So, I thought it might be fun to see if we could take some of the elements from today’s wedding and translate them into a more budget approach…
photographs by Aaron Delesie (who we looooove)
Ceremony Style
Use planters packed tightly with white carnations (really tightly) to line your aisle. You can either buy inexpensive ceramic planters and paint them a high gloss chocolate brown or you can make your own wooden ones. A super easy DIY that even we could do. To save a little mula, skip the flowers sprinkled on the aisle. Although gorgeous, your guests won’t notice their absence.
The altar is the real stand out feature. If you are lucky enough to have a a structure already in place, simply drape it with really basic winter white fabric. You can tie off the edges with wire then cover with simple greenery. If not, use four poles with large sheets of fabric secured at the top of each (puddling on the ground) to create that same dreamy effect. You can also use thick white ribbon tied down the pole. It will blow in the breeze and look gorgeous.
Rather than a bouquet of orchids, go for hydrangeas. They aren’t quite as polished, but you get a big bang for your buck as you only need a few stems. Plus, they have that creamy color and pretty, feminine style that will look perfect within this wedding style. Your girls can carry the purple variety, tied simply with a pretty white ribbon. Please note that hydrangeas don’t have a long shelf life unless they are really treated with care. Here are some tips.
Consider renting your wedding dress, rather than buying it. Which is just what this bride did. Just make sure to do your due diligence on the company you rent from and get plenty of recommendations. Give your girls free reign on their own bridesmaids dresses by giving them 3-4 fabric swatches in a soft gold and letting them choose their own dress.
photographs by Aaron Delesie
Cocktail Hour and Reception Style
Decorate your cocktail tables with succulents, tucked in sand inside glass vases. A crazy easy DIY project that you and your friends can actually do WAY ahead of time. Just hit up your local wholesale flower mart for different varieties of succulents and inexpensive vases.
Create indoor/outdoor spaces by adding little antique cocktail tables (found at flea market or Good Will and spray painting them white), cute throw pillows and draped blankets. You can find such good “ambiance” details at IKEA for next to nothing. When all is said and done, these make great Christmas and holiday gifts!
Layer basic white table cloths that your venue provides with light blue square fabric pieces. You can make your own super easily by purchasing the fabric at a wholesale store or online, then using easy hem to finish off the edges. The square should overlap the edges of the table slightly OR be placed in the center leaving 12″ or so at the corners. If you are lucky enough to have square tables, you can use a light blue runner instead.
Make your napkins using a great lavender fabric. Napkins are probably the easiest sewing project on the planet, and you can finish them off by wrapping a pretty pale blue or white cord/ribbon around them. Or take it one step closer to the real wedding style and fasten old brooches as napkin rings (often found at flea markets).
For perfect centerpieces, make sure to vary the styles on your tables. Some tables should be tall, others low and others can simply feature an array of candles tucked in varying sizes of hurricane vases. Use Kathleen’s DIY to make pretty, muted gold vessels to hold your flowers. Stick with all one hue, shades of whites, and go with inexpensive but fluffy flowers…hydrangeas and tightly packed carnations.
Finish off the look with a bit of glitz. Use jeweled frames to house your table numbers, roll a few of your vases in super sparkly crystal clear glitter (we did this for our wedding). Or you could just dust off your bejewler, rent every episode of sex in the city and get to work adding a band of bling to your vases.
So that should give you some good ideas as to how to translate today’s gorgeous featured affair into one that can be done on a budget. By looking at each element as a separate piece to the puzzle, and tackling them one by one, you’ll be able to see how these ideas can really be done on any budget. The key is in not getting overwhelmed with the whole…rather finding the elements that stand out to you the most, and figuring out a really cost effective way to achieve that same look.
And one last thing…hiring professionals to help you (florists, planners, etc) will most definitely ensure that your vision is translated with ease. A florist often knows great ways to trim the cost of things that you might not have thought of so they just might save you more money than DIY.
Beautiful Details. Great light! Love these images.
