{Advice} Cutting money, not people

Last week, I talked about the number one piece of advice that budget brides and grooms hear: Cut your guest list. And then I talked about how Stephen and I ignored that piece of advice.

How did we ignore that advice? By budgeting. By choosing to have a Friday wedding, when we could save on the venue. For that matter, by choosing a park for a venue. By opting for a dessert buffet instead of a full meal for food.

Let's look at the key pieces of our budget.

Our ceremony at Riverfront Park's Canada Island. Photo courtesy Todd Wagner.

The Venue & Rentals

We spent a total of $500 on the ceremony and reception locations at Riverfront Park in Spokane. How did we find a venue this inexpensive? By looking at non-"wedding" designated places, like public parks and community halls. 

I had always dreamed of having an outdoor wedding, so these locations were perfect. Add in rentals that many venues will have (chairs, dance floor), and our grand total in this category was $1175.

Our dessert buffet by Couple of Chefs Catering. Photo courtesy Couple of Chefs.

Food, Drink, Service & Food Rentals

We definitely helped our budget by having a dessert buffet from Couple of Chefs Catering instead of a full meal. It gave us a budget-friendly edge in two ways: first, desserts are a lot less expensive than full meals (duh); second, we didn't have to get a cake. And our guests raved about the food! 

In addition, we were able to pack in having the caterers service the buffet for the entire reception, San Pellegrino limonatas as well as the fruit waters that the caterers brought to drink, plates, water goblets, and a couple other miscellaneous things for just under $1750.

US! :) Photo courtesy Erika Ellis Photography. (PS: This is a sneak peek of our pro pics!)

Attire

With my dress from Marcella's Bridal coming in at about $860 with alterations, my shoes at $100 (splurges, okay?), my undergarments at another $110, and Stephen's shoes at $20, we spent just over $1000 on attire for us. Then, add in the ties for the groomsmen, on which we spent roughly $40 and the jewelry for the bridesmaids, on which we spent roughly $60, we got ourselves a $1130 bill.

Then there was the headpiece. First, I spent about $5 at the fabric store buying the necessary items to make myself a birdcage veil. When I was done, though, I didn't like how it sat on my head. I thought it was a DIY fail.

When I saw a brand new (in the packaging) polka dot birdcage veil on the classifieds section of Project Wedding, I had to have it. At a cost of $30. Scroll up to the photo of our ceremony really quick. Do you see a birdcage veil on me? No. Because, lo and behold, I didn't like how it sat on my head either. My solution? Cut it up and make a cute fascinator from it, as seen on my head. :) So $35 spent on me trying to make up my mind. That brings our total to $1225. 

I'll make a confession. I have no idea what Stephen's outfit cost since he and my dad went shopping without me for a male bonding experience, and my dad covered the bill. BUT I know a similar look can be done easily for less than $30.

Bouquets from Special Touch Florist. Photo courtesy Todd Wagner.

Flowers & Decor

Aesthetics were big for me for our wedding. We had the personal flowers from Special Touch Florist, the loose stems from Fred Meyer that we made into centerpieces the night before the wedding, drapes, tissue poms, and a few other details. This all came to roughly $1200.

Dancing at our reception, thanks to the awesome music! Photo courtesy Todd Wagner.

Music, Photography & Entertainment

Due to some really fantastic friends, one DJ and one musician extraordinaire, we got our music as gifts. This included the DJ-ing during the reception, and the amp from which we played our iPod playlists for the ceremony. This also included another friend going through his whole music library to find the music we needed for the ceremony and reception. :)

So, for our music, photography, and entertainment budget, we must consider the price of photography from Erika Ellis Photography (which was REALLY great), the price of the photobooth from Seattle Wedding Photo Booth (which was one of the best wedding-related decisions we made), and the sound rentals from Inland Audio Visual so our DJ could work his magic. This came to a total of $1750.

Stationery

I DIY-ed all of the invitations, RSVPs, and inserts on InDesign and had them printed at CatPrint, a printing company based in New York with amazing prices. I tied them up with pretty ribbon, stuffed them in kraft paper envelopes from EnvelopeMall, and sent them off!

I also created guides for our wedding party to aid them in picking their attire for the day, and I printed these at my local Staples. These projects, including postage, came to a total of $260.

Miscellaneous 

Our miscellaneous budget, which included hotel rooms, gifts for the attendants, our coordinator, our license, and a couple other things, came to just about $700.

