Real Wedding: Jennifer and Christian, X
Thank you so very much to Jennifer and Christian for sharing their gorgeous day with us…I think that I speak for everyone when I say that it was hugely inspiring. To know that you can design a magazine worthy wedding on a budget of $10,000 by looking to your own talents and ingenuity, well, it’s really exciting!
photos by Yvonne Wong
One last note to all of our readers…Jennifer is one of those super, creative types that probably has the ability to make everything she touches turn into something beautiful. But, even if you aren’t as design savvy, there are some really important lessons you can take from her wedding…
-”Brand” your affair. Whether it’s through a monogram, a chic but simple color palette, a particular style…think about your wedding like you might think about a business and thread one theme throughout the entire affair. And by theme, I don’t mean theme per se, rather a recognizable trait.
-Look to stores like Target and IKEA for inexpensive finds, like table runners, great vases and such.
-Keep your guest count low…the smaller your wedding, the more you’ll be able to do. For some brides, this isn’t even a remote possibility but for others, it’s a great way to stick to your budget.
-Find a place that already has personality. It could be a great restaurant in your neighborhood, an art gallery, a garden. Someplace that already has an ambiance so that you can save $$ on decor.
-Arrange the flowers yourself. HUGE savings here. With that said, if you are a high stress person, skip this one.
-Look to your own passion to add a little personality to your affair…if you love music, burn a CD of your favorite songs as your wedding favors. If you are a great cook, attach your favorite recipe that uses a particular herb to a cute jar filled with that same herb.
Hopefully, in today’s wedding, you’ve discovered some good ways to cut corners without cutting style! If you guys have other tips, don’t be shy…in this economy, we’ll take all of the advice we can get!
it looks like it was a superb wedding with a superb atmosphere
I love everything about this wedding. Oh, I want a destination wedding now... *sigh*
three words: to die for!
love this post. mad inspiration from it!
kilee
Love that this was done for 10k! It's so intimate and lovely!
If one more person tells me "You just cannot do a wedding under 20grand" I will kick them!
http://somethingweddings.blogspot.com/ " rel="nofollow">Something Weddings
Wow, love it :D
hey, just out of curiosity, what was your timeline for your ceremony? was it essentially just a dinner, or did you dance also? gorgeous wedding! thanks for sharing.
Long siiiiiiiiiggggh, that was one of the most beautiful weddings I have seen in a long time. I'm so inspired!
I am so impressed with this wedding!!! Beautiful, elegant, and 10K. Unbelievable. Well done and congrats!
We liked this post. Useful ideas that work well towards making the wedding personal and memorable. Thanks!
Beautiful wedding. Very well planned and done. Obviously a lot of time went into preparation and planning. You know, I have heard that the average couple spends 200 hours preparing for the wedding and 0 - 5 hours (on average) preparing for the marriage (in premarital counseling, etc.). Preparation is important for the wedding AND for the marriage. Congratulations again and best wishes.
We just had a cocktail hour and dinner...think elaborate dinner party. Also, with only 30 guests and a gravel backyard, dancing didn't seem to make sense.
In terms of keeping within budget, we were so lucky in so many ways. Flowers were super cheap mostly because we (my mom) did the arrangements ourselves. The band was also only 200 euros...my wedding coordinator happened upon them playing on the street. Great serendipity because they were really phenomenal musicians - and exactly what I wanted. And it was fun when we also came across them at a small square later in our trip.
What an inspirational site for all brides. I really enjoy coming to your site. It's such a breath of fresh air.
It seems like such a beautiful initmate wedding. Congratulations!
OK this is weird, I thought I was the only one to think of hiring a street busker. :L Jenni, I agree on point 4. The personalities of the wedding party will dress it for you in the photos, which it definitely has here. Another tip in saving decorating costs is by having candles on the table, floor candle holders and guests dressed formally... the place will be filled by their colour!