Literature Themed Wedding on a Budget
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I am officially on the “theme wedding” bandwagon. I know, sounds crazy. But frankly, after seeing dozens of weddings where a theme was so delicately and so beautifully threaded into each and every detail…I’m a total believer that a theme wedding can be absolutely magical. Such is the case with this next little number. A literary themed affair, pulled off to perfection for $13,000. Which is shocking when you see just how many wonderful little touches the bride and groom infused and the pair of Louboutins that started it all. Click here to see even more.
click here to see the full wedding!
We were engaged on New Year’s Eve, at twilight, outside Windsor Castle in England. Eric proposed first, not with a diamond engagement ring, but with a very sparkly pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. That night was more than magical – and it set the precedent for the rest of our engagement, and wedding. As I began to think of what kind of wedding I wanted, what kind of wedding would best represent our relationship; I began to ask advice of some our already-married friends and family. There was a common denominator in almost all the suggestions we received: do it your way; don’t try to please anyone else; make it about the two of you. And so I began planning a very unique little event, hoping that our friends and family would leave saying, that wedding was SO them!
After our engagement, I stumbled upon a little blog called Style Me Pretty. And so began my blog-obsession; I, like most of you reading this, spent an embarrassing amount of time online, looking at other beautiful weddings, gathering ideas, and noting what details I found to be most important. I created a myriad of folders on my computer for sorting design ideas: flowers, food, décor, photo ideas & poses, fashion & hair, cakes, themes, etc. I used these sample photos to communicate my “vision” with my vendors, especially my photographers, Chelsea & Mack of McGowan Images. There is no one more responsible for the successful outcome of our wedding than those two – photography was a priority for us from the beginning, but our expectations were far exceeded in the relationship we created with our photographers. Chelsea was my sounding board – she listened to and gave feedback on my ideas, helped in any way she could, and kept me from drowning in the final weeks before the wedding. I am genuinely proud of the images she captured at our wedding, and they are all the more special, because they’re the product of a nine-month commitment to a wedding that was uniquely “us.”
Many of the initial decisions I made started with the shoes – I knew I wanted to wear the engagement Louboutins for the wedding, and I knew I wanted them to really be seen. I chose a short dress to feature the shoes, and decided that the dress lent itself to a more nontraditional sort of wedding. And so one personal/unique/nontraditional decision led to another; my bridesmaids were given a color palette to choose from, and encouraged to pick a dress (and shoes!) that they liked, in a style that would suite their personality and body type. We served breakfast-for-dinner at our reception, and then moved the whole party out to the garden for desert and dancing. We chose my grandmother’s birthday as our wedding date; my Dad (a licensed minister) did our ceremony; my matron of honor’s mother did the beautiful flowers (and her father sang the special music), and a friend from work baked the cake. Our friends and family did all setup, decorations, light-installation (including the mounting of a chandelier from Eric’s grandmother’s house), etc. We hired very few vendors that we didn’t have a previous relationship with.
I saw so many other weddings using vintage books as décor, and was intrigued – not by the look of the books themselves, but by the stories within. The first present Eric ever gave me was a copy of Pride & Prejudice, from the Jane Austen museum in Bath, England. As our own story spanned several years, and many different chapters, the idea of “stories” as a theme for our wedding seemed a natural fit. And so we were married, surrounded by our closest friends and families, and by some of literature’s most classic love stories.
Most of our decorations and design elements came from my grandparent’s house and barn. I borrowed boxes of antique bottles, mason jars, cut glass and crystal, wooden candle pillars, and tons and tons of lace doilies. My one “splurge” was the mercury glass – I bought it wherever I could find it, which isn’t so easy between the months of January and October! Our cake topper (vintage penguin salt and pepper shakers) was ordered from Etsy, along with my veil, the custom burlap table runner for the head table, and my bridesmaid’s gifts (custom printed clutches).
I look back on our wedding day with a lot of pride. I’m proud that we were able to do so much with such a small budget (the grand total of our whole event was just under $13,000). I’m proud that we spent so much of our day together (the “First Sight” we did really helped with that). I’m proud of the reaction we received from so many people, telling us that our wedding, was indeed, very “us.” And I’m extremely proud of all our wedding images – they’ll be a lifetime reminder of the fabulous day we started a new chapter in our story together.
It is so inspiring to see the current movement towards a more personal wedding, and Style Me Pretty is a wealth of information for those that decide to do their wedding their way. I didn’t have the budget for a big white wedding, and didn’t feel pressured or disappointed in my decision to host an affair that was truly us. Our day was perfect, not because the invitations were perfectly letter pressed, or because we served the perfect four-course menu – our wedding was perfect, because it was perfect for us.
