My wedding was over a year ago and I've been wanting to write this post ever since. I finally found the time to put this post together in hopes that it helps and inspires other engaged brides-to-be with their wedding planning.
Weddings are expensive. Well, let me rephrase: weddings CAN be
expensive. A wedding budget is really dependent on what you want to
include on your wedding day.
Whether you have your heart set on a large extravagant event or a small
intimate gathering, budgets are a must. They make sure you don't
overspend and also give you the freedom to put a little extra portion of
your cash flow towards the things that really matter to you.
When I started planning my wedding, I knew that I wanted to save as much
as I could and do as much as I could on my own to help save, too. I had
the guest list (which is a BIG factor in costs) and also determined what
was most important to me.
For me, I knew I wanted to invest in photos and the venue as these were
important to me and I was willing to put a little more of the budget
towards them. However, I still wanted to find budget-friendly options
for these vendors as well as all the others. We also decided against a
wedding planner since I enjoy doing that anyway, and we also said no to
a DJ/entertainment, alcohol, wedding favors, bridal photos, additional
menu options, multi-card invites, and more.
So, here is a breakdown of each wedding category and what I did to cut
costs while still making the wedding personalized and a reflection of
us. October 26, 2023 was one of the best days of my life. (:
Wedding Date
The date of your wedding makes a big difference in the cost. We decided
to have our wedding on a Thursday instead of a traditional Friday,
Saturday, or Sunday. This alone saved a lot on the cost of our venue and
other vendors. If you are able to have a weekday wedding, do it! It has
other benefits too, like a higher chance of vendor availability.
Venue
As I said, I wanted to have our wedding at a proper venue that offered
the amenities we needed and enough space for all of our guests. We found
a newer venue that had competitive pricing with other local venues and
offered a few extra things as well.
Our venue (Enchanted Ranch) provided a newly-renovated reception building along with beautiful
scenery, 12 hours of venue access (which was perfect for our 3pm
ceremony), separate areas for different parts of the day (such as a
covered patio, reception building, and outdoor ceremony location), a
ladies and guys suite, sound and lighting setups for the reception, a
prep area for catering, lots of parking spots, post-event cleanup, a
security officer, and all the tables we needed including round tables
for the guests, rectangle tables for gifts, food, and other needs, and
even cocktail tables outside. The venue also provided 80 ceremony and
reception chairs included in the price with the option of adding more if
needed which we did.
We also got our drinks taken care of with the venue as we added on their
non-alcoholic drink package which provided drinks and bartending staff
to our guests throughout the night.
Even though I was planning the wedding myself, I did get a day-of
coordinator through our venue as well who helped make sure everything
was on schedule.
Photo & Video
Photo and video was another vendor I wanted to invest in as I knew it
would be the one thing from the day I could look back on for years to
come. At first, I didn't know whether or not I wanted to get video but
when I found a vendor (Joy Photo & Video with
Amanda Lynn Photography) that offered a good package deal for both, I decided to go for it.
Since we didn't pay for all of our photos to be edited (they only edited
300 for us), another nice perk from our vendor meant they did give us
all the RAW files which means I can edit any of the additional ones as I
wish. Others may not like that, but since
I am a photographer
and know how to work my way around Lightroom, this was a no-brainer for
us.
I also took advantage of a deal my photo vendor was having which meant
we got our engagement photos done for free since we booked a wedding
package with them!
Catering & Cake & Waitstaff
Figuring out our food for the wedding was a little bit of a challenge.
After looking at our options, we decided to go with a restaurant caterer
(specifically,
Cracker Barrel). We were able to pick out what food we wanted to provide which was a
grilled chicken entree with two sides and biscuits. We were able to cut
down costs with food since we did not offer additional menu options. We
were also able to have the restaurant deliver our food with warming
dishes that would ensure our food was kept warm throughout dinner time.
Since we used a restaurant caterer for our food, we wanted to book
waitstaff so that guests would be served, their plates would be cleared
for them, and the cake would be cut. We decided to book third-party
waitstaff with
Stallworth Event Staff
for a couple hours which helped a lot with making the dinner time go
smoothly. Since we booked it through the gig site
GigSalad we
were able to explore our options at good prices and we had great
service.
For our cake, we went with a family friend who has a home bakery (Cattle & Cakes Co.). If there is one big tip that I have for other engaged couples when
they are wedding planning, it is to take advantage of your social
circle. If you know people who would be happy to help, don't be afraid
to reach out to them! Oftentimes, others would love to help and feel
honored doing so for a special occasion such as your wedding.
We were able to work with the cake baker to have a taste test to decide
on our favorite flavors, design a 2-tier wedding cake with the style I
wanted, get a styled and personalized groom cake, 2 sheet cakes for
guests, and have it all delivered to our venue at the right time. Not
only did we get a great deal and great service but we also got a
personalized experience.
