inexpensively, but after I reviewed the cost of the space (most of which fell into the $7k – $11k range!) then factor in food, beverage, tables, linens, staff, etc. – I discovered that I would have a minimum of a $25k wedding on our hands and that just does not seem reasonable.

I decided to take a step back for a few days and brainstorm with Japh about the best course of action. I have a tendency of being a little neurotic when it comes to planning (neurotic in the nicest sense. It’s quaint to have check-lists and to basically give yourself an anxiety attack while you rack your brain to make sure that you’ve covered every last detail, right?). Due to this condition I just could not stay away from continuing to seek out the most fabulous and budget friendly venue in NYC.

Then one day in January I came across an interesting filter on The Knot; an option to select only “unusual / alternative” venues. I chose “Manhattan” and a short list appeared on my screen. The first one I noticed was called “Housing Works Bookstore Café”, I was already in love. Japh and I have a bit of a familiarity with the Housing Works charity; we stumbled across one of their thrift shops during a day-date in the summer of 2010. It’s a wonderful organization and their mission is something that we certainly get behind:

Housing Works is a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Our mission is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts.

Outside of the fact that all the proceeds for the wedding will go towards the charity, the space is a bookstore! I’m a big reader and collector of first editions—Japh is also incredibly well read and has been working for a bookstore for a number of years now.  And the pictures of the space…

(Source: Housing Works)

So yea, this is our venue. It’s the first one we took the time to check out physically and it’s just damn near perfect! Also, the price-point suits our budget. Here’s a quick breakdown for a minimum of 60 guests:

• Space Rental (2-hours for prep & 4-hours for ceremony & reception): $2,680.00
• Equipment Rental (tables, linens, flatware, etc,): $1,080.00
• Cocktail Hour Hors d’œuvre: $603.00
• Open Wine & Beer Bar (3.5-hours): $1,935.00
• Organic / Locally Grown Buffet Dinner: $1,350.00
• Cupcakes (assorted): $360.00
• Staff (3-chefs, 1-floor captain, 2-bartenders & 3-servers): $1,799.00

Tentative total for 60 guests = $9,807.00. Everyone after 60 will cost $115.00 person. We’re thinking that we’ll probably fall into about the 65 guest category, so our final invoice will probably be closer to $10,382.00. Yes, that is an astounding amount of money and just about 70% of our total budget BUT it’s all inclusive which means we don’t have to worry about an outside caterer or staffing or table rentals. We already have some great DIY projects for the centerpieces, bouquets, photobooth and stationery which will (hopefully) be at minimal costs. Fingers cross that we can do the rest for under $4k!

_________________ Thanks for reading {Michelle} Desperately Seeking Fabulous Yet Affordable Venue. Traditional Catering Halls Need Not Apply from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

Hey there BSB readers! My name is Michelle and my fiancé Japheth (for those that are curious it’s pronounced “Jay-Fifth”) and I hail out of Astoria, Queens NY. I’m seriously looking forward to sharing my pre-wedding projects, experiences and potential mishaps with you over the course of the next 6(ish) months.

Japh & I, Dec. 2010

How We Met (the abridged version)

Japh and I met by way of OkCupid.com (yep, that’s right—we’re an internet dating cliché) in November of 2009. He sent me a playful smart aleck message and I was slightly put-off but then I started perusing his profile and there was a photo of him dressed as Cyclops from The X-Men for Halloween and I thought to myself “Well now I HAVE to go out with this guy” (no seriously, I really love The X-Men). Email banter manifested itself to instant messaging which then turned into long text messaging sessions throughout our respective workdays.  All was fantastic with the exception that he lived about 80 miles away in a small town in Northern New Jersey. To be honest, at the time even though I found Japh to be completely perfect for me I just didn’t see how we were going to work around the distance. Our first date lasted 8+ hours. By date three Japh wanted to “put this on lock” and asked me to be his girlfriend and the rest is well…moving along quite nicely.

Sometimes it's the little things that make you love a person

The Proposal

After dating long distance and basically having a “weekend” relationship for 10 months, Japh’s car died. Instead of throwing money into a new car we decided that it was time to see if we could make this relationship work on a full-time basis (having him living in NYC meant there was no need for a vehicle). He moved into my place in October of 2010. Fast forward about 3-months and we find ourselves lying in bed talking about future plans and it just sort of happened organically—we love each other and it just seemed like the natural thing to do. There was no ring or formal “will you marry me” that night, just an overwhelming feeling of wonder and trust.

