_________________ Thanks for reading California Wedding by Laura Hernandez 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 excited to introduce a new feature here on BSB: The Simply Savvy Sunday Section! We’ve been getting SO many wedding submissions lately that we decided we needed to feature more than just one per week! Since Sunday is one of our highest trafficked days on the blog, I thought what better day to share some simply savvy weddings with y’all! This Sunday section will feature weddings that were done on small budgets, just like our BSWOW (Budget Savvy Wedding of the Week) but will have more of a focus on intimate weddings, city hall ceremonies, and elopements- since they make up a HUGE chunk of the budget savvy wedding pie! Hope you enjoy this new feature and look forward to more simply savvy wedding goodness to come! xo- Jessica

Krystal + Storm

December 31, 2012

Lexington, Virginia

House Mountain Inn

What was your budget? Please give us a breakdown of how you spent your budget.

Approx $7,000: Venue – $2,200; Food/Cake/Alcohol – $1,600; Decorations/Flowers – $400; Dress/Suit/Accessories – $1,000; Photography – $1,100; Invitations – $150

How many guests did you have?

65

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

Storm and I are both musicians, so we included musical accents throughout the ceremony. My processional, our recessional, and first dance were favorite pieces and we used sheet music flowers for ceremony and reception decorations. Storm gave me a red rose on our first date, so we used red roses and baby’s breath for wedding/ceremony decorations. We used gold accents to celebrate New Years Eve – I wore gold shoes, we decorated the soles of the bridesmaids’ shoes with gold glitter, we brought gold noise-makers for midnight celebrating, the groom and groomsmen wore gold ties, and we used gold branch arrangements for ceremony decorations. We also wanted to celebrate the Christmas season, so we decorated with Christmas lights, candles, Christmas trees, and a hot chocolate bar with flavored marshmallows and candy.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

I bought bulk flowers from Sams Club and made bouquets, boutonnieres, and decorations with my bridesmaids. We also skipped serving a full meal and cake – we had 4-5 appetizers available for guests and served Sams Club cheesecake with a few different toppings. Our friends and family pitched in to help decorate, DJ and do hair and makeup.

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

Relax and enjoy the process Everyone knows the major things you HAVE to get done (find a groom, dress, venue, etc.), but after that pick a few details to accomplish and don’t worry about making EVERYTHING go together. Things will go wrong, so just prepare for that and don’t let mishaps ruin your wedding.

What was your biggest splurge?

Venue and Appetizers – House Mountain Inn does their own catering.

What was your favorite detail?

The gold and sheet music accents – everything felt very coordinated, even if i was slightly clueless.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

First look photography session with Storm! So cold, but such a beautiful setting

VENDORS

Photography: Crystal Image Photography   |  Wedding Dress – Church Street Bridal, Lynchburg, VA (Church Street Bridal receives sample wedding dresses from a number of bridal shops – including Kleinfeld Bridal in NYC – and sells them at a great discount. Proceeds go to the Lynchburg, VA YWCA)  |   Groom’s Suit – Jos. A. Bank  |   Invitations – 123Print.com  |  Flowers – Sams Club Bulk Flowers  |   Dessert – Sams Club  |   Venue and Catering – House Mountain Inn;

_________________ Thanks for reading Virginia Mountain Wedding shot by Crystal Image 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 have quite the treat for you today with this week’s Wedding of the Week! I met the talented Aimee Siegel at one of her famous craft nights and just loved her creative spirit! Aimee shared this wedding with me that she helped to create lots of decor and other fun projects for, shot by the talented Amy Conner! I thought all of the crafts would make great inspiration for our readers and I’m trying to convince her to share some DIY tutorials with us soon as well! I love all the different ways they used burlap, cloth, and paper to make decor– definitely budget savvy and it looks fab, too! Doing so many decorations with the help of friends helped keep costs down for their $7,000 wedding budget. Hope you love this wedding as much as I do! -xoxo, Jessica

Crystal & Brian

September 22, 2012

Franklin, TN

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

Wedding Budget: $7,000

Rough Budget Breakdown:

Invitations/Supplies/Envelopes/Postage – $150.00

Wedding Dress/Alterations: $1130.00

Hair/Make-up/Mani-Pedi: $250.00

Grooms Tux Rental: $190.00

Engagement/Wedding Photography Package: $3000.00

Bridal Party Accessories, Boutonnieres, and Bouquets: $200.00

Chairs/Tables/Linen Rentals: $560.00

Décor & Favors: $1000.00

Flowers: $130.00

Cake/Cupcakes/Utensils/Cups/Plates etc: $240.00

How many guests attended your wedding?

We invited 176 and had around 115-120 guests in attendance.

