Eco-Friendly Wedding In Florida
We featured McKenzie and Todd’s wedding earlier today and seem to have sparked off a bit of a controversy that we’d like to lay to rest!
McKenzie and Todd wanted a small intimate wedding and they had a budget of $20,000. {We’re not saying they had a low budget wedding. We’re saying they had a budget of $20,000.) They approached First Coast Weddings and Events to help them orchestrate their plans and made it clear that they didn’t want to exceed this figure. Additionally, they are a very environmentally conscious couple and wanted their wedding to be as eco-friendly as possible.
Now … the point of the story is that sometimes it’s very difficult to stay within your set wedding budget … no matter what that number is (!) … and most couples planning their wedding can attest to that! There are so many extras that become so tempting, but it CAN be done.
McKenzie and Todd were married in March 2008 at the Oldest House in America! Seriously … according to the St. Augustine Historical Society …
“The González-Alvarez House has been occupied since the 1600s with the present house dating to the early 1700s.”
from Danielle …
McKenzie and Todd met while attending Saint Johns College, a unique college that bases its curriculum on the works of the most influential minds throughout history. Here, they cultivated their love for history, anthropology, and one another. Their leisure time was spent biking and playing trivia. With college behind them and opportunities and new careers awaiting in Seattle, they wanted to plan this one last hoorah – full of their closest friends and family to bid them farewell.
When I first met with McKenzie and Todd, they were at the very beginning stages of their planning and had several guidelines set in stone.
1. The wedding would cost no more than $20,000. (note: this is where the staying within your set budget comes in!)
2. They wanted the wedding to be reflective of their personalities
3. The wedding needed to be intimate- 50 guests to be exact
4. They wanted it to be as low-key and green as possible, with respect to environmental and socially aware planning.
We chose the location of the ceremony for its strong history which was quite important to the couple. They wanted a space that felt warm and rich while still being able to not overwhelm their intimate ceremony. In keeping with their eco-consciousness, the guests and couple walked the three blocks to the ceremony at The Oldest House. They chose to have no attendants, rather they selected only their immediate family and closest friends to witness their vows. They each walked in solo as a string trio played the works of Bach and Mozart. In all my years of planning, I have never felt so engaged- just the two of them opening up their hearts to one another.
They wrote their own ceremony, with borrowed traditions from several cultures throughout time. Their very talented friends offered up their services to assist with the bread and honey ceremony, with one having a 250 year old starter for sourdough and another who owns a bee farm! We kept the decor simple, with a chuppah wrapped in a garland adorned with fresh locally-grown citrus fruits and a bouquet of hydrangeas. Adorning the entrance to the Oldest House were two topiaries adorned with mini citrus fruits.
Who says that no bridal party means no bridal party fashion? I loved that McKenzie’s mother and sisters all chose to wear dresses from a bridesmaid’s line. They were sophisticated selections that reflected each personality but definitely distinguished them as guests of honor!
In order to maximize the budget, we chose to hold the reception at the gorgeous Casa Monica Hotel’s Sultan’s Pool Deck. The space was discounted because it was a chilly off-season, but included space heaters. What I love most about this space is the stationary cabanas and amazing styling! It means that there is no worrying about tent, table, and lighting rentals. They also have an iPod dock that goes into their PA system, which we used for cocktail hour and background dinner music. Because the space is already highly-styled, there was little need to add more than a few hydrangeas and citrus fruits.
Guests were treated to a polaroid guest book and an extension of the bread and honey ceremony. Their friends made the cutest orange blossom honey escort cards. I thought that the most clever part about them was that the shade of green on the leaves denoted the guest’s dinner selection (fish/meat) which was a subtle way to help Casa Monica’s staff.
McKenzie and Todd announced early on that they were not the tiny dancers… not even close. Thus, they opted to skip dancing all together. Instead, they allocated those funds to a great menu and wine list. And, they employed the help of a friend that they had made over the last few years of trivia night. That’s right, they had a full-on trivia challenge! Designed to match their Dauphine letterpress invitations, these trivia menus were by far the most chic that I had ever seen! I loved that the guests were able to interact and have wonderful food and conversation.
At the end of the evening, we cut the cake. And oh what a cake it was! McKenzie and Todd worked with Sweet Weddings to create a lovely cake which had their college crest on top. Afterward, there was the crowning of the Trivia winners, a sparkler exit (followed by an impromptu dance off by their guests) and the couple was off to their honeymoon (biking all the way up the East Coast!)
In the end, we were able to stay within their budget by determining what was most important to the couple … the food, photography, and ambiance. And then, we found cost-conscious alternatives for the rest … the flowers and entertainment. Last, but certainly not least … they accepted help from their friends. We were able to achieve an intimate affair that was environmentally and socially aware, and completely reflective of the couple’s personality.
