I’ve been getting lots of request for more diversity in our BS-WOWs in terms of geography, so I am pleased to share this lovely wedding from Seattle, Washington! Of course with bigger cities we also might have some bigger budgets but I think that this couple definitely found ways to cut costs in their planning and deserve some recognition for that. I love the fun umbrellas they used for their pictures! Hope you enjoy this wedding as much as I do!

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

23K

Dress/Alterations $1800
Flowers $1000
Venue/Alcohol: 15K
Photography $2500
DJ $1300
Hair/Makeup $500-including bridesmaids hair
Officient $250
Cake $400
Towncar $50

How many guests did you have?

135

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

We wrote our own vows which was very emotional and very special for us.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

Flowers and Photographer. We also saved quite a bit on venues fees by being able to purchase our alcohol separately and have the venue serve it.

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

Enjoy it and don’t over think things! Find a style or feel from a magazine and go with it. I loved planning my wedding and I did some details myself like place cards, but I didn’t want to do too much that made my wedding felt like a task.

What was your biggest splurge?

My dress, I didn’t expect to spend so much on my dress, but when I found it I knew it was what I wanted.

What was your favorite detail?

My dress was probably my most favorite aspect of the wedding. I loved wearing it, I loved how I felt and it made the day so much fun.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Taking photos at Gasworks before the wedding it was freezing cold and started hailing. My husband and our bridal party had such a great time despite the conditions. It was great to spend the day with our best friends by our side making us laugh.

VENDORS

Photographer Kaylee Eylander: http://www.kayleeeylanderphotography.com/

DJ: Joe Yamada: http://www.cascaderecords.com/

Flowers: Loves me Flowers Kendra: http://www.lovesmeflowers.com/

Dress: http://www.princessbridecouture.com/

Hair/Makeup: http://www.salonmaison.net/

This wedding comes to us from Franklin and Nashville Tennessee! This looks like such a fun wedding- the rooftop reception space made for a great venue for dancing and having a great party! The photographer, Matt Andrews, did a great job capturing the spirit of the day! Thanks so much for sharing your wedding with us Regina & Matt!

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

Our budget was around $15,000. Adding everything up, I think we came in somewhere around $13,500. I am sure there are costs here and there that I am forgetting. There were some things that we found the cheapest possible option and some others that were more of a splurge. My most important thing were photographs, we spent around $2,200. I absolutely feel it was worth every penny. We had him attend the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner to get pictures of our family and friends, instead of my bridal portraits. He also brought along a second photographer and set up a photo booth at our reception (big hit with the guests). We decided to save money with a DJ instead of a live band so we spent $425.  I would not have changed a thing. He was incredible and kept people on the dance floor all night. He also brought lighting. Our videographer ($750) was a gift from my Godmother so that was no expense to us. It worked out great because both of our families helped tremendously on our big expenses. Our catering ended up being around $21 a person. Our venue was $1,275. We rented a trolley to take the bridal party from the church to the reception for $200. Our florist was $1,500 which included all bridal party flowers, arrangements at the church, and reception centerpieces.

How many guests did you have?

150

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

We tried to incorporate as many personal aspects as we could. My Father passed away from cancer 3 years ago on May 30. I contemplated walking down the aisle alone, but eventually asked my mom because I knew I would need her there with me and I knew it would mean the world to her. She was so appreciative and it was really touching to see people’s face as we turned the corner. I will always remember the intimate moment we shared right before the doors opened. We had 2 people do a reading at the ceremony. We chose my Godmother and Matt’s Father. It was really special to have them read and speak directly to us in front of all our guests. For the two outside unity candles, we used our baptismal candles. My something old was Matt’s bonnet he wore home from the hospital. It came with a poem from his grandmother. They snipped a few stitches and it became my hanky. I also had a picture of my dad inside a bouquet charm on my bouquet. At the reception, we had 3 bottles of wine from Arrington Vineyards. We had people sign them with silver sharpies. We will drink them on our 1, 5, and 10 year anniversaries. Finally, in lieu of favors we made a donation to the American Cancer Society on behalf of each guest in honor of my late Father and Matt’s late Grandmother.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

I feel like we did so much to save money, but everything always adds up. We made our own invitations. They ended up costing a little under $3.50 each for pocket folds (this included the postage). I decided to plan and coordinate everything on my own, but luckily included in our reception price was an event coordinator (Deanna= AMAZING). She helped coordinate all of our vendor arrivals, their set up, and she decorated the entire reception. I printed our programs from home. We also DIY all the decorations. We alternated centerpieces at the reception between flowers and glass vases. I got the glass vases from Dollar Tree (you can go to their website and buy items by the case). I then decorated them with ribbon from Michael’s. I found our chair sashes for $0.99 on a website and my mom created miniature bouquets to tie along with each out of silk flowers. She also made wreath’s for the church doors and pomander balls to hang by the road at the church. Our wedding cake was a very small cake for us to cut and then we had butler passed mini cupcakes (this saved some money on our catering total). There was something in every aspect of our wedding that I tried to do to save money.

