We had people to tell us we should cut costs by asking a friend or an art student to take the pictures, and I am thrilled that we completely ignored that advice. We set out looking for photographers who could really capture the essence of the day. Cheesy photos of wedding parties jumping in the air and grooms dipping their brides didn’t interest us. We wanted the pictures to not only remind us of how we felt during the celebration, but to convey to those who couldn’t make it a real sense of what it was like to be there. Johnny and I are both novice photographers, and we love a more photo-journalist style.  Kitty and Craig absolutely exceeded our expectations. Not only were they in the thick of everything, but they pulled it off without being the least bit intrusive. They were like ninja photographers! And the pictures represent the day so intimately and honestly, people joyfully tear up when looking at them. The added bonus of them living in the very same New Mexico village where our wedding was held was simply too serendipitous to ignore.

And, some last words that are SO important for every bride on a budget to remember…

Using the resources you have, hunting for great deals, going to local businesses rather than large wedding retailers, and incorporating the talents that you have and the talents of others close to you – all of this is my best advice for creating a wedding that is not only affordable but that is truly your own.

The last thing I would add is that all of the guests made comments about how wonderful the rain was, affirming my belief that working with unplanned events (rather than trying to fight against them), is the best practice. Brides in particular get so caught up in the day being ‘perfect.’ We were rained on, ran people from courtyard to tent back to courtyard, had technical difficulties with the father-daughter dance, had to improvise a plan to fill water glasses, my bustle broke, my dress got muddy, the bus showed up too early to take guests back to the hotel, just to name a few mishaps… and it was the most spectacular day of my life. At least 20 of our guests told me that the evening was “just perfect,” and I couldn’t agree more.

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

* * *

Couldn’t have said it better myself!! Coming up next, we are announcing the Crate and Barrel Favorite Four Giveaway Winners!!! And later today, we have another pretty killer giveaway…in the meantime, check out the AWESOME Gourmet Invitations Giveaway on the Little Black Book Blog!

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Post tags: budget, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Elizabeth and Johnny, Kitty and Craig Fritz, New Mexico, Twin Lens Images, Vintage
Post categories: The Blog, Vintage Chic

From Elizabeth, the lovely, lovely bride…

We found that buying silverware at thrift stores was more than 50% cheaper than renting it.  We provided one fork, knife and spoon for each guest, and picked up cool serving utensils as we stumbled upon them – all in all about 375 pieces of silverware.

We borrowed napkins from my cousin. She had used them at her wedding, which was also deluged by a heavy rainstorm. There was speculation among my family members that perhaps the napkins brought the rain with them…

It was my little sister’s idea to name our tables after some of our favorite jazz musicians, a passion Johnny and I share. The night that we met we had a lengthy conversation about the film ‘Sweet and Lowdown,’ and our love for the swing era. The head table was then named after the (fictional) lead characters from that film, Emmet Ray and his love, Hattie. The lanterns came from a decor hunt Johnny and his mother went on in Johnny’s hometown of Durango. The jars and bottles we collected at antique stores and garage sales during our engagement. Julie had sage bushes in her yard, so we used branches from them in the jars, and then attached the table markers to the branches with clothespins.

Our desserts were made by three of our friends. One of them made the wedding cake, her first ever attempt, to rave reviews! It was a chocolate-cocoa cake with buttercream frosting and fresh berries. The coconut cake in particular was too delicious to be described. Finally our third baking friend made cookies and mini cheesecakes for those who prefer something other than cake.

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

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Post tags: budget, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Elizabeth and Johnny, Kitty and Craig Fritz, New Mexico, Twin Lens Images, Vintage
Post categories: Vintage Chic

We are love, love, loving Elizabeth and Johnny’s featured affair today. I have to admit, it was the incredible photography shot by Twin Lens that first caught my attention…and then, as I read more about the wedding, I realized that it was the ridiculously lovely, completely creative couple that made each photograph shine.

We had a friend growing flowers as her gift to us (as well as for her own personal edification as a novice gardener). We basically found images of flowers that we thought we pretty, and she planted as many of them as she could find. We knew some of them might not grow in the desert, so we developed a plan B of using supermarket bouquets to fill out our floral arrangements. This is ultimately what we ended up doing – combining flowers from Julie’s garden with flowers from Whole Foods to make bouquets, boutineers, and a few table arrangements. We didn’t really need many flowers for decor, as our location was a lush, garden setting. If you think about the average wedding bouquet costing around $250, a few bunches at $15-$20 a piece becomes a really great deal.

