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

_________________ Thanks for reading Budget Savvy Wedding of the Week: Gillian + Justin : Massachusetts Wedding by Joanna Wilson 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’m so excited to share this creative and colorful wedding from  Meghan Christine Photography! I was so thrilled to hear that the bride found Meghan right here on the Budget Savvy Bride after viewing a previous BSWOW! It’s only fitting that Mark & Lindsey’s wedding be featured as well- as they pulled off a unique and fun wedding by employing lots of budget-savvy ideas into their big day. Lindsey enlisted the help of family and friends in order to create their beautiful, hand-crafted wedding! And of course Meghan captured every lovely detail here for your viewing pleasure! Hope you enjoy this edition of the BSWOW! 

Mark & Lindsey

July 2nd 2011
Rensselaer, Indiana

Where did you get married?

We got married at St. Joeseph’s College Chapel in Rensselaer, Indiana.

What was your budget? Give a rough breakdown of what you spent if possible.

How many guests did you have?

We had about 175 guests. I have a very large family and we knew it would be a big wedding from the start. Having so many guests adds a lot of expense, but we didn’t want to exclude anyone.

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

We wanted the wedding to have a sort of vintage/eclectic feel, but at the same time feel very relaxed and down to earth. Both Mark and I are very outdoorsy and we wanted our wedding to have a relaxed, laid-back summer feel. My mom was a huge help to me, as was my wedding coordinator. I love DIY projects and wanted the day to really reflect us, so I had a blast making a ton of different things! I made the pinwheel favors and ribbon wands after finding a DIY tutorial online. They were time-consuming, but so worth it! I found the inspiration for my brooch bouquet online and collected and assembled the brooches myself and with help from friends and the bouquet included brooches from my mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and the mother of the groom. The hankie favors were DIY, cut out of a thrifted sheet and embroidered on my sister’s fancy sewing machine. The boutonniers were the only DIY project I came up with entirely on my own, without online inspiration or tutorial – I made mini versions of the larger pinwheels and hot-glued them, along with lace, ribbon and twine, to craft pin-backs. The place cards I stamped and embellished myself, and I also printed and assembled the ceremony programs. Most of the reception decorations were either thrifted or borrowed – we only rented a few things like the tablecloths, table runners and chairs.

The rest of the DIY projects were all family efforts. I’m very blessed to have an incredibly talented and creative (and HUGE!) family – I know I couldn’t have done it without them. My mom and I searched for months through the dishware sections of every goodwill and thriftstore in our area, picking out eclectic and vintage-looking chinaware. After we carted home enough dinner plates, salad plates, teacups, and silverware to feed 200 people, my mom ran it all through the dishwasher and I paired up dinner and salad plates that looked good together.

The pennant banners that decorated the reception area were one of my favorite projects. Mark and I thrifted a bunch of bedsheets from goodwill and then I cut them into pennant shapes with pinking shears, pinned them to twine, then my cousin and I sewed them together. It was so much fun to find all the different fabrics. My mom and a family friend made the Ball jar lanterns that hung from the reception ceiling with the banners.

My aunt did all my flowers – she’s a florist in Texas, so for my Indiana wedding she and her sisters and my great-aunt all piled into their suburban and drove to my house, then set up a florist shop in my basement. They did everything – the chapel decorations, the bridesmaid’s bouquets, the reception flowers – and they did it all in two days. They’re amazing!

My cousins and I made all the wedding cakes. I chose three flavors – chocolate, white almond and carrot cake – and we baked for two days, under the supervision of my teenaged cousin Leah who wants to go to culinary school and open a bakery someday. I ordered the cake toppers from a shop on etsy. The cakes were one of the best parts of the reception – I have gotten so many compliments on them and lots of people asking for the recipes. It was so much cheaper to make our own cakes than to get them from a bakery, and they turned out wonderfully.

My wedding dress was my mom’s but since she and my dad got married in the 80s, it needed some significant changes – the giant puffed sleeves were out, for one. My amazing tailor Tricia took the dress and completely made it over – I got my mom’s dress with an updated look.

My flowergirl Dani was the daughter of my cousin Hannah, and Hannah made Dani’s dress herself, as well as letting me borrow a lot of craft supplies and decorations and providing the recipes for the wedding cakes.