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

Try to just take in every moment. It goes by so fast. Now that I look back, it feels like it happened in the blink of an eye. I would also say to make your day about you and your fiancé because at the end of the day that is the whole reason you are there. Also, do NOT stress over the small things. There will be things that do not go as planned, but at the end of the day you will have your husband and the memories. I would also advise that if you will not be hiring a coordinator, have someone at the church to help out if you need. There were a few things we needed at the last minute and it was nice to have a family friend with us to help run those last minute errands.

What was your biggest splurge?

I am not sure if I can pick one thing that would technically be a splurge. I tried to find the cheapest option for all vendors possible. It just makes it hard because everything begins to add up. We spent the most money on catering and our photographer.

What was your favorite detail?

Where do I begin…my colors, when my husband and I danced with our flower girl, the dress (ohhh the dress), our soloist’s song choice at the wedding (“My Heart, Your Home”- Watermark), my Mom walking me down the aisle, the charm of my Dad on my bouquet, maid of honor speech, karaoke at the end of the reception, our first dance. I could go on forever, but I should probably stop now.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Again, there are so many running through my head right now. I would have to say waking up to the bright sunshine on the 17th . You always worry about the weather especially when the cost of the tent (if bad weather) for your reception venue is more than the location all together. When we set the date everyone thought we were crazy. We met in April 2004, so April was an important month for us. April’s weather can vary in Nashville, but I knew if my Dad could not be there he would handle the weather for me. The week leading up to the wedding the weather did not look very good, but at that point it is something that you cannot change. I kept the faith. When I woke up on Saturday to clear blue skies and 65 degrees, it literally brought tears to my eyes. I am still thanking my Dad everyday for the beautiful weather he gave us on our special day! On a funny note, almost at the end of the reception we realized we had real life wedding crashers! I am assuming they walked up from Broadway. It made for some funny photos!

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

Church: Saint Andrew Lutheran Church

Reception: Aerial

Caterer and Wedding Cake: Down South Delights

Photographer: Matt Andrews Photography

Videographer: Precision Videos

Florist: Rachel Short

DJ: Red Carpet Entertainment

Transportation: Nashville Wedding Trolley

This sweet DIY wedding comes from Smithville, Tennessee and has a lovely spring color scheme. This couple saved by choosing a date in the ‘off season’ for their wedding and by working with new, up-and-coming vendors to keep their costs down! I love the aqua and pink color scheme and all the fun details at the reception! Jessica & Todd pulled off their wedding for just under 100 guests for $6,000! Well done! Thanks for sharing your lovely wedding with us!

What was your budget?

Everything total from stockings to catering less than $6,000

$400 wedding gown
$50 photography – a guy I found online that does them as a hobby with his wife, he gave me rights to all the photo files!
$600 site rental from 9 am-midnight
$1600 food including 3 appetizers, full dinner and dessert beer & wine with servers and cleaning crew
$170 three tiered polka dot wedding cake and Patriots helmet grooms cake
$269 for all bouquets and boutonnieres and orchards for center pieces
$550 DJ with 2 set ups  one each for ceremony and reception plus dance floor lighting
$200 officiant
$2000 misc ceremony/reception décor… center pieces, linins, rentals, coordinator…

How many guests did you have?

96

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

We did TONS of DIY.. polka dotted water bottles which cost $20 for 100, bubbles, napkins, and my favorite being votives with wraps I designed, printed and put together myself with all materials total = $45 for over 100 personalized

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

LOCATION!!! First from morning to midnight the site was ours for only $600 since our date was the off seasons. Second Smithville is really far from where we live and most friends and co-workers live. That alone cut our guest list dramatically. With the site being so far away only true friends and family would want to make that drive and cut out all the people coming just for the food and alcohol! It’s a BIG SAVER if you can cut your guest count!

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

For all the vendors that aren’t as important on your list… look for graduate students. They have some experience and can show samples of friends and family they have worked for, but not enough experience to charge you outrageous prices. I got my cake and grooms cake $170 and they both turned out awesome!!!

What was your biggest splurge?

Decorations by far, still relatively low cost compared to other local weddings, but next to everything else I paid for the decorations and “little add ons” here and there really add up.

What was your favorite detail?

A tie between the votives I made for every table and the personalized water bottle wraps.. They’re what made it “my” wedding.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Our first dance. Everyone was watching in awe and we were surrounded yet the moment seemed so personal and ours. It was perfect!