Photography: Mack & Chelsea McGowan, McGowan Images / Venue: The Belltower Chapel & Garden in Fort Worth, TX / Florals: Classic Flowers & Gifts in Bridgeport, TX / Wedding Dress: Justin Alexander / Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Penguin cake topper: PrettyDarnCute / Burlap Table Runner: TheRufflyOwl / Birdcage Veil: VeilLady / Bridesmaid’s Cluthches: PoppyPunch
58 Comments about “Literature Themed Wedding on a Budget”
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December 14, 2010 at 10:14 am
I'm so in love with this wedding! Her dress is to die for. All the details come together so perfectly. I love the colors!
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December 14, 2010 at 10:23 am
this is an amazing wedding - definitely inspirational for pulling it together for 13k and everything is gorgeous
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December 14, 2010 at 10:34 am
Wow, what an amazing wedding (especially for 13k)! You can see all the thought that went into the beautiful details. Also, I LOVE her proposal Louboutins!!
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December 14, 2010 at 10:43 am
Lovely! Those shoes are TDF!!! Loving that dress as well! The lace details AMAZING!
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December 14, 2010 at 10:45 am
This is really beautiful. Are you sure this is wedding on a budget? I totally love it!
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December 14, 2010 at 10:51 am
Breath-taking! That dress is amazing!
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December 14, 2010 at 10:56 am
So lovely--and the bride's summary of her wedding experience was beautifully written.
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December 14, 2010 at 11:06 am
I am planning my own wedding right now! And I am SO inspired by your wedding! I REALLY want that little bird! Do you remember where you got it? hugs!
hugs! Kim @ http://bit.ly/cEQSP1 " rel="nofollow"> Party Frosting!
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December 14, 2010 at 11:12 am
What a beautiful wedding gown! The photographer did an awesome job!
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December 14, 2010 at 11:16 am
I am with you on themed weddings. I love them and honestly there is something so unique about each and everyone and they consistently photograph beautifully. With this wedding I love her ring and her cute cute dress. Perfect for the occasion. I really enjoyed the books and a number for the tables, how simple and romantic. The chandelier was also a nice touch. Great Wedding.
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December 14, 2010 at 11:19 am
Where did that dress come from?!?!? I am in love!
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December 14, 2010 at 11:33 am
I think this wedding is absolutely beautiful but it is a little disappointing that $13,000 is considered a budget wedding.
I know that location greatly changes how much someone has to pay for vendors but $13,000 is a lot of money to most people (especially in this economy) and it makes those of us who are trying to do something beautiful on a smaller budget feel like we shouldn’t even try. I personally am spending about the same on my wedding but I have friends who have done beautiful things for much less. Maybe this just isn’t the blog for them.
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December 14, 2010 at 11:43 am
you'd NEVER know this wedding was on a budget!!
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December 14, 2010 at 11:46 am
Love the dress, and the bride is GORGEOUS! I just love the photography too! Absolute #WIN
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December 14, 2010 at 11:48 am
Beautiful wedding gown!! Love the corded lace, it stands out so much and the champagne sash matches in perfectly! The penguin cake toppers are so cute!
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December 14, 2010 at 11:48 am
What a beautiful, interesting and unique theme! The bride is so lovely and I would kill for those shoes! All in all a gorgeous wedding and great photography.
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December 14, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Any man who proposes with a pair of Louboutins is a keeper. Those are fantastic!
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December 14, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Wow, I am amazed that they were able to pull off such a beautiful wedding, with the linen and chiavari rentals, flowers, gown, decor, etc., all for *under* 13k? Bravo!
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December 14, 2010 at 12:53 pm
So beautiful! I would love to know where all of the gorgeous books came from- whether family members already owned them, if they were picked up at yard sales, or found at used book stores.
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December 14, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Wow! A beautiful wedding that all started with beautiful shoes! Love this gorgeous wedding. Such a beautiful bride and I love that she did her wedding her way, simply stunning.
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December 14, 2010 at 1:21 pm
This wedding is soooooo gorgeous!!! love love love her dress!!! Major props to them for keeping it so luxe for so cheap!
@Sabrina - $13K IS a budget wedding, considering the average wedding now-a-days hovers around $30-$35K, economy be damned. "Budget" means anything from $0 to $20K-ish. It's extremely impressive that they were able to achieve something so fabulous for such a small amount. But there's no reason to take that personally, so don't feel discouraged! I feel bad when I see girls like you reacting to statements like that with such bitterness :( Take this as proof that you CAN have the gorgeous wedding of your dreams, no matter what the budget! There was a wedding on here once that was done for a scant $3K, did you see it?