That's a total of under $8000!

(PS: I know that if you add up all of the figures above it comes to more than $8000, but that's because I rounded all of them up. Our actual total was just at $7906.)

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{Advice} It's about the people

When Stephen and I first started planning our wedding, we knew we were going to be on a budget. We spent hours googling phrases like, "how to plan a wedding on a budget" or "how to plan a wedding for less." We kept running into this piece of advice: Cut your guest list.

We were only willing to go so far with this. We cut out high school friends who we didn't regularly talk to or spend time with anymore (since we met in high school). We cut adult cousins. We cut college acquaintances. 

Me, my cousins, my little sister, and my little sister in law all looking ridiculous dancing the cha cha slide.
Taken by Todd Wagner.

But we weren't willing to cut more than that. The friends who we spend our time with, for example, were important to us. Our family (including aunts and uncles, etc.) were important to us. Why? Because weddings are really about the people. So we invited 200 guests, hoping we'd get somewhere between 100-150 to RSVP.

Me and Stephen forming a dance circle with our family and friends.
Taken by Todd Wagner.

LEFT: My dad and my aunt dancing. Taken by Tammy G.   RIGHT: Me dancing with my little brother in law and Stephen dancing with my little cousin. Taken by Todd Wagner.

Our guests were mostly out of towners (in fact, 95% were at least a 3-hour drive from the wedding, and 90% were out of state), and we ended up with 100 RSVPs. It was perfect.

And none of the wedding would have been the same without those 100 people. Every one of them contributed to the joy and care-free nature of that day. Every one of them lowered my stress level by a bit.

LEFT: Me and my best friend/maid of honor #1 Willa.   RIGHT: Me and my other best friend/maid of honor #2 Chelsie. Taken by Seattle Wedding Photo Booth.

There are so many other ways to cut down on your budget that won't diminish the joy of your day, and that won't diminish what weddings are really about: celebrating love. In tomorrow's post, I'll talk a little more about the ways Stephen and I cut our budget without cutting guests.

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{Advice} Three must-have mindsets for planning a wedding on a budget

I'm so excited to have Dana from Spokane Bride Blog here to guest post for me while I get my home put together. Let me tell you, weddings are fun, but the boxes and boxes of wedding decor and gifts and such that pile up in your living room while you're on your honeymoon? Not so fun. 

Anyway, Dana is just an amazing person, and she's pretty wedding savvy! She planned her whole wedding in 3 months for $3500. She deserves some serious props. I'm also pretty sure that this is the wise woman who told me that bed sheets make perfect tablecloths. That's the truth.

Hello lovelies! Dana here from Spokane Bride Blog! So honored to be guest posting for Lindsie while she is enjoying her first few days of wedded bliss.

I'd like to share with you three essential mindsets that helped my fiance and I save big bucks on our own wedding in 2007. With a budget of $3500, we managed to pull together a beautiful country-themed wedding AND in a matter of only three months.

1. Be flexible: Simply being flexible can help you save a lot of money when you're planning your big day. When it came down to a choice between a pot-luck meal or no meal at all, Ryan and I decided on a compromise: a buffet centered around supermarket fried chicken. Well, why not?

We were getting married on a farm and having our reception in a barn and my family is from Louisiana. What could be more fitting? By using beautiful serving ware and adding our own version of the Olive Garden green salad, several potato salads and rolls, sweet tea and huckleberry lemonade, we fed our 170 guests for just $2.35 per person.

Although supermarket fried chicken hadn't EVER been a part of my dream wedding, being flexible helped me embrace the casual setting and made it the perfect thing to serve our guests.

2. Think outside the box: At over $400, renting seating for our ceremony and reception was going to be a much larger expense than we realized. We brainstormed and decided on hay bales purchased on Craigslist for $200. They were absolutely perfect for our barn wedding and the owners of the farm were thrilled to keep and use the hay after the wedding.

Considering your alternatives is a great way to bring down costs. Purchasing my wedding gown is another good example. After looking at every single dress and trying on quite a few, I found my gown in a back sales room of the boutique. It was four sizes too big. My dress-maker worked sheer magic, and she had it fitting me like a glove in no time. The gown plus alterations came out at under $200.

3. No shame: Some of the best advice I've ever received is: 'Don't ever be afraid to ask! The worst they can do is say no.' I'd always wanted to get married in a barn on Green Bluff [north of Spokane], but the cost was just too much for us and there weren't many options available only three months in advance.