The Wedding Budget

I’m a numbers gal who loves equations and all things math related. After a bit of calculating I figured that the cheapest and chicest way for us to throw the type of celebration that we wanted without depleting our bank account would be to go the DIY route. Both of us are big on up-cycling so I feel that we have a bit of an edge when it comes to making things. Also, our family and friends are crafty (which translates to lots and lots of appreciated costless labor!).

Our overall objective is to have a NYC wedding on November 5^th, 2011 for >$15k with 65 of our nearest and dearests. After conducting a bit of initial research, this proved a risky goal due to the fact that living in one of the most expensive cities means that on top of the ridiculous costs of wedding related items that lovely NYC price tag is attached as well. There have been a few bumps in the road but thus far we’re doing well and keeping on the straight and narrow budget-wise.

To reiterate, I’m stoked to be sharing this life altering experience with you all and hope that the challenges that we face will be both helpful and humorous.

_________________ Thanks for reading Meet Michelle from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

Hello everyone!

I cannot believe this is real! My name is Katie, and I am absolutely ecstatic to share my crazy, upside-down, and fantastic wedding plans with The Budget Savvy Bride. I’ve been obsessively following this blog for almost a year, and it’s such an honor to be able to contribute to it! My fiance and I are planning an October wedding for 175 guests with a budget of $15,000. We’re going for classic and simple and traditional and wonderful and slightly 1950s-esque and vintagey. I am overwhelmingly excited!

Here I am with my fiance, Justin!

We’re from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’m currently teaching high school English and he just graduated with a degree in Athletic Training. We met in high school (aww), and, although we didn’t date then (he’s a year younger than me and I was faaaaaaaaar too cool to date a junior when I was a senior; duh), it did not take him long to win me over.

We started dating shortly after and we’ve been inseparable ever since (I mean hello please just look at how cute he is)!

Soooo last summer we took an extraordinary trip to Washington DC. I’m the biggest history/government dork and one of our best best friends lives there, so it was the perfect place to spend a few days together. We roadtripped it, which was tremendous, and I absolutely loved every single second of bopping around our nation’s capital.

Our second day there fell on Justin’s birthday. After the best day of perusing through museums and sightseeing all over the city, we made it downtown to see the monuments at nighttime (can I promote going to DC here? PLEASE go to DC! It’s BEAUTIFUL!). Stunning is an understatement; they were perfect. EVERYTHING was perfect, and at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial (also perfect), Justin got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. OBVIOUSLY I said yes, and we got an astounding round of applause from everyone visiting the memorial! Oh I cannot even tell you how flawless it was.

Oh heyyy. Here we are at the capital! (not engagement day, but close enough)

So I think that’s that. We have a little over 5 months until the wedding, and I have never been more excited for anything in my life. Justin is quirky, goofy, spontaneous, logical, thoughtful, compassionate, caring, loving, funny, intelligent, and always always always puts others before himself. I am, hands down, the luckiest girl in the entire world. I’m so excited to keep rocking out our wedding planning and I’m even more excited to have the opportunity to share it all with you. Thank you too much for letting me! Have the best day!

XO,

_________________ Thanks for reading Hi, I’m Katie! :) from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

What was your budget?

$15,000- here’s the breakdown:

Church/Organist – $150
Reception Hall – $1,000
Catering – $5,500
Alcohol – $1,000
Photography – $2,000
Music – $1,200
Stationary – $750
Attire – $1,000
Planner – $1,000
Linens – $400

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

We chose to get married in my family’s small church near the beach, it is so old, small and quaint that it didn’t need much decorating it was just wonderful to know that my family sat there every Sunday and we had exchanged our vows there. For our reception we thought outside of the box. We wanted a beautiful location at the beach but didn’t have much money. Our location doesn’t advertise a lot and the ballroom was small so it was a steal and very unique. We had our cocktail hour in the lobby and made our entrances down the large marble steps so we could join our guests.

Each couple in our bridal party had their own song and loved the attention. Once it was our turn we descended the stairs, popped a few bottles and filled our champagne tower. After mingling for a while our guests were asked to go upstairs to the ballroom. We were re-introduced to another song and danced our first dance to Elvis “Can’t help falling in love.”

_________________ Thanks for reading Rachel + Matt from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

Things I love about this wedding: 1) It’s from my hometown in Murfreesboro, TN. 2) The super creative programs and favors 3) The bridesmaid dresses! 4) The super hot photos against the dark cloudy sky- the weather might not have been perfect but they still got great shots! 5) The fun photobooth pics! Hope you all enjoy this installment of the Budget Savvy Wedding of the Week!

