Bride & Groom: Heath and Lori
Wedding Date: June 4, 2009
Location: Brentwood, TN
Budget: Our goal was to stay under $10,000 – which we did.
Best Savings: A few things helped us stay under our budget. First we selected a date on a weekday. We chose a Thursday for a few reasons, but beyond just scheduling, our reception venue was cheaper during the weekday than on the weekend. Another avenue that we saved was a dessert reception – we asked close friends and family to bring a dessert as well. Other than that my mom and sisters helped us make a variety of desserts. We also selected a church venue that was very reasonably priced and needed very little decorating. Anything that we could do ourselves we did! A friend designed the invitations, we did email “Save the Date,” and had a very small wedding party (three attendants each).
Best Splurge: I knew going into the wedding that there would be two things that I wouldn’t compromise on – photographer and my wedding dress. Although we spent more money here – it still was within our budget.
Tips: It is your day – but also remember it is just the start of your life together and you don’t want to be in debt after the honeymoon. The day goes so quickly so take in every moment and detail. Also sit down with your family and whoever else may be helping pay for the wedding and hash out a very realistic budget right away so the wedding day doesn’t become about the money.
A few ways we saved:
—FOOD: We went for a rustic/outdoor/barn feel and wanted to have barbecue type foods. After a few appointments and looking at prices, we chose catering from an Italian restaurant. Because everything was pasta based, it was half the price of the BBQ catering we were originally going for. We ended up having a gourmet meal for half the price of a less classy BBQ option.
—PHOTOGRAPHY: We hired a photographer friend who gave us a deal.
—HAIR: Two hair-dressing friends did all the girls hair for free (we gave them gift cards as a thank you).
—VIDEOGRAPHY: A few friends volunteered (it wasn’t spectacular, but we didn’t mind. We wanted it captured as it happened, not edited or anything special).
—WEDDING FAVORS: We bought flower seeds in bulk and poured them into burlap sachets that we made. It was a lot of work (we got help from a friend) but it was very affordable. We attached a message to the drawstring… asking that people plant the flower seeds and every time they bloom to think of us and pray for us.
—DESSERT/WEDDING CAKE: We bought three large chocolate cakes from a popular restaurant in Colorado. They were about 5 layers thick and each cake was about $50… so we only paid $150 to feed 210 guests dessert. Our florist attached a simple arrangement of flowers trailing down the cake that we cut.
—CHAIRS: I am a little embarrassed to admit that we used the same chairs for the ceremony as the reception. Because we got married outdoors, right next to the reception venue (which was a refurbished barn) we had guests carry their chairs over to their table in the barn while we took photos. It was only a few yards away, but I know my mother in-law would have preferred if we just had avoided that and paid for separate chairs…. But it worked. It wasn’t a big issue.
Kate, thanks for sharing! Rustic weddings are on the rise. You guys are trendsetters! Love the flower seeds in burlap bags idea. Lovely! Thanks for sharing the part you weren’t proud about – shows the compromises we make to save $$$.