So, while taking a drive, my mom and I stopped at a farm (not a wedding venue, mind you) and simply asked the owners how they would feel about hosting a wedding. They chatted and quoted us a price of $500! SOLD!

As another example, I asked a neighbor for a few cuttings from her overgrown snowball bush for my floral arrangements. She was about to have the whole thing pulled out, so that paid off in several five gallon buckets full of huge white snowball blooms for my reception tables and bouquets. The moral? Swallow that pride because it really never hurts to ask!

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{Advice} Enroll help

I want to talk about relinquishing control. About giving up the traditional bridezilla "this-is-my-wedding-and-I-will-do-it" type control, and letting some friends and family help you.

Okay. Maybe I'm suffering a bad case of psychological projection. Maybe this is me, not you. Maybe I'm the control freak. I admit it.

But there is one person (aside from my smashing groom) whom I've whole-heartedly allowed to help me in the process of planning the wedding: My mom. And boy has she been amazing.

{Almost} all of the stuff my mom has made for my wedding (in 8 days!!!).

The first thing she made was a bunch of ties for the groomsmen, ushers, and my dad. I'm super anti-shiny things for my own wedding, and prefer the more organic looks of cotton and such. In order to avoid silk ties, my mom made them from cotton.

Next was the junior bridesmaid dresses. One of my junior bridesmaids is my sister, and my mom traditionally makes most of our special occasion dresses. Having her make my sister's dress was a no-brainer.

My sister, Ramie, in her junior maid of honor dress.

This dress did start as 21 pieces of fabric, which my mom told me was an interesting adventure. :)

My mom making the dress for the other junior bridesmaid, my dear fiance's little sister, was a different kind of decision. It was another decision that came out of my frustration for the types of dresses available. I wanted yellow, and everything in yellow wasn't quite formal enough. So my mom made it.

Next was the boutonnieres for the dads and grandpas. We decided to cut costs and to give parents and grandparents a memento to take home by creating fabric flower boutonnieres and corsages instead of the traditional real-bud ones.

My mom, me and a few of my bridesmaids got together for a DIY day and created the buds themselves, then my mom crafted some into boutonnieres and I crafted the rest into corsages.

Boutonnieres and the lovely bow tie for the junior groomsman.

Then, my mom created my garters. This was super important to me because I knew I wanted my garters--especially the keepsake one-- to be made from remnants of my mother's wedding dress, which she made for her own 1990 wedding. This is my "something old." (It might only be 22, but it's older than I am, so I think I can consider it "old.")

My keepsake garter, above, and my toss garter, below. The white flowers on here are from my mom's dress.

My mom also made all of the tablecloths for the reception (again, to avoid a panic attack brought on by my extreme aversion for shiny things like the linens available from rental companies). And she crafted draperies to transform the ugly picnic shelter reception space into a gorgeous, ethereal wedding.

Lovely, non-shiny, tablecloths. Thank you, mom.

Could I have done all of this, plus hire vendors, plus do the DIY project that I've done, plus work and go to school alone? Absolutely not. So, here's the moral: Let people help you. And then say thank you. You'll thank yourself in the end.

Check back in later this week to see some of the DIY projects that I've done! 

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{Advice} Budget bridal gown files

I have a few go-to places where I look for budget bridal gowns for the $550 looks featured on here, and also when brides frantically email me looking for something to fit their budgets.

I decided it's not fair that I keep this information to myself, only divulging it when asked. So here it is: My budget bridal gown files.

{Via Lacey LaDuke Photography; Gown from Storybook Bridal in CDA}

{No. 1: Dolly Couture; Santa Anita dress pictured} 

I love that Dolly has tons of dresses for under $600 and has custom options (including getting the dress made to fit your measurements, adding unique touches, and doing a completely custom dress). Also, Dolly Couture accepts returns, for extra security (though some restrictions apply).

Dolly Couture's wedding gowns are all vintage-inspired, which, as you probably know, makes my heart happy.

{No. 2: Ruche; Tiffany dress pictured}

I love Ruche's new bridal line! It comes complete with some of the most gorgeous ultra-budget friendly dresses I've ever seen! (Think under $100!) Also, Ruche accepts free returns (restrictions apply, check policy for details). Ruche has something to offer for everyone, from ballgowns to knee-length beauties like the one pictured.

