I just love Sebrina– she was a longtime reader and supporter of BSB so I am so excited to share her wedding with you! I really love the black, white and yellow color scheme- especially the way she totally rocked her black bolero and the black lacing on her gown. I’m a huge fan of the sunflowers as well- which the couple got on the cheap for their bouquets and centerpieces. She picked her favorite things to splurge on and still pulled off this fab wedding for under $6k! Way to go, Sebrina– thanks for sharing your special day with us!

What was your budget?

Originally we set our budget at $5000. At the end I think we spent $5806. I was a little bummed about going over but I am happy that we stuck to our plan of having zero debt after the wedding

Save the Dates: $25 w/ postage
Ceremony Officiant: $300 donation to cover travel expenses
Reception Location: $250
Wedding Invitations: $170 w/ postage
Rings: $125
Wedding Dress: $323
Veil: $13 for supplies
Bolero: $52 for supplies
Shoes: $28 for both ceremony and reception pairs
Hair: $32
Make-up: $20
Nails: $100
Flowers: $70
Food & Drinks: $1000
Dishes & Napkins: $240
DOC: $200
Photographer: $500
Rentals: $566
Gifts: $165
Cake: $800
Linens: $362
Decorations: $365
Misc. Expenses: $100
Everything else was free through freindors and skilled family members. For instance my dad was the dj

How many guests did you have?

We invited 450 and I think we figured around 250 came.

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

Basically, everything about our wedding was personal and mostly handmade by myself, my mom, and our very amazing friends and family. We fell in love with the Old Pumphouse because it offered the picturesque butterfly garden that was perfect for my dream outdoor wedding and the fact that it’s a museum was great for Luke because he’s a mega history buff. I kept having to drag him away from the various plaques through the course of our reception

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

We saved a lot of money by making and doing things ourselves. My mom was able to make all our linens and table toppers for less than $10 a table. We contacted local sunflower farmers who let us pick the huge sunflowers for our bouquets for free. The smaller ones were picked from wild fields so we only had to buy the filler flowers for our bouquets. This meant we got to have floral centerpieces that only cost $.24 a table. Originally we planned on having a local restaurant provide the food but that would have been way out of budget, so we contacted a friend who used to be a caterer. He provided all the fajitas and sausage for the cost of the meat. Another family friend made the rice for a very reasonable price and we had our DOC prepare the beans in roasters on site along with the salad. Some friends gifted the mexican wedding cookies and punch and we bought concentrated tea from a restaurant supplier. So we were able to provide unlimited drinks and dinner for everyone for under $5 a person.

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

All the wedding blogs can get overwhelming so don’t feel like you have to catch up on every post from every single one but don’t rule them out either because I found life-saving inspiration from one barely 2 weeks before our wedding. Also account for about double the estimated time for diy projects and call in as many friends and family to help. There’s no way I would have been able to get through without my amazing support system. And don’t pick vendors hastily but give yourself enough time to do your research while booking early. We probably saved nearly a thousand dollars by booking our photographer and venue a year early.

What was your biggest splurge?

While planning we discovered that my mom and I are cake snobs. So we ended up spending nearly as much on the cake as the rest of the food. But it was so worth it because it both looked and tasted amazing. Unfortunately we ordered way too much and ended up with nearly 150 pieces to take home.

What was your favorite detail?

Looking back it’s really hard to pick one favorite detail because I absolutely love how everything came together. However, we both agreed that the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse is what really made the event. Luke loved the museum part of it and I couldn’t imagine finding a more beautiful venue.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Our first dance was very special to me because it was a surprise I planned for Luke. I took a song he had written for us called “Let’s Grow Old Together” and gave it to my dad to play for us. He took the original lyrics and matched it with a melody he had written 20-some years before for my mom. So it made the whole moment really sentimental and unique especially since we had to keep it a secret from Luke right up until my dad announced the song.
Please also include a list of all your vendors including any website links.
Venue: Old Hidalgo Pumphouse
Save the Dates: Vistaprint
Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal
Photographer: SixFourteen Photography
Rentals: All Party Rentals
Cake: Honey’s Cakes by Nancy Cortez

Monique & Timothy’s relaxed outdoor affair just brings me joy! Even though this wedding is on the larger side of budgets that we feature, there’s still some great takeaways from the bride’s experience. Her helpful tips: find a venue that will let you bring in your own alcohol and sometimes doing all inclusive can save you money! I definitely love the ‘green’ aspect of this wedding as well, and with a guest count of 200 those costs add up quick! And while the bride paid to have her flowers professionally done, the laid back wildflower arrangements are totally easy to recreate on the cheap so I hope you find them inspiring! I also love that their sweet dog is all-up-in the wedding action- so adorable! Hope you all enjoy this wedding eye-candy as much as I do!