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

Our budget was roughly $15,000. We did end up going over the budget a bit, but we had some room for flexibility. We enrolled in a honeymoon registry, which really helped us to focus the money we had on the wedding and use the money gifted to us in the Honeyfund for the honeymoon itself. We spent the most on our venue and photography. The venue package included all catering and bar costs so it was our biggest expense, but well worth it not to have to find caterers on our own. And the food was beautiful and delicious!

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

I really wanted our wedding to be very personal and reflect who we are as a couple, so we jumped right in did a lot of things ourselves. We love to travel and have traveled quite a bit as a couple so we tried to make travel and our new journey together as a married couple the underlying theme of the wedding. We designed our wedding invitations to look like luggage tags, with an antique map on the front cover and a compass design inside. For our favors, we handmade coasters with old maps on the front. For our guestbook, we scattered blank postcards from our travels on a table and asked our guests to write messages to us to drop into a suitcase. We also designed our day of programs to look like U.S. Passports, complete with our compass and a picture of us.
For the ceremony itself, we had a good friend read an excerpt from Dr. Seuss's “Oh the Places You'll Go” and it just fit us and our wedding so perfectly.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

We just tried to DIY everything that we thought we could. We probably saved the most money by designing and printing all of our save the dates, invitations and thank you cards ourselves. We ordered our cardstock from Paper and More then designed everything in Inkscape and printed on our home printer. We had 5 page wedding invites shaped like a luggage tag, so we spent hours and hours cutting paper on a manual paper cutter which we borrowed from Stefan's work. Then there were the countless hours designing and figuring out wording, not to mention endless trips to WalMart for more ink. In the end though I think it was definitely worth it. We did it all for about $3 per invite and ended up with something really unique and totally us.

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

When your friends and family offer their help, take it! Earlier in the planning process I tried to take on a lot of big projects on my own and it could get a bit stressful. But towards the end, when the real time crunch began, I was definitely ready for some help. My friends and family were absolutely invaluable, spending their nights after work stuffing out of town bags, tying ribbons, folding paper and much more. I don't know what I would've done without their help.

What was your biggest splurge?

Our biggest splurge was on the photography. I'm a picture fanatic because I've always felt that pictures can immediately bring back memories that put you right back in the moment — and I knew from the start that we'd have to have stellar wedding photographs. We worked with Chris and Adrienne Scott, Photographers and they were absolutely amazing. Chris and Adrienne are so easy to work with — just like having two more friends at your wedding. In addition to the traditional photography, they set up a photobooth at our reception, where our guests could jump in with a variety of props and signs and everyone had an absolute blast with it. The pictures from the day are incredible — they could be something out of a magazine. The splurge was worth every penny.

What was your favorite detail?

Our favors were definitely my favorite detail of the day. For months before the wedding, every Sunday night we would open a bottle of wine, put on a movie and decoupage maps onto 4×4 tiles for our homemade coasters. We had so much fun doing it and I think they turned out as a really unique and useful keepsake from our day. And the best part? They ran us less than $1.50 per set!
I also am in love with my hair flower which I purchased from etsy seller TessaKim.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

I think the moment that stands out to me the most was the brief period of maybe a minute after the ceremony, when Stefan and I reached the end of the aisle just out of the room. After being so jittery from standing in front of everyone we know and reciting our vows, there was this moment alone after our processional, when he just grabbed me, dipped me down and planted this huge, happy, we-finally-did-it-we're-actually-married kiss on me and it was just the most intimate, amazing moment.

VENDORS:

Venue: Stones River Country Club
Photographer: Chris and Adrienne Scott
Cake: Jackson Bakery, bakery owned by bride's family
Flowers: Nila Gail Hunton, Murfreesboro, TN
DJ: Bobby Howard of I Do Weddings
Hair/Makeup: Heather Johnson of I Do Weddings
Hair Flower: TessaKim , etsy seller
Wedding Gown purchased at: Ever After Bridal

_________________ Thanks for reading Jessica + Stefan from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

I am thrilled to share this wedding with you today- you’re going to LOVE it! The lovely red and pink accents make it the perfect BS-WOW for the week of Valentine’s Day! Ohhh the details! The initials on the bouquets, the crystals from the trees, the red tissue pomanders, the paper products, the men in uniform! Le sigh. Min did alot of DIY projects to help pull off her $15,000 wedding in California. You can read more about her projects, and see more eye candy from her beautiful wedding on her blog, Minzilla.

Where did you get married?

We were married at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California. The ceremony took place in front of the gorgeous reflection pool in the rose gardens. We moved into the East Room, a perfect replica of the one in the White House, for the reception.

What was your budget?