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

After our engagement on March 15, 2012, Brian and I began dreaming up what we wanted our day to look like. At first we didn’t know what we wanted, there were so many options to choose from but within a few weeks of talking we learned about an opportunity to go to Italy for our honeymoon (something we never dreamed possible) and with that being an unbelievable reality, we knew exactly what we wanted our wedding to be – a simple, small intimate wedding, with a fun, chill atmosphere and family feel. We didn’t want our wedding day to be a “blur” as many others have described their big day. Brian and I made it uniquely us in every way and it was beautiful, simple and doable within the amount we had to work with. I couldn’t have asked for a better day and honestly wouldn’t change a thing! (well, maybe one thing…Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! Grooms, don’t let pale brides go without it on your outdoor wedding day!)

Everything we did in preparing for the wedding was pretty much DIY. But one bride cannot plan a wedding alone and create everything by herself. I was so blessed to have so many creative friends and family members to help me along in this 6 month process. I bounced many ideas off of them and collaborated with a core group of women on everything from handmade invitations and programs (Thank you Kristina Martinez!!), Décor (Thank you Mom, Denise and all those who participated in our crafting day!), Favors (Thank you Mom and all the girls that helped cut, assemble, stamp, zot, etc…), Bride and Bridal party accessories, bouts and fabric flower bouquets (Thank you to my 3 beautiful bridesmaids, mother and Aimee Siegel Creates!!).

One thing that was completely unique to Brian and I was one of our favors. We LOVE cooking!! We LOVE basil and making pesto! So with that being said, we decided to craft a favor that our guests could plant and grow, as well as eat and enjoy together with their family and friends. The crafting required print outs of the “Pesto Stuffed Mushroom” recipe, brown rustic cardstock cut into squares, a polaroid picture of us with handwritten note saying, “from our family to yours”, Twine, burlap tags with brides and groom initials stamped on them, Little favor envelopes, basil seeds, stamps that looked like basil as well as vintage letters. We made 75 favors (one for each family) and attached them to a hand painted pallet with twine and lace covered clothespins.

We also LOVE games, so for the reception we had Lawn Games available for guests to play such as Corn Hole and Lasso Golf.

In addition to the reception games we also included a photobooth where our handmade ceremony backdrop was also used as our photobooth backdrop. It turned out amazing!! My mom made chocolate, white chocolate and peanut butter mustache suckers to double as a tasty treat and photobooth prop.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

The BIGGEST blessing was the amazing people that gifted us with their time, talents and treasures…from creating invites and programs, to the making our cake and cupcakes. The use of a beautiful backyard location, live ceremony and reception music, amazing organizational and coordinating skills by our day of wedding/reception coordinator Ronda!! (Thank you for keeping me calm, sane and on track)! And not to mentioned our cute little getaway car that a stranger let us borrow! We were and are so overwhelmed with thankfulness!!

The next BIGGEST money savers:

-       Save the Dates: We created our Save the Date from a free template we found online and emailed all of our guests. The email announcement also had a link to our page on “mywedding.com”, a free website that allows you to create a personal wedding site featuring the couple’s story, registry info/links, wedding details, photos, wedding countdown, etc.

-       Crafting Parties! Denise, our décor coordinator, and I scheduled a fun day of getting as many bridesmaids, friends and family together to have a wedding crafting party!! We prepped and made burlap table runners with lace and flower rosette details, cut lace and covered clothespins, cut and assembled flag favors and recipe favors, painted photo booth props, pallets, frames, window panes, yard signs, corn hole set, cut wire for hanging mason jars for our floating flowers, as well as many other DIY décor details. We got so much done in the few hours we worked on these things and it was so much fun having all the girls together! Of course Brian and I had our own projects as well, he was my woodcraftsman. He cut wood for aisle décor, centerpieces, cake stands and cupcake stands, and sucker stands. We made the cutest ring bearer box from a thick tree branch! It had a top and bottom that we clasped together and rings fit in the slots that Brian hollowed out. For one of our flower girls I made a “Here comes the Bride” sign with wood, different fabrics and paint with handles on the back. For the other flower girl I found an inexpensive basket made out of twigs and filled it will heart shaped cut outs that I cut from Anthropology magazines. I also made our “Just Married” banner out of burlap, felt, material and twine.

-       Bridesmaid bouquet making day!!… Another wonderful and talented friend of mine, Aimee Siegel, does amazing works of art and artsyness! From framed artwork to handmade cards, hair flowers and headbands, as well as wedding and event styling! I was so honored to have her create hair flowers for my 3 bridesmaids and two flower girls, as well as my lace flower barrettes for my hair and beautiful fabric flowers for my sash belt. She also did an amazing job creating the fabric flower bouquets and coordinating boutonnieres for the guys! We were able to work with her on pricing and came up with a deal where my bridesmaids and I worked with Aimee to assemble our fabric flower bouquets. This allowed us to keep the cost down and free up Aimee’s time to work on the other pieces for our Bridal party that I previously mentioned.

