What creative or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?
We wanted to keep a butterfly/insect theme for the wedding so favors included milkweed seeds and local wildflower seeds, and our centerpieces featured Luna moth cocoons that our guests took home to release after they hatched. All of our cups, plates, silverware, and napkins were compostable!
Did you do any DIY projects or create any handmade items for your weddings?
I handmade my husband’s tie; we made our own invitations with a Cricut machine and cardstock; we made our welcome sign with a recycled mirror stand and plexiglass; my bridesmaid and I made our butterfly wing necklaces, native wildflower seed bomb favors, men’s boutonnieres, and essential oil bug sprays; while my husband made our thumbprint firefly “guestbook”.
What was the biggest thing you did to save money?
We hunted down items on Facebook marketplace! All of our guest tables and most of the chairs were free! We were able to resell them afterward and get most of our money back. I also checked routinely for sales on items that I was willing to compromise on, so was able to find clearance items and keep stuff in storage until closer to my wedding day. We rented the AirBnB for 2 days so our parents and the bridal party came up the day before the wedding and all helped with the setup.
What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?
Give yourself time to plan! You can DIY a lot of your wedding if you are willing to put in the time and effort. Try things out, make mistakes, give yourself time to change things that don’t work. The more time you give yourself, the easier it is to make budgets and do more on your own.
Don’t sweat the small things – I didn’t bother with a hashtag, or “special” drinks for the day – most of it goes by in such a blur that no one remembers anyway. Ask your wedding party for help! If it wasn’t for one of my amazing bridesmaids and our standing weekly lunch date for several weeks, half of our stuff would not have gotten done!
What was your biggest splurge?
A good photographer was important to me so the money I saved in other areas such as my dress went towards our photo budget. Our ring box cost more than I originally wanted to spend but I knew it was exactly what I wanted the moment I saw it!
What was your favorite detail?
I loved how everything turned out, but I am most proud of how nice the men’s boutonnieres came out – my bridesmaid and I spent hours (and several trips to the craft store) to handmake them for the groom, groomsmen, and fathers.
My bridesmaids purchased their dresses from Azazie. The groomsmen vests, cake stand, my earrings & hairpieces were all from Amazon. I got my shoes on sale from Kohls and tablecloths clearance from Bed Bath & Beyond. The card box came from Ikea.
Planning my wedding by myself took a ton of time and work but it all came together in the end, and the benefit of doing it myself was that it was completely customized. Every detail represented who we are 100%
What is the most memorable moment of your day?
Walking down the aisle and seeing my husband waiting for me at the altar