The only drawback to Ruche's bridal line is the inability to customize. Since some of their dresses only come in small, medium, large, etc. sizes, this may be a deal breaker for brides with curvier bodies.

{No. 3: Ruffled Shop; Bonnie dress pictured}

Ruffled has been my favorite wedding blog for a long time, and when they launched their shop I nearly passed out with excitement. That said, this shop has kept its special place in my heart by continuing to offer reasonable prices, custom options (alterations, or totally custom dresses), and free returns (restrictions may apply). I also am in love, as usual, with the old-world elegance of these wedding dresses.

{No. 4: French Knot Couture; Daisy dress pictured}

First reason French Knot is fabulous: It's LOCAL! I love supporting local business, and this one is nestled right in the Seattle area. Beautiful. I also love the vintage-inspired gown designs and the low prices with all of the dresses being under $500.

French Knot Couture also creates the dresses to your measurements, and accepts returns (again, read policy for details as restrictions may apply).

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{Erin's I Do's} Using Craigslist

I fully admit it. I'm a stalker. I check up on him first thing in the morning, first thing when I get home from work, and multiple times throughout the evening to see if there's anything new going on. I'm not in love ... obsessed maybe?

But Craig's been so good to me over the past few months. Ever since I got engaged, he's been such a huge help. I can always count on him to inspire me. he gave me ideas I didn't even know were possible.

For a DIY or budget bride, Craigslist is your best friend. By searching through "services," I found my DJ (only $600!), my photographer ($400!) and my florist ($400!). I waded through some not-so-great vendors, but the vendors that I ended up with are all amazing people who happen to run their businesses out of their homes.

Are you looking for a wedding dress? Craigslist has everything from $100 1980's puffy gowns to $2000 designer dresses. Some are a little frightening, to be honest. But there are others that have never been worn. I've even seen entire ensembles (dress, slip, veil, shoes, etc.) for less than $800!

I found almost all of my decorations through Craigslist. I've been able to purchase all my stemware, most of my dishes, signs, vases, over 100 mason jars (to be used for both drinking and decor), candles and more--all for significantly less than at the craft store or rental company. It's amazing the deals that can be found if you're willing to take the time to sift through the posts.

When you're looking on Craigslist, start out by searching "wedding." That'll give you gobs and gobs of ads. Once you know exactly what you're looking for, search for that. Every day, I search for "vintage lace," "wedding lace," "vintage wedding," "milk glass," etc. Think outside the box. Type in random words that just might have something to do with weddings: "June," "DIY," etc.

It may take quite a bit of time and patience to find exactly what you're looking for on Craigslist. Or you might find your entire dream wedding all in one post. I can guarantee that, if you find one essential item for your wedding on Craigslist, you'll soon find yourself in stalker mode as well.

Does anyone else have any suggestions for Craigslist? Or do you have some amazing finds that you just want to share? Post them in the comments! Happy stalking!

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{Advice} When illness pops in

You might have noticed that I haven't been posting for the last couple of weeks. Two weeks ago, I was on vacation. Being my silly self, I forgot to let y'all know.

Last week, though, it was a different story. I got sick for the sixth time since January. Now, it wasn't anything life-threatening. It was just your average fever and delirium type of cold, but it still stopped me from really being able to think straight, and therefore from getting any work done.

I realized, though, that I'm really struggling with my health. I'm not sure why (still trying to get in with my doctor), but I know that being sick every other week is not normal, nor is it okay.

We'll resume posting as usual today with a great engagement, and keep up the content all week with some inspiration, advice, and a post from Erin! Yay!

Thank you all for being understanding and continuing to support me and Wed4Less through all of our ups and downs!

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{Giveaway} Hairpiece advice winner

I want to announce the winner of the hairpiece contest from a few weeks ago. I got so caught up first with inspiration shoots (which you'll see soon!), then with technical difficulties (thank God our website is back up and running!), that I forgot to reveal the winner!

The winner, my lovelies, is Stephanie. She suggested these gorgeous hair flowers from etsy shop My Handmade Crafts as well as adding a bandeau veil. I'm looking to either purchase or create some very similar flowers for my big day!

Stephanie will receive a free copy of my absolute favorite wedding book, Handmade Weddings.

Stephanie, email me at lindsie@wed4lessnw.com to claim your prize!

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{DIY} Au naturale lips for your big day

The next two weeks, we're celebrating Wed4Less's first birthday! How exciting, right? We'll be jam packing this week and next with inspiration, real weddings and engagements, and advice!