-       Reassess your Rentals! Let’s face it – tables, and table linen rentals are expensive!! Brian and I did a cupcake reception with games, dancing and a photo booth. Not everyone needed a spot at a table as some would need to have for a sit down dinner reception. At first we rented 14 tables but a few weeks before the wedding we decided to take that down to 8 – 8 person tables. It was perfect for the simple, fun reception that we had on our day. This helped us save money on something that we didn’t need and put to use in other areas such as flowers, etc.

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

-       Don’t get lost in the plethora of choices- it can overwhelm you.

-       Don’t plan or do it alone.

-       Keep it simple. Find key things and ideas that you LOVE, something that is unique to your style as a couple and add to it as you go. It’s amazing how you have an “idea” of what the end result will look like as you piece things together, but it’s even more AMAZING when you see it all flow and work together. All the time you put into everything from thinking, planning, talking, dreaming, and creating. The end result is so rewarding. I believe that one of the main reasons our wedding flowed so well was having a team of people in our lives that heard us, knew what we wanted and could help walk through the process of everything weddingness with us. Whether it be a listening ear, getting input, shopping with you, etc. Who are those in your life that can be on your team?

What was your biggest splurge?

Capturing our day through the art of Photography!!! Being a photographer myself, this aspect was very important to me. I LOVE capturing life, love, and laughter in every photo that I take and I wanted to have someone capture our Wedding Day in a creative way that captured “us”!

What was your favorite detail?

We used some key pieces of furniture in our décor. I loved our teal sidebar that we put the cake/cupcake stands and beautiful cake and cupcakes on (made by my sis-in-law!!). I also LOVED all of the accessory pieces that Aimee made for the Bridal Party and me. Honestly I loved how ALL of the details came together to create a beautiful big picture.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Brian and I determined that we wanted to see each other before the wedding. We also knew that we were going to be doing all of the Bridal Party and Family photos before the ceremony. Amy, our lovely photographer, found an adorable location for our photos and coordinated Brian and I’s “First Look” time together before the rest of our wedding party arrived for group photos. Brian arrived with the assistant photographer at the location first in the cute yellow VW convertible bug we borrowed for our getaway car. When I arrived at the location with Amy, The getaway car was parked down a dirt road with a field of yellow wild flowers and barn in the distance. Brian’s back was to me and as I walked down the path to meet him, he turned around and we saw each other for the first time. All nerves of the day faded away and it was such a sweet moment. This was the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with from this day forward! Seeing him, and having that moment of aloneness with him, was exactly what we needed. I also surprised him during this time by singing to him.

VENDORS

For our uniquely beautiful Bridal Party Accessories (Bouquets, boutonnieres, sash flowers and hair flowers) we worked with the lovely – Aimee Siegel 

For décor dreaming, shopping and crafting we worked with the fabulous – Denise Barnum

Photographer extraordinaire: Amy Conner

For our tables, linens and chairs we called Art Pancake

_________________ Thanks for reading Adorable DIY Wedding with Burlap and Cloth Decor 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 ::

 

 

Forrest + Matthew

_________________ Thanks for reading North Carolina Wedding by Jen Yuson: Forrest + Matthew 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 adorable wedding from A&D Photography, submitted via Two Bright Lights just makes me smile from ear to ear! Janine and Colin chose to have an intimate wedding at their home for only their closest family and friends. By keeping it small, they were able to save alot of money- but chose to have a big fun Pub Party to include all their friends in a more casual setting. They really focused on what was important to them, and the result is oh-so-special! I love that they used their family’s china instead of renting dishes, and that they decided against a formal wedding party but gave boutonnieres to each of their guests to let them know how special they were to them. Such a sweet gesture! I hope you enjoy this edition of the Budget Savvy Wedding of the Week!

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

We didn’t have a starting budget – just a principle to get the wedding we wanted without wasting money or time on things that weren’t important to us. We were lucky that our parents were very supportive and footed the bill but we didn’t want to spend their money in a way we wouldn’t spend our own.