I found most of my DIY projects in various places around the web and relied on advice from my bridesmaids and cousins. This was definitely a family affair! I love having a big extended family, and I treasure all the time I got to spend with my cousins, aunts and friends. Since Mark’s family lives in Pennsylvania, only a few of his close family and friends could make the trip to Indiana, but they were so helpful in setting up and tearing down the ceremony and reception spaces. We had a great time at our wedding – it was wonderful to finally get to enjoy the fruits of so many months of planning and to celebrate our new marriage! If I could go back, there’s nothing I would change.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

With such a large family it was a necessity to save money where we could! My cousins and I made and decorated all the wedding cakes ourselves from scratch. My aunts did all my floral arrangements and bouquets – since one of my aunts is a florsit she was able to buy flowers wholesale with a florist discount. My mom and I scoured thrift shops and seconhand stores looking for decorations – we got all our mismatched china and all the silverware from goodwill and all the brooches for my brooch bouquet were either thrifted or given to me. The thing that most helped us save money was utilizing and relying on the resources of our families. Having such a large family made the wedding more expensive, but it also gave us a lot of resources and help!

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

If you’re really serious about saving money, keep the guest list small! But if you have a lot of people you just have to invite, ask them for help! It will give your wedding a personal touch and you’ll always remember the help they gave you.

What was your biggest splurge?

Our biggest splurge was on the food. I think that most people really remember the food at weddings, so we wanted to be able to offer really good food with a homecooked feel.

What was your favorite detail?

It’s hard to choose just one! I loved my brooch bouquet, with brooches from my grandmother, greatgrandmother, mom and mother-in law, but one of my favorite memories is of the two days my two cousins and I spent making all our cakes! It was such a wonderful time and the cakes have gotten the most compliments of any aspect of the wedding!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

It really does go by in a blur, but the one moment that stands out to me is when I was walking down the aisle. I was overwhelmed and so happy and then I looked up and saw Mark for the first time. That memory is very special to me.

VENDORS:

My wonderful photographer was Meghan Lubeck of Meghan Christine Photography. She did a wonderful job and I love the photos!
My aunts did all the floral arrangements.
Tricia Gastineau of Alamode Kabash Sewing altered my wedding dress.
The reception was at the Jasper County Fairgrounds.
The ceremony was at the St. Joseph’s Colleg Chapel.

_________________ Thanks for reading Mark + Lindsey by Meghan Christine 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 ::

This wedding makes me happy inside for oh-so-many reasons! Sweet Emily has been a reader of BSB for quite some time, and we’ve exchanged quite a few emails over the last year. Emily is currently taking graphic design courses and before taking the plunge of going back to school, she emailed lil ol’ me for advice! *blushes* Emily is super sweet and upbeat– her wedding to her hubby, Blake, only radiates this fact with its sunny yellow color scheme. I DIE. Seriously. Nothing warms my heart like yellow weddings!! Emily might just be the most adorable bride ever– I totally teared up at the pics of she and Blake seeing each other for the first time- pure, raw joy on their faces– that’s what your wedding day should be all about! And to make it all more random and sweet, I just realized that I went to grade school with her hubby Blake. WHOA! It continually amazes me the ways I have connected with so many people as a result of this blog. Anyway, on with the feature- congrats to you both, and thanks for sharing your big day with BSB!!

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

A little over $17,000

Venue chapel and barn discounted for a Sunday $2,800

Rob Ingram Photography $3,300

200 Cupcakes, small bride cake on top and groom cake made by a friend Mandy Cornelius $388

Catering Jim n Nicks bbq incl tip $3,200

Second Nature Mo Town Band incl tip $1350

Flowers and decorating by Buttercup blooms $1550

Alfred Angelo dress, etsy veil, alterations, necklace, garter, going away dress from Ananya and jcrew shoes $925

Hair and makeup by professional makeup artist Baby Kat Shields for me and my maid of honor and a trial run through $420

$3 buck chuck wine from trader joes and buying our own beer $600

Misc items-reception décor, printing invites, save the dates, thank you cards, programs, envelopes, stamps, wedding favors, other tips, shower gifts and other gifts for those involved, and catering for bridesmaid dinner and gifts etc…. $3800

How many guests did you have?