VENDORS:
Venue: Lake Side Resort
Planner: I Do Weddings TN
Catering: Wildberry Catering

Hannah & John’s wedding is just going to knock your socks off, folks! They chose to get married outside on the lawn of an abandoned church which cost them nothing for their location- talk about budget savvy! Hannah is a wedding photographer herself and she crafted some picture perfect details with some thrift store shopping and some help from Etsy! She couldn’t resist getting in on the action of the day and even grabbed a camera during the ceremony to snap a photo of her new hubby! So adorable!

This wedding, shot by JHenderson Studios, is full of sweet details and lots of fun. This post is picture heavy- because I just couldn’t leave out some of these fun shots! Hannah incorporated some of my favorite flower alternatives: using paper and vintage brooches instead of real flowers! The result is stunning! Some of my other favorite details: the bride’s blue shoes, her handmade wedding dress, the non-matchy jewel toned bridesmaid dresses, the fauxtaux booth and quite possibly the coolest ring shot I’ve ever seen (if that is in fact a real life iguana!) Overall I just really love the personality of this wedding- and even better, it cost them less than $5,000! I hope you enjoy this mega-segment of the Budget Savvy Wedding of the Week!

What was your budget?

Our goal with our budget was to spend as little as absolutely possible. We estimate it ended up being between $4000 and $4500. 50% of that went towards the photography. Reception venue was $400. Alcohol $300. We served sandwiches, chips and salad and that cost probably close to $300. All decorations were either handmade or from ebay, etsy or goodwill. That along with our attire, wedding party gifts, and miscellaneous stuff make up the rest of the budget.

How many guests did you have?

around 100

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

The more appropriate question would be, “what traditions did you include in your wedding?” that would be a lot quicker to answer

We got married in front of an abandoned church building on a street where I used to live. Our guests waved “YAY” flags instead of throwing rice or blowing bubbles. We set up my fauxtaux booth for our guests to take fun self portraits. The groomsmen (and 2 bridesmen) were told to wear a gray suit of their choosing, fun shoes, fedoras and everyone carried black umbrellas. My bridesmaids each picked their own dress, each in a different color. My bouquet was made out of vintage flower brooches. My sister made the boutonniers out of feathers and ribbon, each one sporting a charm that represented their own personality (ie., a guitar for my dad, a clover for the Irish guy, a Gamecocks charm for the South Carolina fan). Our guests sang hymns acapella for the processional music. My dad sang a song during the exchanging of the rings. At the reception, table decorations included old, rusty barn lanterns, vintage table cloths, hundreds of handmade pinwheels instead of flower arrangements, and a myriad of different candle holders I collected over the years from thrift stores.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

My mom and I made my wedding dress (one- because it was cheaper, two- because i couldn’t find what I was looking for anywhere else). My groom wore a suit he found at Goodwill for $9. Also, we bought all of our wine for $3 a bottle from Trader Joe’s (and it was delicious), and we went without a wedding cake because neither of us cared anything about having one.

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

Doing it all in 2 months was the best idea we ever had. Stress is going to be a factor no matter what so you might as well just knock it out quick. The only thing I wish I would have done differently is to have hired our photographer’s assistant in addition to her. I’m a wedding photographer myself so I just figured I would be able to better regulate the flow of things the day of and communicate what I wanted. But in actuality everything was just a blur all day and the responsibility of trying to focus on those specifics in addition to everything else was too much. I found it hard to balance overseeing things and communicating what I wanted while still trying to enjoy the moments of the day and be with my family and friends.

What was your biggest splurge?

Photography. It was 50% of our budget.

What was your favorite detail?

The “YAY” flags were definitely the best detail. everyone got really into them and used them all day long to celebrate. it kept me smiling the entire time.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

I never would have thought this but oddly enough, the ceremony. We kept it really simple and fairly traditional. But the setting, the perfect weather and sunlight, the energy and excitement from our guests, the laughter and personal moments….it was an unbelievable happy exaggeration of everything i had hoped it would be and so, so, so much more. it was really special and terribly perfect.

VENDORS:

Wedding Planner: Kirsten Hawkins, (206.755.2343)

Reception Venue: Customs House Museum in Clarksville

Photobooth: the Fauxtaux Booth

Photographer: JHenderson Studios

Time for another installment of the Budget Savvy Wedding of the Week! This week’s wedding comes to us from Illinois, from a couple who made some compromises to keep their wedding true to themselves! They have some great advice for planning, so be sure to check it out! Thanks Theresa and Jacob for sharing your big day with us!

Where did you get married?

Technically we were married at our apartment in Arlington Heights, IL, but had a formal ceremony (led by my younger brother) and reception at Garden Terrace Banquets in Elk Grove Village, IL

What was your budget?

Our budget was about $10,000-11,000, and I’m pretty sure we didn’t exceed it.  It was very important to us to keep outside costs down to be able to afford to have most of our friends and family come for the event.