Our wedding (ceremony, lunch reception and pub party) ended up costing about $6,600.00

Attire

Gown (sample sale, free alterations by Mom) – $660.00

Accessories – $135.00

Hair and Makeup (including purchased makeup) – $200.00

Tuxedo Rental – $175.00

Ceremony

Officiant fee (discounted) – $200.00

Marriage licence – $75.00

Decorations – $70.00

Flowers (including boutonnieres for all guests) – $690.00

Lunch Reception

Food (family friend hobby caterer) – $750.00

Wine (our favorite red, white and sparkling) – $165.00

Wine glasses – $30.00

Cake – $20.00

Other

Pub Party Tab (finger food buffet and 2 hour open bar) – $1715.00

Invitations (emailed pdf postcard designed by me) – $0.00

Programs/Place Cards/Favour Tags/etc. (didn’t have them) – $0.00

Limo/Car Rental (got rides from friends) – $0.00

Photography (friend discount, including engagement shoot) – $1,400.00

Hotel Room – $315.00

How many guests did you have?

25 at the ceremony and lunch reception. About 100 at the Pub Party to celebrate our marriage as well as our move to Amsterdam.

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

Our wedding was all about creative and personal aspects so I’ll pick a few to share:

- we decorated our house with pictures of us throughout our relationship as well as one picture from my parents wedding and one picture from his parents wedding

- instead of renting dishes and cutlery, we used our parents’ china and silver

- we got boutonnieres for all of our ceremony guests to represent that we considered all of them our wedding party

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

The biggest thing we did to save time and stress with the bi-product of saving money was having the ceremony and lunch reception in our home with only our closest family and friends. To include all our other family and friends without breaking the bank, we made the Pub Party very casual and simple (no decorations, dj, speeches, etc.). By having the party at a big pub we didn’t have to pay for the venue, just the food and drinks we chose to include on our tab – if people hadn’t shown up or fewer than we’d booked for, they would’ve simply released some of our tables.

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

Planning our wedding in less than 2 months forced us to choose what was important to us because we just didn’t have the time to do everything that was “expected”. My advice would be to think about what you really want vs. what your parents might expect or what you’ve seen at other weddings. If you really want a first dance and conga line – make sure it happens, it’s your day and it’s worth it! If you’ve never really understood why people would spend money (or time) on flowers, don’t have flowers! It’s your wedding and you need to drop things that aren’t important to you so you can concentrate on the things that are.

One big thing we were glad we cut was a formal wedding party – we didn’t have to deal with bridesmaid drama, worrying about matching sets of male and female friends, added costs, thinking of the perfect personalized gifts or getting everyone ready on time.

What was your biggest splurge?

We didn’t need a hotel room on the night of the wedding – we had a perfectly good house sitting empty but it was it was great to have a chance to really step back and absorb the day and what it meant to us. It’s also nice to have breakfast brought to your room Another bonus was that by the time we got home the next day the house fairies (our caterer and parents) had the whole house spotless!

What was your favorite detail?

When we chose to have the wedding in our home, it seemed like a practical decision to avoid the stress and cost of finding a venue – but it ended up being a very good emotional choice. It was so special to have an intimate group at our ceremony in the house we’d carefully chosen based on our plans for our future together.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

When my dad sang a personalised version of “I loved her first” by Heartland and made everyone cry.

VENDORS

Venue: Our Home

Dress: Cameo and Cufflinks

Tux: Moore’s

Flowers: Pushing Petals

Hair: Angles Salon

Tiara: French Twist

Makeup: Laura @ Bobbi Brown in Holt Renfrew

Photography: A&D Photography

Marriage Commissioner: Tamara Jones

Hotel: Sheraton Eau Claire

Rings: Jewels by Maxime’s

Cake: Amato Gelato

Shoes: Aldo

Pub: The Kilkenny Irish Pub

_________________ Thanks for reading Janine + Colin 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 had such a hard time narrowing down the images for this Two Bright Lights submitted feature from Deborah Zoe! So many gorgeous shots, so many darling details. This fall wedding really warms my heart- from the bridesmaid styling to the season appropriate color scheme and centerpieces- it’s just stunning! Best of all, the bride had around 180 guests and pulled it all off for $7,000! Inspiring! Hope you all enjoy this feature as much as I have! 

Where did you get married?

North Church, Portsmouth NH, reception at a friend’s house in Madbury, NH

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

We wanted to keep our wedding in the $6,000 range, and definitely wanted to stay under $8,000. We spent around $7,000.

How many guests did you have?

We invited 260, and ended up with 180 guests at the wedding ceremony and reception.

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

My friend Colleen offered her Victorian house for our reception; this was a perfect fit for us! We wanted the reception to feel very informal and fun, like a big party with all of our friends and family. In my friend’s yard we set up two tents, a dance floor, a fire pit with s’mores, and tables and chairs under the tents and around the fire pit. Some people sat outside, and some sat inside the house which is beautifully decorated.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

In order to save money (and because we thought it would be more fun), we decided to have an informal buffet dinner with Thai take-out from a local family-owned restaurant. We paid a few professional caterers (who are friends of ours) to serve the food. It was incredible food, professionally served, and one of the highlights of our reception. Our food costs for 180 guests were about $1300. That’s about $7/person!