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December 14, 2010 at 1:28 pm
that gown is simply adorable. love the lace detail!
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December 14, 2010 at 1:38 pm
I have to agree with Sabrina. 13K is a LOT of money! A budget wedding is more like 1-5K.
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December 14, 2010 at 1:39 pm
@Jamie - I hope I did not come off as bitter. That was definitely not my intention. I think whatever amount a person wants to spend on their wedding is up to them and I pass no judgment. I was just unaware I was considered a budget bride.
The amount of money someone spends on their wedding only seems to be listed when it was considered budget. But I guess that's the point. Either way it was a beautiful wedding and I'd rather focus on that, rather than the amount they spent on it.
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December 14, 2010 at 1:44 pm
I'm one of the McGowan Images blogstalkers, and saw this wedding on their blog a while back. I was amazed then, and am still amazed and how lovely it all turned out. I love that Meagan chose to create a wedding that was so incredibly personal and unique to the two of them. As a wife of 10 years, I know that she will look back and be happy with those decisions she made. Congrats again to the newlyweds.
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December 14, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Hey guys! Budget means a lot of different things to different people. I'm not sure there really is a definition for budget wedding. For some, it's 10k, others it's 15k and others it's 2k, 3k or 5k. So there really isn't a right or wrong here. For us, pulling a wedding off for less than $15 is definitely praise worthy as it can be very challenging depending on where you live and what type of wedding you want. But totally doable.
Another little note...the reason that we don't share budgets very often is simply because 99.999% of brides aren't really comfortable sharing that information with the world. Oftentimes, they have help and financial assistance from friends or family members and they don't want to put that out there. I wish more brides, no matter what their budget, would share numbers with us, but I TOTALLY get why they don't want to as well.
We have lots of different types of budget affairs in our DIY and Budget categories...
http://www.stylemepretty.com/category/real-weddings/budget-beautiful/
http://www.stylemepretty.com/category/real-weddings/diy/ -
December 14, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Loved the dress! Reminded me of mine! :) http://blog.capto.com.br/?p=447
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December 14, 2010 at 5:15 pm
I can't believe they pull this off with $13K either! I'd love to know how many people attended because it looks like a lot and they served 4 courses! I was married and we had 140 guests in San Francisco and we were happy to spend about $30K on our wedding and we budgeted very tightly - doing a lot of the same things this couple did. Let's hear more!
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December 14, 2010 at 6:37 pm
My friend Megan is wearing that same dress for her wedding in May! I showed her this and we're both so excited for her!
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December 14, 2010 at 6:54 pm
That's the dress I'm wearing for my wedding! It's gorgeous! I can't wait.
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December 14, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Hi all! Thank you for all of your sweet comments - they've honestly made my day! It is a true honor to be featured on SMP! Just to answer a few questions:
The little bird in one of the pictures is from an antique store in Hurst, TX called Golightly's. I'm not sure where it originated from, but the whole store is filled with beautiful things, and if you live in the area, I would highly recommend it.
My dress was by Justin Alexander. I bought it at a dress boutique in Addison, TX. I LOVED my dress, but would not recommend the boutique. The girls in the shop were less than friendly, and the hem of my dress had to be altered twice by their seamstress (it was crooked and bunchy the first time).
About the "budget" issue - I never really considered myself to be a "budget" bride. It just didn't make a lot of sense to me to spend a ton of money on our wedding. I was very intentional about all the decisions I made though, and whether it made sense to spend on particular items (for example, I would've loved to have a live band at our reception, but it just didn't make sense, financially). Like Abby mentioned, I struggled with the idea of sharing how much was spent on our day - I may be biased, but I don't think it looked like we cut too many corners! In the end, I'm proud of how much we were able to do for so little, and I hope it's encouraging, to some of you, that this is considered a "budget" affair.