180

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

We had the original caricature framed and available to sign from our save the date (which was featured on BSB here.) It is so much fun to have that in our house for years to come. We had the caricature since 2007 from a trip to Miami when we were dating and then to have it as a part of our wedding has a double meaning.

I let my bridesmaids chose whatever color shoes and accessories and just was very laidback about the style. After being in plenty of weddings I seriously didn’t care what they did as long as they were with me.

I am an aspiring graphic designer so I designed all the save the dates, invites, programs and thank you notes so the printed materials would be consistent from start to finish.

I also bought a vintage typewriter, framed old photos of our parents’ weddings and made a sign for the barn and just had little touches here and there that reflected our laid back style and fun energy.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

ETSY!!!! Blogs like BSB and others to get great tips and ideas. I just pulled from some of the ideas I liked and tried to find things cheaper. I got my bridesmaid gifts, hostess gifts, gifts for helpers with the wedding, grooms gift, jewelry for the wedding day, my garter, my going away dress, my veil…almost everything from ETSY. Having friends help decorate, finding a florist who understood my laid back attitude and just gave us a flat rate and helped find items for us to use and make it work!

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

I really had a very enjoyable experience. I am 31 and my husband is 5 years younger. My taste has certainly evolved and changed since I was in my 20s and I knew I wanted the wedding to be laid back, casual, comfortable and fun. We are a pretty laid back couple so we wanted the wedding to reflect that. No sense getting stressed about the things that don’t matter. What matters the most is the marriage. I’d rather spend my energy focusing on the future rather than a day.

Once I got all the major players reserved I just soaked it all in. I made sure this was about celebrating God, us and our friends and family and just had a blast.

As far as budget is concerned, don’t overestimate the number of attendees. We had so many RSVPs. We had like 200 who RSVP’d yes and then about 30 couples we hadn’t heard from at all. So I got nervous that there wasn’t going to be enough food, drinks or favors and upped the numbers some. We totally didn’t need to do that and I really could have saved more money had we not over estimated. If the food runs out so what, if the gifts are gone so what-they came to see you get married not eat and drink for free.

To tell you the truth I still have a bag of bubbles and some wedding favors if anyone needs any and I’m sure there was so much food thrown out it’s sad to think about!

What was your biggest splurge?

Photography of course! It lasts when the flowers are wilted and the food is gone. And I did get a professional hair and makeup stylist. If I was spending a fortune on the photos I wanted my makeup and hair to make me look like a rockstar ☺

What was your favorite detail?

My absolute favorite was our wedding cake topper! I found her on etsy and secretly included my cat on there! My cat has a personality to say the least and she sort of is the reason I knew Blake loved me. A few months after we started dating, I discovered my cat had diabetes and I was going out of town and Blake had to give my cat a shot! Later that year I remember wondering if he loved me because we hadn’t said it yet and my maid of honor said, “UM…he gave your cat an insulin shot! Pretty sure he loves you!” I just couldn’t leave that piece of our story out of the wedding day.

The other perfect detail about the topper is that when it arrived Blake’s glasses had fallen off and I had to glue them back on. Around 4 years ago when I first met Blake, his glasses were broken and he had fixed them with tape so it only added to the perfection!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

The sermon! My closest and dearest friend from college is a minister and he was able to marry us. He gave such a great message to us that fit us so dearly that it really solidified why we were standing up there. Our relationship has moved at a perfect pace over the course of our 3.5 years of dating and he encouraged us to continue moving our marriage at the perfect pace of what God has in store for us. To follow God’s guidance as to how our marriage should grow. It was the reason we got married, to glorify God with our lives.

Please also include a list of all your vendors including any website links.

Photography- Rob Ingram Photography

Dress- Alfred Angleo

Shoes- J Crew

Veil- Twigs & Honey on Etsy

Garter- Sugar Plum Garters on Etsy

Bridesmaid dresses and Bride’s going away dress- Ananya on Etsy

Necklace- LyLey on Etsy

Cake Topper- Samyii on Etsy

Venue- American Village

Catering- Jim n Nicks BBQ

Wedding Band- Keith Williams and 2nd Nature group

_________________ Thanks for reading Yellow Preppy Wedding 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 ::