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

Don’t assume that you have to spend a lot of money to have the wedding of your dreams. If you’re able to put in the time you can save money on most aspects of your wedding, from making your own invitations to asking for help from your creative friends.  In fact, one of the favorite parts of my wedding was how many of my friends and family were involved with making it happen; it’s so much more fun that way!

What was your biggest splurge?

Our biggest splurge was the photography, but it was worth it! When we look back on our wedding 30 years from now, we’ll have beautiful pictures to remind us of the day.

What was your favorite detail?

I loved my flowers. My friend Julie offered to make the flower arrangements and she is so talented. In order to save money, we used fake berries and some silk flowers for bouquet filler and I bought fresh-cut flowers (roses, alstromeria, heather, etc.) from a local florist. Because we didn’t use all real flowers, because my friend made the arrangements, and because the florist gave me a 50% military discount on the fresh flowers (I’m in the military), we were able to spend only $150 for my bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages. And they were beautiful and exactly what I envisioned!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Definitely the most memorable moment of the day was walking down the aisle towards Jay without a doubt in my mind that I was ready to commit to being with him forever. Through all the wedding planning, Jay kept saying, “No matter what happens, at the end of the day we’ll be married; and that’s what counts.” Although I really enjoyed planning the wedding and thinking about all the little details, at the end of the day a wedding is about saying vows to your best friend - the rest is just detail.

VENDORS

Photography: Deborah Zoe Photo

Dress: Monique Lou, from David’s Bridal

Flowers: Jardiniere

Floral arrangements: Julie (a friend)

Food: Sara Thai Restaurant

Caterers: Bram Hepburn, Great Bay Catering

Hair: Adriana at the Wingate Salon

Centerpieces: Bumblebee & Sophie

DJ: Billy (brother of the bride)

Videographer: James (a friend)

_________________ Thanks for reading Jay + Emily 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 is just STUNNING, y’all. I literally *SQUEALED* with delight when I received the submission via Two Bright Lights. Lovely yellow color scheme, beautiful bride, adorable groom (I have a soft spot in my heart for grooms with glasses, OBVI!) Susan offers some great advice on keeping things in perspective- let the details be just that- details! Unimportant in the grand scheme of what the day is all about. I totally love the custom nesting dolls they had as their cake toppers- TOO adorable! Hope y’all enjoy this edition of the Budget Savvy Wedding of the Week! Thanks Kevin & Susan for sharing your special day with us!

Susan & Kevin

June 27th, 2010
Joliet, Illinois

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

I wanted to keep the budget under $7,000.00…My (Susan) wonderful parents paid for everything, despite our protests; which made it even more important to keep things simple and inexpensive. My dress was $400.00 (on sale) my aunt and mom made my birdcage blusher; our amazing wedding cake was $200.00 and was done by a friend of Kevin’s mom; our flowers for everyone (bridesmaids, groomsmen, grandparents, parents, flower girls, and “guests of honor”) were done by a friend of the family for $1,000.00–this is incredible because our wedding party consisted of 20 people!! She gave us a wonderful deal! My shoes were $90.00 and a surprise gift from my mom. Kevin’s vest and pants were $80.00 (on sale), his shoes were $45.00, and the shirt and skinny tie were about $20.00 together. We wanted to save our bridesmaids and groomsmen money as well, so I had the girls just wear any short yellow dress of their choosing; either one they already owned or an inexpensive new one. For the guys, Kevin had them get the same vest and pants he wore which were still on sale. We chose to have our reception at the Public Landing Restaurant in Lockport, IL. Their food is amazing and we did 6 hors douvres costing about $17.00 per person. To save money we had a cash bar instead of an open bar which only costed a flat fee of $150.00 instead of an extra $15.00 per person! My beautiful Aunt Cindy did our centerpieces for us as a gift–she bought the amazing roses from Costco for a great price and got the hurrican vases, candles, and mirrors at the dollar store! For the candles and misc. decorations, we rummaged around our house and found everything we could use instead of buying things we didn’t need. For the favors my mom searched websites for the best deal on seed packets of Black Eyed Susans. I believe she ordered 350 packets for under $100.00 and we just wrapped them in raffia and put them in an old basket for people to take.  My uncle is a DJ so as a gift he DJ’d our reception free of charge. And, finally, our wonderful photographer, Jennifer Eileen, took the most amazing pictures imaginable for us for $2,100.00. That fee included way more than it should have–she gave us a great deal. And after everything was done, we did stay under $7,000.00! We will never regret the sacrifices we made to keep things simple and inexpensive!

How many guests did you have?

We had approximately 200 wonderful guests.