I have heard about renting wedding dresses before, but the research I've done hasn't come up with anything that looks legit. Is there anyway to find out where this beautiful bride rented hers from? Thanks so much for sharing such a simply gorgeous and inspirational wedding!
love love that you are breaking down the whole picture into small items. makes the translation for events other than weddings alot easier too.
The wedding is amazing but I'm completely transfixed by the ring. Anyone know what shape that diamond is? It's beautiful.
I would like a close up of the ring, pleassse! :)
Abby - thanks so much for translating this gorgeous (and obviously expensive) wedding into something that us DIY/budget brides can potentially replicate in our own events. SMP has felt very welcoming to those of us in the less-than-deep-pockets crowd lately -- thank you for including us!!
I love this feature! It's so great to give concrete tips for execution after wowing us with the gorgeous pictures. When looking at the pictures, I totally skipped over the flowers that lined the aisle, but now I really want carnations packed in planters!
I want to make a strong statement about DIY that might make some people not so happy. I think DIY has really gone way too far. I love this blog--great ideas and wonderful style. However as a former wedding planner and designer I know what it really takes to put all of this stuff together. The average bride does not have a good sense of timing with flowers and I have found that 9 out of 10 brides that I have worked with have said that they would never do it again. Just a few things that I could point out.... just with the hydrangeas 1. white hydrangeas are one of the most difficult flowers for a florist to work with--especially in bouquets. Even properly conditioned with the correct preservative, and cooled in a proper floral cooler, they have a tendency to brown very easily. If used in the heat, they will wilt withing five minutes. By reading this post, (and I know all the intentions are good--I am not trying to be overly critical), one would think that they can simply go online and order from costco, whip some ribbon around some white hydrangeas, and voila! a less expensive gorgeous look for less. The reality is it is time consuming preparation for the bride (or having to ask a kind but deep down annoyed bridesmaid to do the work). Dirty fingers and hands (hydrangea stems can be filthy), and most likely browned wilter petals as you are ready to make an entrance on your most important day. I guess my point is that people are called professional and for a reason--they have the skill and knowledge to know what they are doiing. That is what you are paying for---proper skills and preparedness. And not to mention artistry too. I think it might be time to step back and look at what promoting DIY all the time is really doing---more often that not it is causing undo stress for the bride and her family and friends, and often leading to dissapointing relsults. I mean, we could also hire Aunt Maureen to take some pics, and have grandma make the cake. But would it really be the same? Probably not. Just something to think about--I am sure various wedding vendors could weigh in on this too!
Ok! So, I originally took down the above comment but decided to leave it up as Rickie makes some great points. I simply didn't want to start a debate. But, it is a good conversation to have. Here are my thoughts...
Yep, DIY flowers can be challenging. You need to do your research and understand the needs of each flower type so that you know what to expect. Preparation is KEY.
There are a ton of reasons to hire a wedding planner and a florist even if you are on a budget (an in our post, I wasn't really implying that you should DIY everything). One of those reasons is that florists and planners are SUPER savvy with sourcing, purchasing and planning so they can really end up SAVING you money.
With that said, I have seen BEAUTIFUL interpretations of luxury weddings on a budget. You can find so much inspiration by really breaking down the parts and looking at each element as a potential project. This isn't for everyone, by any means. In fact, I did very little DIY for my own wedding. But for those that WANT to get their hands a little dirty, there are options. And that is really what I want to point out in our Look for Less features!
Abby, I love your positivity and your response to criticisms. Rickie certainly makes some good points, but what he points out is the danger with ANY DYI project or aspect to your wedding. Is it worth the risk? that is for the bride to decide, and budget DOES factor in to this decision. I think it's great to have this information (and eye candy) out there, and the bride hopefully educates herself so she can pull it off. I for one appreciate tips on how to do it. Will I do it? Not sure yet, but this blog certainly helps and inspires.
Thanks Abby for posting my comment! I didn't intend to start a debate--so I totally understand why you wouldn't want to post. And I totally agree with you--you can do beautuful weddings on a budget. I love SMP and all the ideas--you do amazing work. I think it gives a bride to be (and folks like me who love all the photos and details) so much to enjoy. Thanks for all your hard work! Best!
Who did those invites, very nice.