Save The Dates & Invites
Instead of mailing physical save-the-date cards, I designed a digital
version and texted them to every party on our guest list. This was free
and saved postage as well.
Our invites were designed and printed by a family member who graciously
offered to gift them to us. She worked with me to decide on a design
that matched the style of our wedding and even got mailing addresses
pre-printed on the envelopes for us. We wanted to keep the invites
simple and opted to have all the information on one card. All we had to
pay for was the postage and I couldn't be happier with how they turned
out!
Florals & Decor & Linens & Cutlery
Our decorations were an area that we saved a lot because I made most of
it myself. It was a lot of fun, too!
I crafted a custom card box with my Cricut, a welcome sign with the
schedule on it, and a couple other signs throughout the reception
including guest book instructions. reserved signs for a few of the
tables, and a sign with instructions for our sparkler exit. I also
prepared coloring pages and bundles of crayons for any kids in
attendance.
Most of the decorations that I purchased were from Hobby Lobby or Amazon
including some signs, banners, a runner for our table, and frames. I
also got a cake stand and cake-cutting utensils that were cute and
affordable. I made the table centerpieces with wood cookies, votive
candles, bud vases, and artificial flowers. I wanted something simple
but still warm and this worked perfectly. For our sweetheart table, we
kept it simple with a cheesecloth over the tablecloth, a couple votive
candles, 'Mr. & Mrs.' signs, and I used my bouquet as the
centerpiece.
I also used several things I already had including our guest book which
was a study Bible that I had been given. It is now our family Bible and
one I hope to pass down throughout the years! I also already had cups
and holders, pens, and highlighters that I used.
We decided to use artificial flowers for the entire wedding day as they
are budget-friendly and I liked how I could keep them and use them
again! I ordered the bouquets from
The Brides Bouquet, boxes of flowers from Amazon (that would be used for the
centerpieces, welcome sign, flower girl basket, and cake decoration),
and boutonnieres and corsages from Amazon, as well. All the flowers
worked out very well and were of good quality.
For our tablecloths, we decided to buy them instead of renting them.
Surprisingly, it was cheaper to buy all the tablecloths in bulk than to
rent them for a few hours! So we bought white tablecloths for all the
tables from
TableclothsFactory.
For our dishes and cutlery, we needed a disposable option that still
felt nice for the occasion. I bought a set of heavy-duty plastic dishes
and cutlery from Amazon that were good quality and matched the decor
well. It came with dinner plates, dessert plates, cups, spoons, forks,
and knives.
For the napkins, I wanted a dinner napkin that was disposable but better
quality than paper napkins. I came across a good option on Amazon that
was thick, felt like linen, but was disposable. They worked very well
for us and had many different color options. I also bought square paper
napkins in green for the cocktail/social hour, and in white with "Mr.
& Mrs. Thanks for coming" for when the cake was served.
Music & Lights & Photo Booth & Sparklers
I decided to create my
own playlists on Spotify
for the entire wedding day so we did not have a band. We also did not
have a DJ as my dad and brother are good with A/V tech and helped us out
with it. My dad also made announcements for us which helped make
transitions easy. My grandpa played the song he wrote for me live on his
guitar as I walked down the aisle which was a very sweet touch!
I wanted an area set up where guests could take pictures but I didn't
want to rent an entire photo booth. So, I set up a ring light on a
cocktail table in a corner, hung up a banner, and provided photo props
for the perfect photo setup. I also added some vinyl of our initials to
the sunglasses I got from my bachelorette party for a
cute compilation video.
We did a sparkler send-off so I bought the sparklers in bulk from
Wedding Sparklers Outlet
which was a great deal and allowed each guest to have more than one if
they chose.
Wedding Website
Our wedding website was so helpful and one of my key planning tools! We
created a free customizable wedding website from
The Knot that
housed a bunch of information our guests could view. It included our
proposal, engagement, and venue pictures, the time, date, location,
timeline, and countdown of our wedding day, our story, pictures and a
bio for each member of our wedding party, things to do in San Marcos, TX
where we had our wedding, hotel block information for guests looking for
nearby discounted hotel rooms, a link to our registry, and (best of all)
the link to submit their RSVP for their party. We included the URL of
our wedding website on the invites which directed guests where to submit
their response.
The Knot also helped with wedding planning as they provided a checklist,
budget tool, style quiz, guest list management, and had a search tool
for local vendors.
Attire & Rings
I purchased my wedding dress from an off-the-rack bridal shop (IDoTheDressIDo) that had a great selection of dresses at discounted prices. All the
dresses are off-the-rack meaning they only have one of each and you take
home the dress you try on. I found the perfect dress which happened to
be the first of five that I tried on!
I, fortunately, didn't need too many alterations to my dress and found a
local seamtress (Hill Country Alterations & Embroidery) that worked with me to fit the dress to my body at a reasonable
price.
