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| Three vintage books - free, a chiffon dresser scarf- .50 cents, milkglass candle holder .25 cents. |
June 1, 2013 I finally got married! I'm so very happy I waited until I was absolutely sure I wanted to spend the rest of my life with my partner, because I will never EVER throw another wedding as long as I live.
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| Our candy buffet, this particular dish cost $2.00, the scoop was another $2.50 - by far, the most expensive glassware at my wedding ;) |
The entire wedding was beautiful. It was not over the top - I didn't feel like hauling a ton of antique and vintage sofas, chairs, and other huge oddments, but I wanted the flea market feel. So I just incorporated stuff into the wedding decorations kind of subtlety.
I love antiques, reading and my garden. Paul has similar interests - he loves poking around in antique shops and flea markets - not pictured are the tons of old reels, lures and other fishing related items that were scattered around.
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| Doilies were handmade by my grandmother YEARS ago, the scrapbook paper was $5. on a clearance pile at Joann Fabrics, the books - scavenged through the years - I love to read. Photo Frame was from the Dollar Tree. |
So here are my suggestions and tips
1. Do Not bother with thousands of dollars in decorations. Just be simple and subtle and most importantly, reflect you and your fiances true selves. Use the "Theme" as a way to spend LESS money, not more.THE WRONG WAY TO USE A THEME:
Bride to be: "OOoo, Calla Lily themed stuff! And it all matches!" and she promptly throws her wallet at the florist, caterer, Oriental Trading Company.
Is that calla lily theme attractive to you because you absolutely love and adore calla lilies? Do you have a garden full of them? Do you go to flower shows to see them? Do you spend hours caring for your lilies? no? Well, why choose calla lilies then?!
2. Go to garage sales, auctions, flea markets and discount stores with your fiance, let him have a say in whats going on. Drag him to the craft stores too, then you can both commiserate over coffee later. Bridesmaids are fun of course, but you aren't marrying your bridesmaids.
3. Browse craigslist frequently. Don't forget about places like oncewed, weddingbee and other secondhand places.
4. Utilize and Exploit any family and friends with any sort of talent! Crafty friends are AWESOME. Don't forget your family members. An insane and costly part of the wedding is the CAKE. My best friend and bridesmaid made me a lovely three tier wedding cake - it was her gift. My sister is the craft queen, my mom can do just about anything, and my mother in law is a fabulous hostess.
5. Nobody truly appreciates the details unless they recently had a wedding or plan on doing so in the near future. These individuals are the minority of your guests. Spend the largest chunks of cash on the photographer and the food/alcohol - and when I say alcohol, I mean QUANTITY, not quality.
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| I retrieved this window shutter from the garbage. I bought the green paint and spent two dollars on the place setting cards. I think the total for this project was $4? Something like that. |
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| Flameless votives were a precautionary choice with the drunkards and children running around. The wedding cake topper was found in a box of old junk in a barn, along with the mason jar. |
So my entire wedding, including the ceremony cost me approximately $4000.00. And that is including my dress, accessories, the DJ, the photographer, and such.
I had some advantages that most people don't have, such as a miracle working mom, a freelance cake decorator, and I am an antiques dealer as is my sister.
I didn't have a videographer because I would never watch the DVD. Who wants to see the ceremony countless times...I mean, get your uncle to do it. Professionals are insanely expensive.
In a few days I'll have part two up. :)
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| My partner and his groomsmen were threatening me with full frontal nudity. |
I still have a lot of stuff to share, so this is one of two blog entries...All of these beautiful photographs were done by the most amazing photographer (reasonably priced and genuinely good people) BIRDS OF A FEATHER PHOTOGRAPHY.