Isn't that what comments are for? Discussion - tips -sharing! I think Rickie and Abby both make valid arguments. Anyhow, just want to say how much wedding envy I have for this SMP feature ... Out of all SMP weddings, I love this one the best! I'm sure it's probably the most expensive, too, but GOSH ... just soo PERFECT! I can't stop ogling!
I love the invites any ideas where those come from Laura Hopper???
Agreed, that ring is one of the most amazing, incredible pieces I have ever seen. Anyone have any information on it- the cut, the setting, and some close ups! Please!!!!
This discussion is GREAT!!! I've been also meaning to write something similar on this topic and Abby & Rikie both make a great point.
VERY interesting posts. As a recent bride, former corporate events planner and the bridesmaid who has now made bouquets, table arrangements, programs, and on, I think both are important. Forgo any handmade details in your day and it becomes much less personal, try and do everything yourselves and feel like you are running around like a chicken with your head cut off on a day when that is the LAST thing you want to feel!
I was very lucky to have one of those over the top, three day, Santa Barbara weddings that people are still talking about 6 months later. My biggest regret? That I hadn't put more DIY elements in. Why? Was it because it would have saved money? Ummm, given my track record, I probably would have spent MORE money than if I had let professionals do it, but those are the elements that people are still raving about. (That and my wedding coordinator and band, and the food which were all done professionally). But really why I wish I had can really all be summed up with this wedding. I am STILL thinking about it and determining if stalking the bride down and demanding that she be my friend (I live in SF) would be too weird or if she would be flattered =)
http://www.stylemepretty.com/?s=san+diego+wedding+by+erin+hearts+court&x=0&y=0
Here is my biggest piece of advice; TIME. Many people undertake more DIY efforts surrounding their wedding than they EVER have in their lives whether it is to save money, make the day more personal, or hope that your photographer will have enough awesome details to shoot that you get featured on SMP =) Doing something yourself takes WAY more time than you ever think it will. I made the moss monogram letters for my day and they took SO much longer than I had ever anticipated. I finished them, but literally, the night before we left, I was busy burning my fingers with a glue gun on our kitchen floor.
Abby, I LOVE that you feature DIY ideas and budget alternatives. I am still stealing (borrowing) ideas from SMP for friend's showers (just did a great school inspired one), baby showers, and just generally making life prettier. A great addition might be either how long these projects take or how many weeks/months out you recommend doing them.
Professionals are invaluable. Our wedding planner (even given my background), saved us at least 10k. Our professional band executed perfectly, and our food was delicious. People are still talking about the place cards tied to little horse shoes that I made my bridesmaids tie, but seriously, if the lighting hadn't been working (done professionally) no one would have even been able to see them.
I love the idea of the hydrangeas in brown painted planters. I am not big on flowers for my wedding and was looking for something with a more rustic, but yet still glamorous feel. I think you do get more bang for your buck. I happen to have a neighbor who has been dying for a new project in his woodshop. He is retired and enjoys the hobby. I am sure he would love making this little planters!
Thanks for the tip :)
Also, I totally agree with Rikie's comments about DIY. Although it sounds like a great idea it really can be very overwhelming and stressful. I told my fiancee I planned on being at our venue day of to help set everything up (as I am a control freak and want it perfect) but he assured me there is no way he would let that happen because I needed to enjoy the day not worry about putting together floral arrangements! What a smart man he is :)
Great post! I plan on re-creating the ceremony decor for my wedding.
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[...] Chartula Studio Pin Wheel: About via WBZL Ring: Monica Vinader Table Settings: Confetti Flowers: SMP Buttonhole Corsage: SMP Lanterns: The Knot Table Setting: Arrangements Design via [...]
[...] Chartula Studio Pin Wheel: About via WBZL Ring: Monica Vinader Table Settings: Confetti Flowers: SMP Buttonhole Corsage: SMP Lanterns: The Knot Table Setting: Arrangements Design via [...]
[...] Chartula Studio Pin Wheel: About via WBZL Ring: Monica Vinader Table Settings: Confetti Flowers: SMP Buttonhole Corsage: SMP Lanterns: The Knot Table Setting: Arrangements Design via [...]