My dress was actually a contemporary gown by Lian Carlo. I found it at Belltown Bride in Seattle, ‘a discount bridal boutique.’ The owner sells overstock and sample dress, all of them quite affordable as wedding gowns go. My sisters came with me, and we were on a mission as it was about 10 weeks to the wedding. I had pretty strained dress experiences up to that point, but I found about 5 different possible dresses at this shop. The dress I chose was the one with absolutely no cons on the pros & cons scale. The flower accessory was a bouquet belt from Jcrew (my secret addiction). I thought it made the flower embroidery on the bodice come to life.

Johnny’s suit came from a vintage shop in San Diego called Wear it Again Sam. It’s from the late 1940′s. As a member of the band Le Chat Lunatique, Johnny owns a number of suits for playing gigs with this dapper quartet. He originally bought the suit just because he loved it and his band gives him the perfect excuse for owning gorgeous attire.

So much more to come!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

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Post tags: budget, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Elizabeth and Johnny, Kitty and Craig Fritz, New Mexico, Twin Lens Images, Vintage
Post categories: Vintage Chic

Classic first words from today’s gorgeous bride as she described her vision to Kitty and Craig of Twin Lens Images. The bride wanted a wedding that was all about the love, all about the romance. And most importantly, all about the friends and family that they shared their life with. And the result captured my heart completely!

Elizabeth, the bride, has been sweet enough to share some really beautiful details from her wedding….

It’s funny because we never really talked about a particular theme, but rather just making the wedding a representation of who we are as individuals and as a couple. At one point in the planning process I read something about having a theme, and we decided that if we had one it was likely to be “thrift store chic.”

The most important thing to both of us was to truly involve our families, friends and community in the event. So many weddings feel like a party you just show up at, where you are completely catered to, and where everything matches perfectly. That approach works for a lot of couples, but for us those ideas lend a feeling of being disconnected from the event itself.

I read a lot, and as I read about weddings, I learned that in the early part of the 20th century a wedding was likely to be a gathering of the community with everyone bringing some sort of contribution. Whether it was food or clothing or flowers, or giving their time and energy, everyone pitched in. That was the feeling we wanted to create – that of a truly collective experience and celebration.

Johnny (who is a musician in local jazz band, “Le Chat Lunatique”) and I have many of our own interests, but it was our shared joys that really influenced the wedding. One of our first conversations included a chat about how we both feel we may have been born in the wrong era, and our strong connection to the 1920′s, 30′s, 40′s and 50′s. He’s the only man I’ve ever known who chops wood, drives a pick up, goes mountain biking, yet also understands and loves fashion almost as much as I do.

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

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Post tags: budget, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Elizabeth and Johnny, Kitty and Craig Fritz, New Mexico, Thrift Store Chic, Twin Lens, Twin Lens Images, Vintage
Post categories: Vintage Chic

Aren’t they right out of a movie? Whenever Twin Lens sends us a wedding, I always have the same dilemma…I get so caught up in the photography, the absolutely breathtaking wall-art-worthy images of the couple, that I can’t ever figure out how to show you the details, all of which are equally amazing. There is just something about the candid photographs that they capture that steal my heart each and every time.

Not to worry though, we’ll be back in a bit with all of the incredible details from today’s affair!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

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Post tags: Black and White, budget, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Elizabeth and Johnny, Kitty and Craig Fritz, New Mexico, Twin Lens, Twin Lens Images, Vintage
Post categories: Vintage Chic

Here is a little sneaky peek of the ridiculously in love couple…

The amazingly talented team at Twin Lens captured these photographs and aside from being total photography geniuses, they also shoot from the unque husband and wife perspective…so each catches all of the little nuances, all of the little details to perfection. More to come!

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Post tags: budget, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Elizabeth and Johnny, Kitty and Craig Fritz, New Mexico, Sneak Peek, Thrift Store Chic, Twin Lens, Twin Lens Images, Vintage
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Wedding Photography