The challenge for almost every bride and groom, no matter what the budget, is to find a way to plan the wedding they want and not spend too much. Today’s reader wedding is a perfect example of how to make this happen. Julia and Theron handmade almost every detail of their wedding so that they could splurge on the items that were really important to them. They pulled this massive task off with such style and elegance, you’d never know they had a budget at all! I think every bride can learn something from Julia’s strategy, here is her advice: “I worked long and hard to find affordable ways to create the dream wedding. For example I wanted specific dahlias which were spendy at local florists. Instead I found a local farm which sells at farmers markets to buy from directly and supplemented with flowers from Costco or things my mom and I actually grew ourselves. My mom, aunt and cousin did all the flowers with a little help from me. I picked the bridesmaids dresses from the BP section of Nordstrom for only $50 a piece. I hand made sashes to match the girls dress and utilized Etsy for many items. I enjoyed supporting other people who make handmade goods. We planned ahead to shop for the best deals on suits. Getting the boys suits at Kohls on a weekend sale price. They each paid for their suits however the price was less than we could find to rent them!! I designed my own invitations and save the dates. I worked closely with Shauna from those girls boutique on a couple unique furniture rental pieces, one of which was a back drop to our DIY photo booth. We used dollar store items and old Halloween costume pieces as props. All these things added up so that we could afford the big ticket items like a DJ, photographer all day and expensive dress. In summary I utilized my design skills and the skills of other willing helpers to create the day. Where I couldn’t make something I tried to buy local or support those who create hand made goods. But most of all the day was filled with love. You may not be able to tell by the pictures alone but I don’t think a single person didn’t have a blast. The perfect day all around.” Photos by Madeline James Photography.
Vendors: Photographer: Madeline James Photography Furniture and Vintage Rentals: Those Girls Boutique Venue: Chateau Rive Catering: Red Rock Catering DJ: Complete DJ Cake: Sweet Frostings