What was your budget?

We had one vendor provide food, staff, tent, tables, chairs, linens and more! It was the bulk of the budget at $14,000 plus gratuity!

We spent the rest on amazing flowers and photography and the cake!

Oh and Alcohol! The Bryn Du allows you to bring in you own alcohol! It was so nice to keep the left over wine and etc. And it was better the paying $5 a pour that other venues and caterers tried to charge us! In total we spent around $25,000.

How many guests did you have?

200 of our closest friends and family!

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

We tried to be as ” Green” as possible. By forgoing the traditional wedding invitation, we had a casual vibe from the beginning. We had our rsvp's done on our wedding website and other directions for the wedding weekend. The caterer sought out biodegradable plates, cutlery and cups for our backyard North Carolina style BBQ/picnic reception. We also had yard games available as well! Everyone loved being able to play corn hole or crochet during the reception. We also requested our cards and gift wrapping to be as creative and reused as possible.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

By finding a venue that allowed us to bring in our own vendors and alcohol!!

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

Hire a day of wedding planner. Or have someone designated to 'work' your wedding day making sure everything is in place and people are where they need to be and vendors are paid.

What was your biggest splurge?

The food!

What was your favorite detail?

My trees! I had aspects of trees in everything!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

When I turned and looked at all of my friends and family once I met my husband at the end of the altar. So much love that day!

Vendors

Caterer: Weilands Gourmet Market

Florist: Flowers on Springtree Lane

Venue: The Bryn Du Mansion

Cake: Bakery Gingham

Photography: Kevin Keefer

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

Our budget was $10,000. I searched a lot to get the best deals and I did a lot myself too. I paid for a large portion of the wedding myself.

Photographer – $1,000

Chapel – $500 (student/employee rate)

Videographer – $600

Save The Dates — Free (only paid postage — done by friend in the printing company)

Cake – $1.50/ slice (Made by a lady out of her house)

Groom's Cake — Free! (Gift from a friend!)

Flowers – $1,100 (Used all daisies and kept it simple!)

DJ – $450 (local radio DJ —does weddings just for fun!)

Favors – $.75 (boxes from Dollar Tree and discount bulk M&Ms)

Invitations — (Postage only — Same friend as the save the dates!)

Reception Site- free with the purchase of food

Food – $6,000 (included reception for 275 & rehearsal dinner for 50)

How many guests did you have?

275

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

I love to do crafts! I enjoyed making a number of things myself. Even though our guest list was a whopping 500 people I still wanted it to feel personal. I made our monogrammed cake topper. I also made our initials to display on the chapel doors. I made our guest book on blurb.com with pictures of us from while we were dating and our engagement photos. I also made all the paper cones used to throw our Ecco-fetti. Also, one of our groomsmen designed our Save The Dates, Invitations, and Programs which brought an even more personal side to them.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

Tons! We tried to save money everywhere without it being cheap. I bought all the centerpiece vases at Goodwill on the first Saturday of the month because that is half price day. I used 40% off coupons from the paper at Michael’s almost every week. Instead of buying expensive ribbon sashes at David's Bridal my mom made them from ribbon from Michael's. I purchased my dress at a place that did alterations for free. We have a lot of family and friends that are very talented and we used them!

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

Don't swoon over things you can't have. I read tons of wedding blogs and wanted to take all these ideas and put them to use. But, I had to realize that on a budget you have to be selective and choose the things that are important to you. I also had to look at my personality. Just because it was a good idea for one wedding didn't mean it was a good idea for our wedding. We wanted to feel like we were at our wedding and not someone else's.

What was your biggest splurge?

The food is what cost the most but it was for both the rehearsal dinner and the reception. The photographer was the next thing. And, what was even better is that our photographer had an intern with her so we got even more pictures! It was great!

What was your favorite detail?

I liked the sentimental pieces of the day that no one else knew about. I carried with my bouquet a tiny Bible that Tyler's Mom gave him when he was born and a handkerchief that my great Aunt gave me when I was born. I had my Grandfather's (who I never met) and Grandmother's wedding bands sewn into my dress. I had a sixpence in my left shoe that has been used in over 30 other weddings that was lent to me from a family friend. And, just outside the chapel we were married in is where he proposed to me.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

It had been a running joke for years that Tyler could never remember what hand the rings went on and I would always have to remind him. We were at the altar exchanging rings and I remember being so nervous. I was trying to put his ring on and he kept telling me it was the wrong hand. I thought he was kidding at first but then I realized it really was the wrong hand!