I'm allergic to lipstick and chapstick. Always have been. When I was young, it wasn't as bad and I'd suffer through the incessant coughing, concentrate on breathing through my nose rather than mouth, ignore the hives that would occasionally appear, and pretend my lips weren't swelling (this was only slight).

The allergy has grown with me, and now that I'm older, I can't ignore the symptoms. Instead, I opt for the more natural look for my lips, and glam up my eyes only.

This is all a very roundabout way of telling you that I love natural lips, and I think they look fabulous for the bride! In that spirit, I've prepared a lovely list of my favorite natural-look lip potions.

(And none of them cause me allergic reactions, which I think is a good sign.)

{One} Sugar Lip Treatment by Fresh | Sephora | $23
{Two} Rose Salve by C.O. Bigelow | Bath & Body Works | $6
{Three} Mentha Lip Shine by C.O. Bigelow | Bath & Body Works | $8
{Four} Tinted Lip Balm by Burt's Bees | burtsbees.com & drug stores | $7
{Five} Carmex Lip Moisturizing Tube | amazon.com & drug stores | $4 for 3 pack

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{Erin's I Do's} On planning backwards

Within five hours of being engaged I had emailed my dream venue to set up a tour, scribbled a to-do list on the back of The Camas Hotel stationary and had my bridal party all picked out. I didn’t sleep at all that night. 

 
In between late night reruns of VH1’s Scream Queens (don’t judge; it’s the only thing on at 3 am), I planned colors and timeline. I dreamt of what it would be like to finally be a bride and a wife. I didn’t have my computer, so I used my phone to google “how to plan a wedding.” I was so excited!

 
That weekend, after a much needed nap, I bookmarked almost every webpage that I could find about wedding planning and Portland weddings. I found amazing pictures of yellow and green color schemes that fit perfectly with what I had envisioned in my head. I talked Robert’s ear off about his opinion on everything from different venues to food to what he wanted to wear. 

 
After an entire weekend of hearing nothing but wedding, Robert sat me down and explained that he loved me and that he was excited to get married, but he honestly didn’t have much of an opinion on the wedding itself. He was totally fine if our wedding was a BBQ in our backyard (fun option, but not enough room for all of our friends and family). 

We made a deal that I wouldn’t talk wedding after 9 pm, unless it was an emergency. His part of the deal was that he would give me his honest opinion on details if I asked for it.

 
Very quickly, I learned to stop asking for opinions and just go with what felt right. So when we visited the venue that I had dreamt about since high school and it wasn’t quite right for us, I immediately moved onto the next options without a second thought. 

When I found a ribbon design at Wal-mart that I absolutely fell in love with, I bought every roll in stock. I found one main design that spoke to me and worked the rest of the wedding around it.

 
Almost every wedding planning website will tell you to pick the venue first, then build the theme and feel of your wedding from there. I did what you’re not “supposed” to do. I focused on a very specific detail as minuscule as a ribbon and built up from there. I listened to my gut. I could not be happier with how it’s all working out. 

 
Don’t be afraid to plan your wedding backwards. Do what feels right to you. If something leaves a strong positive impression on you, go with it. The best piece of advice that I’ve been given so far is to focus on making sure that your wedding reflects your love and who you are as a couple.

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{Advice} I need your help

Hey guys, I need your help.

I bought my dress a while back at Marcella's Bridal in Spokane (highly recommended), but I now have no idea what to wear in my hair!

I know I don't like the traditional veil. But other than that, I really have no clue.

So, here's a picture of me in my dress, except I'm changing up the sash to a white one. (Don't worry, my fiance's already seen this.)

I'm not so hot on the super poof of the veil that I'm wearing in that photo, and I will be wearing my hair in a similar way (just some light waves).

Here's a photo of my beloved shoes!

And a few photos of bouquet inspiration!

 {via Shennen Norman Photography} {via Orange Turtle Photography}

Anyway, let's think of this like a contest. A budget bridal hairpiece contest! Comment below with a link to a fabulous hairpiece for under $30 that you think would look great with my overall wedding look, and I'll choose my favorite one.

The winner will get a free copy of my FAVORITE wedding book, Handmade Weddings (or a different book of my choosing if you already happen to have this one)! Sound like a deal?! :)

So comment below! I'll choose my favorite on Feb. 25 at noon!

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