Approx. $8,000 was spent on the banquet hall space/food/bar service/cake.  The banquet package was pretty all-inclusive, and included the open bar, wedding cake, and most of the standard decorations.  Part of why we chose the venue included their pricing for catering services-it was a great deal that we couldn’t pass up for a seated meal!

The shuttle service we hired was approx. $450 for the whole evening.

We had a couple of things that either our parents helped us out with, or I won in online giveaways:

My parents purchased my dress (which was about $240 at a Brides Against Breast Cancer event) and made the hot chocolate-tube favors/placecards.  Jake’s parents covered the DJ’s costs.  I actually won 250 long-stemmed roses from an internet giveaway from Dana of The Broke Ass Bride fame, so our flower budget (which was pretty non-existent) was complementary.  In that same giveaway, I also won a ceremony set (flower girl basket, guest book, pen, etc) that I exchanged for a birdcage gift card holder and a scrapbook.  Our guest book was free through an offer I found online from Snapfish; I was able to personalize a photo book to include love-related quotes and spaces for people to leave well-wishes.

How many guests did you have?

We both have very large families and some close-knit friends, so we ended up with 173 RSVP’d yeses, but only about 150 people showed up for the reception.

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

To reduce costs and to maximize the “Tree and Jake”-ness of our day, we DIT’d (Do-it-together) many of the decorations, from the mustaches-on-sticks (that Jake loved so much, it was the only thing he requested for the wedding!) for the photo backdrop, to the flower centerpieces, pinwheel bouquets, tissue poms, and favors.  There were lots of pops of color everywhere, but the hall still had a very classy, intimate feeling to it.

Additionally, the best man (who is Jake’s cousin) wrote a song for us to have our first dance to.  He sent it to me ahead of time, so that I could have a copy.  He performed it at the reception on his keyboard, and it was such a special moment.  Just…amazing.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

Planning a wedding for February definitely has it’s benefits in the “cheaper by the season” section.  We found that many vendors had great discounts for us just because they were slower pre-wedding season.  It was around the half-year mark for our dating anniversary, so it makes keeping anniversaries/how long we’ve been together a little easier as well.

DIT projects, and just prioritizing what was important also saved us some cash.  Neither of us has been married before, so it was a lot of brainstorming on what guests remember about a wedding reception (food/bar service and music!).  And from there we cut things that did not matter to us.  We didn’t care about a limo (it would have been awesome, but just wasn’t necessary), or a hand-plated meal.  We also compromised where possible to see where we could find a good deal (our DJ had discounts for time of year of the wedding and for booking online, and it saved us $300).

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

In the end, only argue over the stuff that matters (with  your fiancee, or with family/friends).  But when it does matter, and it’ll matter in 5 days, 5 months, 5 years, put your foot down and keep it there.  There’s nothing wrong with a little compromise, but walk the line between being a pushover and being a jerk. We had some difficulty working around more traditional parents who were upset that we were “missing” aspects of the wedding/reception that they thought were important (but weren’t for us), but overall were able to compromise to make sure that our ideas weren’t thrown out the window, and that traditions that were important to our parents weren’t completely ignored.  I realize now that the marriage is what’s special and what counts to the bride and groom, but the wedding is about family and community.

I had envisioned walking myself down the aisle, and having my fiancé meet me halfway to finish the walk with me.  My dad knew that that was my plan, and told me he didn’t mind.  When he passed away 9 months before the wedding, my mother (who did not know of our plan) was extremely upset that I “had” to walk myself because my father couldn’t.  She wanted to walk me, and the decision that I made to have her walk me was stressful, but I know that in 5 months/5 years, I’ll be glad that I didn’t fight for that one moment.

What was your biggest splurge?

Our biggest splurge was probably the open bar.  We know our families love a good party, and we wanted to make sure that every person had a great time and enjoyed themselves at the reception.  It is a party, after all!

What was your favorite detail?

The banquet hall is part of a local park district building that included a working carousel.  The carousel room had already been booked for a children’s party for the day of our wedding, but we were able to sneak in afterward for about 15/20 minutes for photos.  It was so much fun, and some of my favorite photos were from that small session.  Also, it was a nice break to get out of the banquet hall and have a couple moments to re-group.

What was the most memorable moment of your day?

The most memorable moment would have to be our groomsman, Trent, marrying us at the apartment.  He was so nervous, but wanted to pull through for us since our other plans had fallen through.  There was a lot of nervous giggling, some jokes between the bridal party, and I just remember thinking, “Wow.  This is it.  After this, it’s allllllllll gravy.”  :)

VENDORS:

Venue: Garden Terrace Banquets

Caterer: Two Chefs Catering

Photographer: Jolie Images Photography

DJ: Non-Stop Entertainment

Transportation: First Student Buses and Charter

Brides Against Breast Cancer