My veil and shoes I found on Shein (I now know not the best place to
shop) and surprisingly they were pretty good quality! I still wear the
shoes occasionally to this day. I knew the veil wouldn't exactly match
the shade of my dress, but I was fine with that as I knew I would only
be wearing it for a short time during the ceremony.
The only other jewelry I wore besides my rings were earrings that I
picked up from a JCPenney which matched the pearls on my shoes and veil
well.
I purchased my husband's ring from
Ridge which offered the
ring styles he was wanting and even came with a silicon band at a great
price. My ring was purchased from
GemsOdes
on Etsy which goes well with my engagement ring and was handmade.
Wedding Party & Gifts
For our wedding party, we decided to have 5 bridesmaids, 5 groomsmen, a
flower girl, and ring bearer.
I made custom proposal boxes for my bridesmaids including a photo box
with a custom t-shirt I made with my Cricut, a mug I personalized with
their name, a notepad, bath bomb, and air freshener. I bought my flower
girl a necklace.
For the bridesmaid attire, I chose a color and material from
Birdy Grey and
gave my girls freedom to get the dress that fit their style. Birdy was
great because they had beautiful dresses and accessories in many options
at good prices. My bridesmaid's jewelry was up to them and their shoes
were any nude-color shoe they wanted. I also got a sash and bow from
Birdy for my flower girl that matched the bridemsaid dresses.
The attire for my husband and the groomsmen and ring bearer were all
rented from
Men's Wearhouse
including shoes and suspenders. Since we met a certain number of wedding
party rentals, my husband's entire suit rental was free.
We bought ties and bowties for the groom's party from Birdy Gray that
matched the bridesmaid dresses that were the gifts to the groomsmen. For
the bridal party, I bought robes from
MagnoliaBlueSouth
on Etsy, crafted custom hangers, and wrote notes to each of them as
their gift.
I bought my mom a "mother of the bride" bracelet and my dad "father of
the bride" cuff links as their gifts along with notes.
Officiant & Ushers
Our officiant is a friend of my husband's who was gracious enough to
travel and marry us and my brothers served as ushers to help guests to
their seats as they arrived.
Hair & Makeup
My hair was done by my usual hairstylist
Mollie Morgan
who also specializes in weddings. She worked with me to find my style,
did a test run, and worked wonders on the day of my wedding even when it
started pouring rain. She also added pearls to my hair that I requested
which tied in the rest of the pearls in my outfit.
My makeup was done by
Kyra Dowling
who I had met through a mutual friend. She was great at getting the look
I wanted and she was understanding when I wanted to tweak the look a
little bit.
My bridesmaids and the women in my family all had the option of adding
on hair and makeup if they wanted. I was very pleased with both my hair
and makeup artists.
Bridal Shower & Bach Party & Rehearsal Dinner
My bridal shower was hosted at my parents house and all the women in my
life came together to provide the food, games, and decor which turned
out beautiful!
My bachelorette party was so fun! My bridesmaids and I stayed a night in
Gruene exploring the city and the next day we floated the Comal River.
Our rehearsal dinner was hosted at a local restaurant (Kerbey Lane Cafe)
where we rented out their party room and each got to decide what we
wanted to eat.
Bonus Details & Tips
- I also created a slideshow for our wedding day. Even though we ended up not using it, I am happy with how it turned out and had fun creating it!
- A big help in keeping myself and everyone updated with important information, I created a master document to share with all of my vendors, family members who were helping, and wedding party. This document contained all the important contacts for the day, a list of all the vendors and their contact information, a detailed timeline of the day, groupings for wedding party and family photos, and the ceremony order of events and pro/recessional walking order. I highly recommend doing this so that everyone is on the same page, knows who to contact if needed, and everyone can be updated with changes at the same time.
- Since my family and friends were helping set up the decorations while we were getting ready, I made it easier for them to know where things go, by creating a decoration document with pictures and descriptions of each main area. I had already grouped all the decorations into the right boxes so that they could have everything organized with descriptions of what to do with the items. In this document, I also included diagrams with the labeled reception floorplan layout and table layouts. This made the setup process a lot smoother for everyone involved.
- Since my brother and dad were helping with the music, I created a document with links to each playlist and descriptions for when each playlist should be used.
- Lastly, I also created a photo timeline and shot list document at the request of my photo vendor. This document included the important shots I wanted and a general timeline of when certain photos would be taken throughout the day.
Our wedding is one of my favorite days and felt like a dream! I am glad
that I decided to do as much DIY as I could and I think our wedding was
a good representation of us and our relationship. It had special touches
and included what was important to us. It all came together and, most
importantly, we got married and got to celebrate with our closest family
and friends. That day will always hold a special place in my heart. ♥
If you are engaged, what is important to you for your wedding day? If
you are married, what was your favorite detail from your wedding?
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