Our budget was roughly $15,000:

Caterer: $5,500
DJ: $1,200
Flowers: $950
Day-of-coordinator: $250
Gown, alterations and accessories: $900
Cake/cupcakes: $230
Venue: $4500
Gifts: $170
Invitations and all paper products: $140
Rings: $45
Miscellaneous (candles, decorations): $250

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

Our wedding was full of DIY details. I created our invitations using a kit I found on clearance at Target that just happened to be the perfect color and design. To cut down on our catering budget, we got rid of cocktail hour so I made crossword puzzles to entertain the guests with during the thirty minutes we had before the reception. I also put together the cupcake stands by using glass plates and candle holders I found at the dollar store. The cupcakes were decorated with paper flags I designed and made myself. I started a blog to document these projects, and the guests had fun identifying details that they had read about online.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

When it came to trimming our budget, we decided to cut down on the flowers for our wedding. My sister and I made all of the bouquets out of fake flowers we found at Michaels at 40% off each piece. Our florist recommended that we reuse the centerpieces for the ceremony so that we would not need to purchase an arch, saving us $200. I also spent hours making red tissue pomander balls to line the aisle. The final cost for our ceremony decorations was abut $40.

Brandon and I also got a great deal on our amazing photographer, Hannah Suh, because she is a close friend of my sister’s. She is absolutely worth every penny, and I cannot stop going through all of our beautiful photographs.

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

I have several bits of advice for brides planning their wedding:

•  Create a separate email address designated just for wedding correspondences to keep your inbox organized.

•  Don”t be afraid to be opinionated. Vendors and even family members may try to persuade you to do something that you do not agree with. It is okay to politely say no.

•  We made a lot of alterations in contracts with our vendors when our budget was changed. Save all of these documents and keep track of your payments. I caught a few mistakes and quickly had them fixed.

•  The last month before the wedding really took a toll on both my mind and body. Unfortunately, the stress made me become short with people. Keep in mind how you are treating others and don”t forget to show your gratitude.

•  Have your caterer pack up any left over plates so that you can take it with you that night. We were starving when we got to our hotel room and ended up ordering a pizza.

•  If you are like me and have to do everything on your own, make a detailed list of where you want things placed at the wedding. My three paged instructions sheet was definitely a bridezilla moment, but it allowed me to just let go and trust that other people could handle it on their own. I was told later on that it really helped people.

•  This one is silly, but make a mental note to have good posture during your wedding and be aware of how you are holding your bouquet. I hate that I was slouching in a lot of my pictures.

•  A lot of things did not go according to plan during our wedding. Instead of fretting about it, just move on. I guarantee that people will not notice these little things.

What was your biggest splurge?

Our biggest splurge was on the venue itself. The Nixon Library was the first and only location we looked at on our hunt for the perfect location. As soon as we walked into the East Room, we fell in love with the elegant chandeliers, hardwood floors, and cozy fireplaces. We knew that it was the ideal location for our military wedding. To top it off, my husband and I went to our high school prom at the Nixon Library in May of 2005. We had our minds set on booking it before we even knew the price!

What was your favorite detail?

We really loved the music that we played during key points of our ceremony and reception and a lot of thought went into each unique choice. The wedding party walked down the aisle to Bright Eyes” “First Day of My Life” and I made my way down while Jack Johnson”s “Angel” played in the background. After our first kiss, Ray LaMontagne”s upbeat song “You Are The Best Thing” blasted from the speakers. The court entrance into the reception was Page France”s “Chariot”, while the saber arch was done to the Army Strong theme song. Finally, we swayed romantically to another Ray LaMontange song titled “Let It Be Me”.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

The ceremony was full of emotion, especially because of my husband. He lost all of his composure as soon as he spotted me walking towards him and started to cry. Brandon apologized to all of the guests because it began a complete domino effect and soon the entire crowd was sniffling. The rest of the ceremony lightened up when our officiant went about ten minutes into the ceremony before realizing that the guests were still standing. It was a perfect imperfection in our wedding.

Another memorable moment was our entrance into the reception. The only detail of the wedding that I had always set my mind on was the traditional military saber arch. We were blocked off from going completely through it when the last two groomsmen lowered their sabers and we had to “kiss to pass.” I was then officially welcomed into the Army by a swift tap on the bum.

Vendors:

Caterer: Jason”s Catering

DJ: Mark of Sterling Productions

Flowers: Flower Allie

Photographer: Hannah Suh

Gown and alterations: David”s Bridal

Veil: Bella Bridal Veils

Cake/Cupcakes: Cakes Created With Love

Venue: Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum

Ring: Titanium Knights

_________________ Thanks for reading Min + Brandon from: The Budget Savvy Bride

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