There are a lot of things I'm not doing for my wedding. We aren't doing engagement photos. There will be no out of town bags, petal tosses, programs, menu cards, bathroom baskets, or monograms just to name a few. But, I will spring for chair covers to liven up our venue and I am hoping to host some extra alcohol for our guests.
I am now and have always been low fuss, simple, easy to please and all about business when it comes to budget. It turns out that my wedding is no exception. The invites I found online were simple yet elegant and I refused to spend more then I was comfortable with. I started out planning on only 2 bridesmaids and having them pick their own dresses. I ended up with 4 and coordinated dresses just because ultimately I think it's much easier on everyone involved. I was debating if we should have a rehearsal dinner but I am pretty sure I will because it will be nice for family and friends to get together and so everyone feels comfortable the day of. I am on a mission to find a very budget friendly location. I didn't even know if I would have a bridal shower. Someone wants to plan a party for lil' old me? Not that I didn't want one I just feel funny about people making a fuss over me. I didn't go to any bridal bazaars or look at bridal magazines. I picked out my wedding dress in 2 1/2 hours from one store on one day costing me under $500. I still don't know what jewelry or shoes I'm wearing but I plan on getting a pair of flat silver sandals that I can wear after the wedding too. If I end up wearing some pearls I already have at home that will be ok and I will probably end up at the Mac counter in a department store for make up the day of.
Don't get me wrong. I am fully loving all of this wedding planning. Picking out invitations, designing centerpieces, deciding on colors. I never imagined in a million years that I would get to have a traditional wedding. The full shebang with a princess dress, sit down dinner, DJ and dancing. I never thought I would be choosing colors and going to tastings. It's been absolutely a dream come true. I may not have a huge budget but I am just happy I get to do this at all. Even without a whole lot of extras the fact that I get to have a wedding at all is enough for me.
Every bride has a different approach. I already know I am a frugal bride but seeing all of these little extras that others are doing got me wondering if I was a lazy and boring bride too. After thinking about it for a moment I have decided I am not. I am just doing what comes naturally to me. I can be creative and am having a great time designing my centerpieces-which I think just so happens to be my only DIY project. Did you know you can have your wedding vows professional written for you at everaftervows.com for about $150? We are having a friend perform the ceremony. I plan on mapping out the entire ceremony script and we will write our own vows. There will be no sand ceremonies or musical numbers involved. There are tons of potentially cool and creative things that could be done that I just don't feel are necessary. I don't doubt that my wedding will still be beautiful and elegant just the way I envision it just because I don't have a million DIY projects.
I am now and have always been low fuss, simple, easy to please and all about business when it comes to budget. It turns out that my wedding is no exception. The invites I found online were simple yet elegant and I refused to spend more then I was comfortable with. I started out planning on only 2 bridesmaids and having them pick their own dresses. I ended up with 4 and coordinated dresses just because ultimately I think it's much easier on everyone involved. I was debating if we should have a rehearsal dinner but I am pretty sure I will because it will be nice for family and friends to get together and so everyone feels comfortable the day of. I am on a mission to find a very budget friendly location. I didn't even know if I would have a bridal shower. Someone wants to plan a party for lil' old me? Not that I didn't want one I just feel funny about people making a fuss over me. I didn't go to any bridal bazaars or look at bridal magazines. I picked out my wedding dress in 2 1/2 hours from one store on one day costing me under $500. I still don't know what jewelry or shoes I'm wearing but I plan on getting a pair of flat silver sandals that I can wear after the wedding too. If I end up wearing some pearls I already have at home that will be ok and I will probably end up at the Mac counter in a department store for make up the day of.
Don't get me wrong. I am fully loving all of this wedding planning. Picking out invitations, designing centerpieces, deciding on colors. I never imagined in a million years that I would get to have a traditional wedding. The full shebang with a princess dress, sit down dinner, DJ and dancing. I never thought I would be choosing colors and going to tastings. It's been absolutely a dream come true. I may not have a huge budget but I am just happy I get to do this at all. Even without a whole lot of extras the fact that I get to have a wedding at all is enough for me.
Every bride has a different approach. I already know I am a frugal bride but seeing all of these little extras that others are doing got me wondering if I was a lazy and boring bride too. After thinking about it for a moment I have decided I am not. I am just doing what comes naturally to me. I can be creative and am having a great time designing my centerpieces-which I think just so happens to be my only DIY project. Did you know you can have your wedding vows professional written for you at everaftervows.com for about $150? We are having a friend perform the ceremony. I plan on mapping out the entire ceremony script and we will write our own vows. There will be no sand ceremonies or musical numbers involved. There are tons of potentially cool and creative things that could be done that I just don't feel are necessary. I don't doubt that my wedding will still be beautiful and elegant just the way I envision it just because I don't have a million DIY projects.
My natural tendency is to go basic and maybe throw in a few extra frills and thrills depending on budget and desire. That seems to be exactly what I seem to be doing with my wedding. Not only am I a frugalista apparently I am a minimalista too.
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I agree that you have to stay you and be who you are because if not you'll be very stressed out on your day. Never try to be someone you're not.
ReplyDeleteI on the other hand love all the little details and think that they'll put a cool spin on things so I find the cheapest way to DIY. Plus being unemployed means I have a lot of time on my hands. At the end of the day programs, bathroom baskets, parasols etc are not going to make you any more married than if you simply went to City Hall.
Staying true to yourself isn't when planning a wedding. I am happy you are doing it. The dress was the hardest part for me. I ended going the e-bay route.
ReplyDeleteOur wedding was very inexpensive. But honestly, it's best that way. We used the money we saved to buy a house and we basically have all the toys we want.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy drill weekend!
That sounds like me! I didn't have programs or menu cards or a petal toss or any of those things either. I wouldn't consider my wedding minimalist though, I just decided to spend more money on the things that were important to me. The wedding looked beautiful and no one missed have a menu or program to read.
ReplyDeleteFor the jewelry I got almost all my jewelry from etsy for super cheap. I'll have pictures on my blog up soon. I also had a piece made for my dress from http://www.tigerlillyjewelry.com/ it felt amazing to have something that was customized just for my dress!