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

Kevin and I both incorporated elements of our personal style into our wedding: Kevin loves Converse, all of the guys had black Chuck Taylors. I love yellow, all of the girls had cute yellow dresses. We both love the “shabby chic”, anthropologie-esque look which was also evident in many of the decorations–giving everything a more casual, simple look rather than extremely elegant (which also made things much less expensive! ).

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

The biggest things we did to save money was listen to suggestions from other people…ACTUALLY listen to suggestions and incorporate them whenever we were able. We were so blessed to have so much help from our family and friends! Another that really helped save money was determine to be satisfied and not be set on having things so-so!! Also, we used things we already had for many of the decorations–which saved us a great deal! We did not rent a limo and at the reception we had a cash bar instead of an open bar.

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

Just love, love, LOVE the fact that you are entering into marriage with your favorite person in the world and joy in the beautiful gift of each other. Comprimise, let things go, don’t be set on having things so-so and perfect. Let the details be details! Let your heart be so thankful for the person you are going to marry and let everything else just “be OK!”. At the end of the day, regardless of how many things went wrong or you wish could have been different, you will be married. Let that fact matter the most. Don’t fight with friends or family. Treasure planning one of the most wonderful days of your lives!

What was your biggest splurge?

I think the flowers were our biggest “splurge”. Even though they were thousands less than they would have been had I gotten them through someone else, It was hard for me to spend $1,000 on flowers!! But they were absolutely beautiful and I do not regret the “splurge” at all!

What was your favorite detail?

Kevin’s favorite detail was the wedding cake toppers which were Russian nesting dolls that his brother painted to look just like us! The cake toppers AND the flowers were my favorite details.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Walking down the aisle with my daddy and when he gave me away. It was overwhelming to walk down the aisle with him, between dear family and friends, toward my favorite person in the world who was about to become my husband! It was beautiful to see so much love on Kevin’s face as I walked toward him. It was incredibly emotional, nearly everyone was crying by the time daddy and I reached the front of the church; and when he gave me away I’m convinced there was not a single dry eye! Through uncontrollable tears, my father hugged me, told me he loved me, hugged Kevin, told him he loved him, and gave me away. It was wonderful and unforgettable!

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

Hair: Tre Volte Salon

Venue: The Public Landing

Ceremony: First Presbyterian Church

Photography: Jennifer Eileen Photography

_________________ Thanks for reading Red + Yellow Wedding from: The Budget Savvy Bride

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Nici & Steven were married on Sunday, March 28, 2010 at Publick House in Sturbridge, Massachusetts! You can save alot of money by getting married on any day other than Saturday since those are the most in-demand. And this couple saved even more by choosing a Sunday in the off-season for weddings! They received discounts from their venue and photographer for choosing a date in March. I love the succulents Nici used in place of escort cards and the rustic looking centerpieces! They had their wedding for 72 guests for under $6500! Definitely budget savvy! Hope you enjoy this edition of the BSWOW! Thanks and Steve for sharing your special day with us!!

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

Our budget started at $10,000.00 but I knew we didn't want to come anywhere close to that number, we wanted a very intimate wedding with our closest friends and family (I know, a lot of people say this…but we accomplished it!) Out budget ended up being $6,400.00- broken down:
Venue: $3,400.00-Included: Ceremony, cocktail hour and reception locations, cocktail hour hordourves, dinner, champagne toast, day-of-coordinator, cake, chocolate covered strawberries and overnight accommodations for the bride and groom with breakfast for bride and groom in the morning and linens.
DJ: $250.00 (friend of the groom)
Photography: $1512.00 (K-C Photography, Kim Calakoutis at http://www.k-c-photo.com/)
Bride & Groom attire: $800.00 -Dress: $399.00 (shopped on sale!) -Accessories: shoes (2 pairs), jewelry, veil, headpiece (splurge! $99.00!), etc.: $201.00 -Tux & Accessories: $200.00
Decor: $440.00 -Mason Jars, candles, sand, fowers, centerpiece boxes, favors (doubled at place cards were succulent plants)

How many guests did you have?

72 guests- including dj, photographer as well as Steven and I.

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

Being a Graphic Designer and an aspiring photographer, I knew I wanted a creative wedding overfilled with personal touches. That is exactly what we had! My uncle who is a botanist and designer and his partner along with a friend of the family designed all our wedding day flowers- centerpieces, boutonnieres, bridal bouquet and maid of honor bouquet, as well as taking exactly what I had envisioned and making it come to life! My dad selected a section of a tree, cut it down and carved a heart into it and finished it by carving and burning Steven and my initials into the log then drilled a hole into the top of the log and made and created an arrow to guide our guests to the wedding! I designed all the paper products-Save the dates, invitations, “share your photo cards,” In memorial candle, etc. Steven's uncle married us, as we stood up there with our immediate family as our attendants- My sister was my maid of honor, my two brothers were my bridal attendants, Steven's cousin was his best man and his two nephews were his groomsmen. Our Male-to-female ratio was a little uneven, but was perfect!