Vendors

Florist: Jenny Stephen at Flowers N Things

DJ: Gene Lovin with

This week we have another awesome Two Bright Lights submitted wedding from Simply Knot Photography! I am thrilled to share this $3,000 backyard wedding from Phoenix, Arizona. This sweet bicycle themed wedding has a sunny yellow color scheme that I just love. They couple saved by having their wedding in their backyard on a Sunday, keeping their guest list low, and having a potluck! I love the intimate feel of this wedding and it just goes to show- you don’t have to do anything expensive or elaborate to have an amazing wedding! It looks like it was a wonderful day and you can tell that they had all that truly mattered to them! Thanks Katie & Justin for sharing your lovely day with us!

What was your budget?

Dress/Alterations – $450
Katie’s Shoes – $10
Justin’s Outfit – $200
Photographers – $900 (special discounted rate)
Florist – $280 (bike arrangement, bouquet), Free (chuppa, aisle, driveway)
Officiant – Free
Rings – $500
Invitations – $50
Table/Chair Rentals – $250
Decorations – $200
Food – Free (Potluck)
Cake – $70
Champagne – Free
Wedding night dinner – Free (Thanks to La Grande Orange/Chelsea’s Kitchen)

That totals to be just under $3,000.

How many guests did you have?

30 Family members + wedding party. We hosted a friends reception the night before.

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

Our wedding colors were inspired by 2 items: our vintage baby blue bicycle & a yellow floral arrangement already in our living room. The remaining color palette came from our green garden and dark brown furniture. We wanted to be sure yellow was the main color, so we used it in important details: the flowers, the centerpieces, the groom’s and best man’s attire, and the bride’s shoes. We brought yellow to other unsuspecting objects by simply tying a muted yellow and brown ribbon.

Our wedding was on a Sunday morning in our backyard. Our intention was to have the atmosphere of a garden party. Men wore sport coats; women wore sun dresses. We used vintage accents whenever possible, like mason jars as glasses, eclectic second-hand silverware, and lace napkin rings. We hadn’t intended to have a theme, but when it came to the tables we didn’t want to use plain old numbers.

We named the tables after different bicycle styles (e.g. cruisers). The kids table even had a special name – training wheels! This theme made our old blue cruiser (aka Big Blue) a welcome addition to our decor. Our florist arranged fresh flowers in the basket. We also tied ribbons from the bike for guests to write warm wishes, which made a unique guest book.

For favors we gave away custom CDs filled with ceremony and reception music. The CD label was designed by the bride’s sister and used many of the same elements from the wedding invitation. Our other favors were boxes filled with mini brownies, which doubled as table seating cards. We used store-bought white boxes and wrapped them with a muted yellow and brown ribbon fastened by a round name tag. We used first names only for a more intimate feel. Not only did we write out own vows, but our brother-in-law was our officiant. He brought a whole new level of intimacy to our wedding.

The wedding was kid friendly by making a kids table full of toys and games. Later in the reception we (the bride and groom) hosted a jeopardy trivia with questions written with our families in mind (especially the kids). I had been planning our wedding music since before I had met Justin. Because we had put so much thought into the music already, we were able to choose songs special to us for the different parts of the ceremony. For Justin’s processional we chose Boomshakalaka from the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack, his favorite movie. Katie’s processional was carefully chosen to be Everyday by Buddy Holly, a childhood favorite. The rest of the playlist was a combination of Katie’s favorite movie, Singin’ In the Rain, and other favorite artists like Etta James and the Beatles.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

A tight budget meant attention to detail. We purchased a cake for $70 from a local restaurant that we decorated with extra flowers (for free) from the florist. When shopping for my dress I looked for a dress that would need minimal alterations. Many of the decorations were handmade, e.g. the lace napkin rings were printed on vellum paper at home using a free template. It was important that most of our decor could pull “double duty” when the wedding was over. So we purchased, not rented, our silverware from Goodwill for a total of 35 sets for almost $10. We ended up with a mixture of “vintage” silverware that can be used for parties or family get-togethers. We purchased mason jars in bulk from a local hardware store to use as glasses during the ceremony. For Christmas/Chanukah we gave the jars to family and friends filled with goodies. The groom’s attire was also carefully planned and purchased, not rented, so it could be worn again.

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

Start your planning early, especially if you are on a strict budget. Typically, the less money, the more planning. Talk to your family and friends for advice.

What was your biggest splurge?

Our photographers. They gave us a great deal that we just couldn’t pass up. So we increased our budget & tightened our belts. They were worth every penny!

What was your favorite detail?

