Our Wedding

The best day of our lives and one we will always have to look back on and enjoy... our wedding day. All the blessing, hard work, and friendship that went into our wedding is what made it what it was... an absolute dream. The way Travis and I looked at it among all the stress leading up to it, whatever was going to happen was going to happen, we were going to enjoy every second of that day no matter what. If you knew how many things went wrong, from forgetting to put the cameras on the table to the bridesmaids dresses finally arriving and being completely wrong, you simply wouldn't believe me because the day was so perfect. All the mishaps aside, magical was the one word used to describe it for weeks after the day. To all those that made it what it was, we couldn't thank you enough.

Planned while overseas, while in college and preparing for one of the biggest conferences in Australia, all in a period of six months... it all worked out. I didn't get to do all the personal projects that most brides have the most fun doing since I was overseas until the few weeks before, but in the end, it wasn't important. For all of you out there stressing about your wedding, it will work out! If I can do it under those circumstances, you can have the wedding of your dreams!

Pretty much our entire wedding was DIY or at the hands of absolutely amazing friends and family who worked their buns off to make sure our wedding was incredible! The only big spenders were the dress and the photographer, but my mom was determined those were the two things we would spend money on. Everything else we completely managed to pull off for well under the average cost.

Our save the dates were photoshopped engagement photos that we got printed as postcards at Costco. I designed and ordered them and then my mom mailed them all out from me from the other side of the world.

My invitations were put together by some close friends of mine who have started their own small printing business, again cost only for supplies. Via online communication, we worked out what it was I was going for, fonts etc. We just wanted something simple and a little whimsical. What she came up with was beyond perfect. So, they were printed at home and sent out! It's so easy to accomplish it budget friendly as well. Especially if you know how to coupon and when to shop at craft stores, which CONSTANTLY have all kinds of sales and coupons coming out! Never pay full price for anything when it comes to crafting. Its all mostly over-priced anyway!

THE DRESS. The highlight of the day, the main topic of conversation! By far, the dress was our biggest spender. Most people don't see any value in spending so much money on a dress you wear only once. It wasn't the most important part for us either, but it was in no way a regret. You wear it for one day, but you have the memories and the pictures forever. I lived that dress to every penny of its worth. I popped buttons, tore the sleeve, got grass, sea-water and sand stains on it... I loved wearing that dress. So, its up to you. If you have the budget for it (which we did) and its something that is important to you... I say its worth it. Another reason we ended up with that dress anyway was because at the time, the lace was not quite in style yet. So, saying nothing about how I was in the red zone for ordering a dress at 6 months anyway, I couldn't find the dress I wanted! Everything was sweetheart neckline, strapless dresses (not my style).

All that being said, the dress was done by an Australian designer Jenet Zaiter (her facebook page has a bit more to look at). Her work is GORGEOUS! And she was incredible to work with, did the dress in THREE months!

 (There were 100 buttons down the back! 100! My poor husband!)

My flowers are another story as well. A family from our church whom we've known for years have their own small mostly non-profit at the moment business. They create the most beautiful arrangements and are even more beautiful as people themselves! While paying for the flowers alone, my wedding was adorned in absolute splendor. I must say I was blown away as well with the amount of flower knowledge that there is to be had when you are trying to plan a wedding. I knew simple colors and she would list all the types of flowers we would order! [Note: if Peonies are not in season, English Garden Roses are a definite substitute, and much more budget friendly!] My arrangements consisted mainly of English Garden Roses, Teacup Roses, Dusty Grey, Thistles, and Babies Breath... any other flower was picked by the florist (she had more knowledge and I was confident she understood what I was going for). The bridesmaids got Hydrangeas as well. Little tip if you are getting married on a hot day, a cooler is a good way to keep your flowers fresh until the trip down the aisle!

It's incredible to see people come together when it comes to putting a wedding together. We had three very simple signs made for our wedding by a good friend of ours! She did them over night and they were perfect!

Cake, cake, cake, cake. I am all for taste when it comes to cake. Sure, it needs to be cute... but I have been to so many weddings where the cake just wasn't that good, regardless of how pretty it was. To each his own I guess, but I love cake too much! Ours was fantastic. Both in how it looked and how it tasted! The baker was another long-time friend from our church and she put together a simple cake for us, working with the florist to decorate it. Our first year anniversary is next month and I cannot wait to eat the cake top!

Our decorations were simple. I took a lot from wedding blogs, pinterest and some of my own ideas! Family and friends all worked together to gather as many colored and shaped bottles and jars as possible to fill with flowers. The lanterns (which lit our reception during the evening) were from World Market. My mom is a wiz at finding deals and she got a really good one with them as well. The tables, chairs, umbrellas and green table cloths were all from AARentals. If you shop around at what rental companies are available near you, you can find who gives the best deals. Depending on how many people for your event, its not too expensive. 

The day before our wedding, so the decorations weren't up yet. We were expecting 90 degree weather and our wedding was scheduled for the hottest part of the day... the umbrellas were our solution to that. They had to have made our wedding feel the way it did, absolutely magical.

Caterer was also a family friend. We did buffet style, it was easier and I prefer to give people options for what they want to eat.

The party favors, which are also on the teacups were chocolate covered coffee beans. We wanted something that people would enjoy... not hang onto and then throw away after a couple of weeks. The beans themselves come in a massive bag at Costco (buying bulk is always good and cheap). Those little bags were a score at a crafting store! One of my coupon/sale finds.

 The lace covers for the table cloth were collected from friends and family over the span of a few months. You would be surprised what people have and how they can help! All the dishware was collected from friends and from garage sales. We wanted to go for an eclectic, vintage look. Just a note that buying dishware and silverware from garage sales or on sale from stores can actually be cheaper than renting them if done right! It's a lot to clean after which is the only thing to keep in mind. That was our only reason for renting the green table cloths, the ease of not having to do all that laundry afterward. Again, it depends on what you are more willing to do or pay for.

That was our day! Our photographer Heather Colwill is another good friend who also did my senior pictures when I graduated from highschool. She was the finishing touch, giving us beautiful images captured from all the special moments that now let us remember our whole day for forever. I couldn't be more grateful for the experience and for all the support!