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

On top of wanting a personal, creative and intimate wedding we wanted to be as budget savvy as possible. We saved the most money by getting married on a Sunday in the off season. The pricing played a huge role into the selection of our date. Once we selected the date I was surprised at the discounts we received from additional vendors. Our wedding photographer, Kim Calakoutis, offered a 20% discount because it was “off season” for her business too. DIY was the biggest budget friendly thing we did! Designing and printing all the paper goods, rummaging in a family members basement for FREE mason jars- so worth it, spray painting yard sale picture frames of all different sizes and styles one single color allowed us to display family wedding and family photos during our ceremony and reception for only a few dollars!

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

While planning, enjoy the good times and learn from the not-so-good times.

What was your biggest splurge?

Our biggest splurge would be photography. I would not put a price on photography, I kept telling my parents and Steven to trust me! When we got the proofs back from Kim, my family said they were perfect…so I must have done something right!

What was your favorite detail?

My favorite detail from our wedding was the dancing. There hasn't been a wedding in either of our families in quite a few years and we were the first of our closest friends to get married! Everyone was dancing, we were all singing at the top of our lungs….just an overall grand time! I wish we could have danced for another 10 hours!!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

My most memorable moment of the day was the few seconds it took for my grandfather to pass me over to my mom for her to walk me down the aisle. It was symbolic of the time in my life when my grandfather was my rock, and when he was the only one who supported me when I moved away. My aunt, who adopted me at a crucial point in my life, has become my mom-figure over the years. She walked me down the aisle and handed me over to my now husband! It was just a grand representation of where my life started to where it is today, and it makes me cry thinking of the emotions of that exact moment.

VENDORS

Venue: Publick House, Sturbridge, Ma

Photog: K-C Photography, Kim Calakoutis

_________________ Thanks for reading Nici + Steve 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 just know you’re going to love this unique budget-savvy wedding as much as I do!! They did lots of DIY and chose a venue that was not only original but also personal as well! Kyle is a pilot so the venue was perfect for their reception! I also love how they made their programs into paper airplanes… adorable, no? Congrats Brittany and Kyle, and thank you for sharing your wedding with Budget Savvy Bride!

Where did you get married?

The Tulsa Air and Space Museum in Tulsa, Okla. Kyle is a flight instructor, so the venue was the perfect, unique venue for our wedding. Plus, we wanted something fun, and our guests didn’t have a lack of things to look at!

What was your budget?

As cheap as possible! We ended up at around $6,500, and we were able to get everything most important to us. Plus, I had tons of fun with the DIY projects to save money. At the end of the day, we were just so excited to be getting married, and we accomplished an unforgettable day for ourselves, our family and our friends, which is exactly what we wanted.

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

One of my favorite details was the guest book table. I filled it with photos from the weddings of our parents and grandparents, and our guest book was a photo book of our engagement photos (which I designed, and then ordered from artscow.com for $9). We also had a slideshow of pictures playing in the lobby as people walked into the museum. Pictures speak a thousand words, and our guests loved seeing them all. Another of my favorite details were the programs. We printed them to match our wedding stationery, and then folded them into paper airplanes.
Also, the ceremony was really important to us, so we made sure to spend time on really thinking about elements we wanted, or things we wanted our pastor to share. It was perfect, and so special for us, our families and our guests.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

OK, I have three.
First, we did all of our own flowers. I ordered the flowers in bulk for the boutonnieres, bouquets and centerpieces, and for the flowers and all the supplies to put them together, (which was super easy, by the way!) we only spent $200!
Second, I designed my own invitations, and did a lot of searching online to find coupons for percentages off and free shipping to get them printed for cheap. I also fell in love with paperandmore.com. The invitation was mounted on a solid card stock, and when you order paper from them, they can even cut it for you for only a few dollars! That saved me TONS of time and money.
And third, Wedding cakes are EXPENSIVE! So, we decided to do a cake buffet instead! I love cake plates, and it gave me a chance to use all my favorites, and I borrowed others from family and friends. My aunt volunteered to make our two-tiered “wedding cake,” and the others we bought at Sam’s Club for about $10 each. We had a big selection, so there was something there for everyone, and all for less than $150.