It would not have been possible without this amazing team: Coordinated by Danielle Bamba of First Coast Weddings and Events, Flowers by Riverside Event Design, Ceremony Venue – The Oldest House, Reception Venue and Catering – The Casa Monica Hotel, Photography by Leah Powell Photography, Cake – Sweet Weddings, Ceremony Music by Wehners Weddings Entertainment, Details by The Couple’s Talented Friends!
Thanks so much to Danielle for helping McKenzie and Todd achieve their dream wedding! Our congratulations to McKenzie and Todd!!
ps … the original post has been updated in response to our readers comments!
These are wonderful! I love the cake & all the details!
The wedding is beautiful . . . but $20,000 for only 50 guests is considered a "budget wedding"?
Gulp. And I don't think I'm alone in that gulp.
Beautiful work from Heather and her team!
Beautiful wedding, I love the trivia idea... I have to agree with Lori though that $20,000 for 50 guests should not be considered a budget wedding.
Gorgeous photos, love all the details! I don't think they are considering this wedding a budget wedding. They are just emphasizing that it's important to couples to stay within their budgets; whether the budget is $8,000 or $80,000.
I agree also, especially in this economy.
I'm afraid the pictures are really pixelated and aren't showing off the photographer's work as well as they could.
Our budget is $15K for 55 guest and I consider it a budget wedding. Even with the small guest list, it is difficult to stay within the budget.
Personally, I'm kind of put-off by the term "budget wedding." Budget does not mean cheap and inexpensive in my mind. Budget is more a of descriptive term for what I personally have to spend, and will I stay under that projected amount.
One of my best friends has a guest list of 180 and a "budget" of $4,000. It's a cake reception, obviously. Should this be called a "budget" wedding? Not necessarily. Because I know other people that had a similar amount of guests, spent more, but still came in UNDER "budget" and the costs they'd initially projected.
Semantics? Maybe...
love the trivia challenge! so clever!
Beautiful!!!
I think everything was fabulous! The arbor was so cute and I LOVE your toasting flutes, please tell me where you found them
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The toasting flutes are swarovski....super cute aren't they? I'm planning on getting the same ones. They really shine in pictures!
I really like McKenzie's dress, it is very similar to what I am looking for!! Who is it made by or where is it?
I meant to write where did she get it? :)
Planning a wedding with a smaller budget doesn't have to mean choosing less expensive options. Many wedding vendors now offer bridal registries which allows your family & guest to gift toward your wedding in ways which are more attractive than simply putting a check in an envelope.
Thank you all for your kind comments. Yes, the toasting flutes are Swarovski (an early wedding present to the couple from one of their guests). I am at a loss for the designer of the bride's gown but it was purchased from LOVE: A Bridal Boutique on 3rd Street in Jacksonville Beach should anyone care to research it further. And, I agree- for many brides, $20K for 50 guests is not a "budget wedding". In fact, my own wedding had 3x as many guests and a smaller budget. However, I do feel that $20K doesn't necessarily mean that it is a large budget either. It all has to do with prioritizing and managing expectations, wants, and tastes. For this couple, they were comfortable with this number and asked that we not exceed it. They drew the lines (number of guests, their preferences, etc.) and we worked within these boundaries and found creative ways to splurge here and cut back there. I feel that this is what being budget-concious is all about despite what that budget may be. The same basic logic can be applied to a $5,000 wedding as it can to a $500,000 wedding. Opting for trivia and enlisting the help of their talented friends allowed them to maximize their budget to allow for a seated dinner with an elaborate menu and a gorgeous venue. Again, thank you each for the kind words.... and be sure to visit the vendors that made this wedding a success! Best, Danielle (First Coast Weddings and Events)
This where I recently got engaged!!! It gives me chill bumps to see a wedding reception in casa monica hotel... I LOVE THIS!!!!
This is in St. Augustine's Oldest house ... I got engaged there at a bed and breakfast! It is a beautiful court yard!
Lovely wedding! I would love to know the details on the Wedding Trivia challenge. We would love to do trivia at our reception, but all the ideas that we've come up with have seemed a little disorganized and uninspired.
I think that this is an exquisite wedding that reflects everything that the couple was trying to achieve. The use of the word Budget seems to be a big issue. It shouldn't be. It's a descriptive word choice, semantics. It is all relative in the context. You may think that 15,000 for 150 guests is reasonable. I could think that is ridiculous and that your wedding is not a budget wedding. It is all relative.
They made a budget and stayed on it. It is a budget wedding, because that was their budget.
In the end this was a wonderful, intimate and personal ECO-Friendly wedding.
Congrats to the bride and groom.
P.S. I LOVE the trivia idea. I might do that during our wedding.
I must say, when I first read this article, I was in agreement with everyone that said '20,000? 50 people? what?' But in reality I think the idea of spending lavishly on your nearest and dearest is a great way to have your dream wedding (in terms of the food you want, the dress you want, and maybe everything else you want) without breaking your bank.