The chuppa. So many wonderful details went into the final chuppa. First, Justin made the chuppa himself. Then, our neighbor florist donated and decorated the chuppa with tons of flowers and accessories. The chuppa was then draped with Justin’s grandfathers’ tallit. In the end, the chuppa represented everything we valued about our wedding: family, generosity, and resourcefulness.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Some of our favorite moments from the day happened during the most unconventional times: – When the music didn’t start as planned before the ceremony – Giggling and crying alone when it was time for me to walk down the aisle with only one of our photographers (Ryan) to see me – The first moment alone as husband and wife. I burst into tears while we hugged and laughed

I have been swooning over this wedding since it arrived in my Two Bright Lights submission queue. Of course I always love Dixie Pixel’s work, so that was no surprise! In fact the bride loved Tara’s work so much that she spent over HALF her budget on the photography! It just goes to show how much brides value good photos– at the end of the day your photos are all you’ll be left with. If photos are your priority or if you just want to make sure you have a great documentation of your day, please don’t let your ‘uncle Bob’ shoot your wedding. Find a professional- do some research- find an up and coming photographer to save money if your budget is super tight- you will regret it if you don’t get great photos from your day. *steps off soap box*

This wedding has some really precious details even though the budget was small. The bride’s gorgeous dress, fab hairpiece and accessories are so perfect! I think they pulled off the peacock theme so well and in such a classy way. I’m particularly loving the dreamy shots at the end of the bride and groom- such a great looking couple! Thanks so much to Brooklyn and Joshua for sharing your big day with us!!

What was your budget?

$ 5,500 (We went a bit over budget but received a donation for the wedding which put us under budget)

Photography: $ 3,000

Videographer: free, friend who is in art school agreed to video the wedding and add a few special touches in the editing process since she is a graphic designer
Caterer: Catering service – $750- a gift, only paid for cost of food (dessert reception, coffee bar, & heavy hors d”oeuvres)

Flowers: $50- bridal bouquet and corsages were fresh flowers and made by sister-in-law and friend as a wedding gift, boutonnieres and bridesmaid lanterns were made by the bride

Venue: free, mother-in-law”s church

Music and DJ: free, from talented people in our lives who play the Saxophone, guitar, and drums agreed to play at the wedding, the DJ for the reception was a friend who has experience with sound systems and had a great voice to announce all events at the reception

Linens and Chairs: free, complimentary from church

Centerpieces and decorations: $275 -collected candle holders, vases, etc. from friends and family, lanterns, candles, and tall vases from IKEA, peacock feathers and tulle bought online at Save-on-crafts.com

Wedding Dress: $900- (hair piece and jewelry were gifts) from Bride Beautiful in ATL, shoes bought online at Overstock.com

Suit for Groom: $200- Overstock.com and it fit perfectly, tie- Macy’s

nGroomsman: $100- matching ties, Macy’s

Gifts for Bridesmaids: $100- bought at a jewelry show in Gatlinburg, TN where items are sold at wholesale, travel bags with names monogrammed on them, and jewelry for every bridesmaid

Gifts for Groomsman: $80 lighters with special touches for each individual Groomsman

Officiate donation: $75, he is a friend and we gave him a gift but he didn’t charge us for his service

All other miscellaneous expenses:  $200

How many guests did you have?

275

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

I didn”t want my Bridesmaids to carry a standard bouquet and since the wedding was meant to be outdoors in the evening I wanted them to carry candle lit lanterns that were decorated with peacock feathers. Also every centerpiece was different and had a story to go along with its origination. We also had a time of worship during our wedding ceremony to thank our Lord for creating the gift of marriage.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

We asked all of our friends and family to donate their talents as wedding gifts. For example, my mom’s friend is a caterer and gave her catering services as a wedding gift and only charged us for the cost of food. My friend is in a Praise and Worship band and she gave the gift of her voice along with the guys from the band who blessed us with their instrumental talents.

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

Make it your own. Don’t let people overwhelm you with etiquette or details that you don’t like. Don’t sweat the little things. What matters most are you, your husband, and having pictures to remember your special day.

What was your biggest splurge?

Photography, Tara at Dixie Pixel shot our Engagement pictures and after seeing her work I had to have her for the wedding! I saved all my pennies and booked her for the wedding!

What was your favorite detail?

My favorite detail was the small, hand-made paper peacocks that my sweet family spent hours making to add to the wedding centerpieces. Also I loved the starry night we created inside because our outdoor wedding was moved indoors due to the biggest storm of the spring season.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

I loved the moment when we recited our written vows to each other and the Lord showered us with his blessings. Literally during our vows it was raining so hard that some guests thought we were experiencing tornado activity.

VENDORS:

Photography: Dixie Pixel Photography

Gown: Bride Beautiful