Here's where we saved money: Our FANTASTIC venue was a restored 1950's chapel and garden, that had just opened for events a few months before we booked. We were able to take advantage of their introductory rate, and we chose to have our wedding on a Sunday (which you may know, saves money *all* around). We also lucked out, because our venue supplied all the tables, chairs (chiavari, my favorite!), AND linens that we needed - for a wedding of 150 people, with an indoor and outdoor reception. If you can run into a deal like this, TAKE IT. It saved us SO much. LIke I mentioned in my description, my MOH's mother works at a floral shop, so I asked her and the shop owner to do all the flowers. We only paid for centerpieces for about half the tables, decorating the rest with a bulk order of fresh-cut flowers, that the two ladies arranged on-site. Serving breakfast-for-dinner was also an economical choice, even though it was what we really wanted, and probably would've opted for, even if it wasn't the less-expensive option. The final thing that really cut down on our cost was the decor. We spent very little money on all the little details that made up the centerpieces - I sourced most of it from my Grandmother's house and barn, borrowed other items, and hit up thrift stores for the rest. The majority of the books came from my parents house - they've amassed somewhat of a personal collection! I also lucked into 10-for-a-$1 book day at Goodwill a few days before the wedding, and spent another $3 on "filler" items. I did all the decorating before the wedding (with help from my mom, and some very dedicated bridesmaids), and asked friends and family to assemble everything at the venue on the day of the wedding.
I hope this answers some of your questions! Again, I'm honored that so many of you *didn't* think we did this wedding on a budget, because I didn't want it to look that way.
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December 14, 2010 at 8:21 pm
The penguin cake toppers are absolutely precious. And I love the shoes! (of course :) Congrats to the happy couple and well well done vendors involved!
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December 14, 2010 at 9:21 pm
This is truly a platinum styled wedding on a dime. This looks like a wedding priced many times over the amount spent. I love the color scheme. I love the dress. I love the cake. I even love the delicate sheer table scarfs. Wonderful job!!!
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December 14, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Meagan, thanks for sharing how you allocated your budget! What an inspiration, and motivation to couples everywhere to never settle for options that are overpriced and underwhelming. You found the perfect elements!
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December 14, 2010 at 11:29 pm
i love your flower ring! it is just a gorgeous addition to your whole look! where is it from? is it something i would be able to order online? overall, i don't think your wedding looked like it was on a budget at all. i think it looks so romantic and beautiful, but most of all, i feel like i really get an sense of your style from everything. (and i looooove your dress as well! you look gorgeous!) :)
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December 15, 2010 at 4:27 am
The dress image with the bouquet is absolutely stunning! I loved the couple's story and am so pleased to see a wedding this tasteful managed on a budget!!!! Congratulations you did a wonderful job!
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December 15, 2010 at 8:48 am
I have to admit, I usually just look at the pics on this site (stolen glances at work). But the shoes caught my eye, the dress is the same I chose for my wedding next year, and there was a natural sweetness that came through in the pics. Then I read the blurb and it confirmed just that. This wedding conveys a naturalness that truly seems heartfelt, not contrived. Brava!
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December 15, 2010 at 9:24 am
To the bride,
Would you consider selling the books that you used as your centerpieces? -
December 15, 2010 at 9:42 am
I was so excited to hear from Meagan about her wedding being featured on SMP! I'm so taken back by how gorgeous everything looked and am just happy to have made the runner for her! Congrats again Meagan :)
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December 18, 2010 at 2:12 am
The penguins look so cute on top of the cake tower.
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December 26, 2010 at 11:10 am
Meagan,
I have booked the same venue for an early September wedding with a guest list of about 150 as well....i would love to learn more about your indoor/outdoor use of the space because I have been struggling with how to fit everyone comfortably for the reception, and use the beautiful garden area a well as the reception hall. Where was your dance floor? Where did you put everything?
Your wedding was gorgeous!!
Who was your caterer?
Thanks for sharing everything!
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January 1, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Your dress is lovely!! You made a beautiful bride!!
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March 1, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Please help us win our dream wedding by voting for Tacoya & Travis @ http://www.ultimateweddingcontest.com/entry/137157
It's easy. just click VOTE! Thanks!! -
March 1, 2011 at 7:00 pm
thanks for sharing how your budgeted your wedding. A wedding doesn't have to look DIY to be DIY! Breakfast for dinner is a great idea! What was the menu??
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March 14, 2011 at 1:36 pm
What a gorgeous wedding! Where did you get or rent the chandelier from?
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June 13, 2011 at 6:41 pm
What a unique wedding theme. I love it!
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January 8, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Hi Meagan, Im getting married at Bell Tower this coming May and we have very similar visions! Your wedding was beautiful!
I wanted to pick your brain and see how you hung the lights outside. I know we can't nail or staple anything to the roof or pergola. Did you have some one string the lights for you or did you DIY? Hope you can help me a little.Emily
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May 17, 2012 at 9:11 pm
Love your wedding! Getting married at the Belltower in October and bought a chandelier for our outside cake table inspired by your precious design. Absolutely beautiful wedding. I have seen your photos from the Belltower site, but they are beautifully put together here! Love it all!
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