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

Three again
First, When it comes to making a guest list, you and your fiance need to make the list of who you want to invite, and divide the amount left between your parents. We wanted to invite no more than 200, so we just gave each of our moms 100. Well, we didn’t take into account our own friends, and ended up having to do some last minute cutting before sending invites out. It all worked out, but I could have avoided that stress early on with my own advice.
Second, the internet is your best friend in wedding planning! I found tons of good deals online, including our photographer. I found him on Craigslist, and he was amazing! There are talented people out there that just need a start somewhere, so give them a try! We did engagement photos to make sure we meshed, and we were hooked after that.
And third, just enjoy it! It’s a time like no other in your life, but when you do have slight moments of stress, just remember that after it all you get to be married to your best friend, and begin an amazing life together!

What was your biggest splurge?

My dress. Granted, it was only $600, but it was a larger percentage than all the “wedding calculators” told me I should spend. And ask about special discounts at bridal shops–I saved on my dress by buying the dress off the rack, rather than ordering. It fit perfectly, and saved me 20%! The thing is, it’s your wedding, and you need to feel as beautiful and glamorous as possible.

What was your favorite detail?

The candy buffet. My aunt has a business doing candy buffets, and she did one for us. It was beautiful, and the guests absolutely loved it! She even put our names on the little bags they took home with them, which was a fun extra detail.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Seeing Kyle for the first time. It was the moment that I was finally like “OK, we get to do this!” And it was a really special moment to spend a few moments with just him before the whirlwind of everything started.

Vendors:
Photographer, Scott Zeier |

_________________ Thanks for reading Brittany + Kyle 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 week’s wedding comes from sunny Orlando, Florida. I just love the unique bridesmaid dresses- those colors really pop! Of course I can get over that Meghan’s a Gator Fan… but I love how they incorporated their love for college football into their wedding reception. I just love it when couple’s personalize their weddings with interesting things about them! I hope you all enjoy these lovely photos as much as I did!

Where did you get married?

Our ceremony was at the Orlando Florida LDS Temple. We had our reception at a restaurant in downtown Orlando called Citrus. We were looking for something with great food and a unique atmosphere. I had already chosen oranges and yellows as our wedding colors and knew I wanted flower arrangements with sliced fruit; so a restaurant called Citrus was a perfect fit!

What was your budget?

Our original budget was 5k. When all was said and done, we were closer to 7k. That included all the big stuff (restaurant rental fees, food, photography, hair/makeup, invites, dress, cake, flowers) straight down to all those tiny details you aren’t considering when you make that original budget (out-of-town gift bags, bridesmaid gifts, ties for the groomsmen, vases, candles, etc).

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

Personal details were really important to us, so we had a ton. The fabric around my bouquet was a piece of lace from my mother’s wedding dress and our table numbers were made using our engagement photos. Florida girls all love citrus so I wanted the vases for the flower arrangements lined with sliced fruit. But my favorite personal touch was our “guest book”. We are both huge college football fans, but for opposing teams. Rather than an average guest book, I found a seller on etsy.com who hand painted a football with a Florida Gator logo on one side and an Alabama Crimson Tide logo on the other. We had a funny poem instructing guests to sign the ball (…and once and for all, prove which team is greater) and it ended up being a huge hit. Now rather than having to pull out a guest book, we have the football in a case and can read all the hillarious comments when we need a laugh.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

The biggest thing decision we made to cut costs was to keep the guest list intimate. We had 40 guests at our wedding and keeping it close friends and family was perfect for us. We were able to spend a bit more on dinner and the reception space because of it. We also skipped the DJ and went with a playlist on the restaurant’s sound system.

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

#1 – Eat! I had a migraine the night before, so the morning of the wedding I was battling a lingering headache. I kept taking Excedrin while getting my hair and makeup done, but before I knew it we needed to be at the church and I had never eaten. Luckily I was fine during the ceremony, but during group photos I had to keep running back into the church to throw up. All I can say is thank goodness for airbrush makeup and strong hairspray!
#2 – Don’t sweat the small stuff! At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

What was your biggest splurge?

My dress was my biggest splurge. After ordering the dress, having a custom lace bolero made, fittings and alterations….I spent well over twice what I had originally budgeted.

What was your favorite detail?

Definitely the bridesmaid dresses! All of the colorful details of the wedding day were born from those dresses. I was walking through the mall and saw it in a dress store. I called my maid of honor and within the hour we had full bridesmaid approval from my girls all over the country! All the other details fell into place after that.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

My favorite memory was when I saw Allen for the first time on the wedding day.
The thing I will look back on and just laugh….being really sick after the ceremony and getting so upset trying not to kneel on the bathroom floor in my perfect clean white wedding dress. So my maid-of-honor pulls it off of me and tosses it out into the carpeted hallway of the church, closes the bathroom door and is back to holding my hair like it was an everyday occurence. Allen said people kept walking by like “why is there a wedding dress laying here?!”

Reception: Citrus Orlando |

_________________ Thanks for reading Meghan + Allen 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 ::