📋 Get the Wedding Quick Start Guide!

Vintage Wedding with Carnival Details

When you shop via links on our site, we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase. Learn more.
Vintage Wedding with Carnival Details

Iris + Clinton

Sacramento, California
- 05/28/2016
Total wedding budget $12,000

first look first look first look first look first look wedding attire wedding attire wedding attire mismatched bridesmaid dresses wedding dress attire groomsmen attire groomsmen attire groomsmen attire black wedding attire wedding photos bridesmaid attire chalkboard sign outdoor wedding venue outdoor wedding outdoor wedding outdoor wedding outdoor wedding outdoor wedding outdoor wedding first kiss wedding recessionalwedding attire wedding photos wedding photos wedding photos wedding photos wedding photoswedding toasts seating chart diy wedding decor carnival themed decor carnival themed decor DIY wedding decor DIY wedding decor carnival themed decor carnival themed decor carnival themed decor carnival themed decor carnival themed decor carnival themed decor carnival themed decorcake cutting cake cutting first dance first dance

What was the total budget for your wedding?

  • $3,900 for venue
  • $2,900 for photographer
  • $3,200 for food and beverage
  • $900 for rentals
  • $600 floral
  • $500 DJ.
  • (Clinton paid for his suit separately, as I did for my dress separately ($800), as well as hair and makeup. I must note that I, as well as my sister, work in the restaurant industry so we were able to buy a lot of things wholesale due to having a seller’s permit and that definitely saved us money.)

Total: $12,000

How many guests attended your wedding?

We had about 90-100 guests.

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

Strangely enough I had no vision going into it, no preferences that I was adamant about. We were just jazzed to be getting married. However I did think, oh it would be cool to have a vintage circus/carnival themed wedding and then when I told my sister, who was also my wedding planner, she so happened to already have a pinterest board set up of ideas she thought I’d like and sure enough it was circus/carnival themed. She’s way more stylish than me and I often love her design style so she would pick things out that were right up my alley. Then I would show Clinton and he was totally on board.

We wanted everyone to have fun, to treat it as one big party where two people just happened to also be getting married. It was important for us to make sure there was good food, good drinks and lots of time for people to socialize and have fun. Therefore our ceremony was short, sweet and to the point. We kept the speeches short and simple and we skipped out on some of the more traditional parts like the bouquet and garter toss. It’s no fun if someone is getting tackled!

What were your favorite parts of the day?

Just seeing everyone come together to share this awesome moment with us. It also meant a lot to have our friends meet our families and fall in love with them. After our parents gave their speeches (which didn’t leave a dry eye in the house) everyone kept telling us how cool they were. I think they ended up becoming more popular than us that day!

Did you do any DIY projects or create any handmade items for your weddings?

There was a lot of DIY. Pretty much every themed prop we had was handmade whether it was the photo booth, table number board, circus pedestals, canon, etc. Pretty sure we put someone’s kid through college at the local Ace Hardware and Home Depot.

We did whiskey in these great mini vintage looking bottles. We had them at the tables at the start so you could use them for cheers during the speeches or save it for later.

Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?

Have fun with it. Remember that it’s about the two of you and bringing together family and friends rather than trying to make it this big fancy affair, because at the end of the day you’ll remember the moments you shared with your significant other and your loved ones rather than whether or not you had the fancy napkins or the gold flatware (although we did have the gold flatware and it was pretty rad). Also shop smart. You won’t believe how much more expensive things suddenly become once you mention the word wedding. Don’t let people convince you that you need to pay exorbitant prices for things otherwise your special day won’t be special. There’s always a workaround to make things look great without spending an arm and a leg.

VENDORS

Photography: Sarah Maren Photography | Ceremony Venue: The Barn at Second Wind | Catering: South Resturant | Floral: N’GINA KAVOOKJIAN | Wedding Cake: N’GINA KAVOOKJIAN | Rentals: Celebrations! Party Rentals and Tents | Linens: Celebrations! Party Rentals and Tents | Hair: AKELA DOUGLASS | Makeup: AKELA DOUGLASS | Wedding Dress: BHLDN | Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Bride’s Shoes: Steve Madden | Bridesmaid Dresses: BRIDESMAIDS PICKED OWN | Submitted via: Matchology