This is the type of wedding that really puts a smile on your face. A drop-dead gorgeous, budget friendly affair dreamt up by a darling bride and groom who happen to know a thing or two about putting on a super sweet affair. Think an intimate morning ceremony followed by champagne brunch reception filled with travel-inspired details and vibrant hues. See it all captured by Two One Photography right here.
From Two One Photography… Lindsay and Tom are extremely cute together and very creative. They have a wonderful and funny love story. The two unexpectedly met each other at the Denver Cruisers Wednesday night pub crawl and it was love at first sight. In their mind there was no question they were right for each other. So they decided to have a small morning wedding and celebrate by leaving the following day on a European Cruise. The two were married at the beautiful Chatfield Botanical Gardens. They had a vintage theme with teal, orange and pink pops of color. Since they were going on a trip around Europe the theme of the wedding was travel. They brought a globe to point out where they were going and vintage suitcases. It was such a fun day to be a part of.
From The Bride… I feel very blessed to have grown up on a farm/ranch here in Colorado. Although I’m a city girl now, and live over four hours away from my family’s farm, it’s still a very important part of my life. When looking for a wedding venue, we wanted to stay close to our home in Denver, but wanted that country atmosphere I grew up knowing. With our first steps into The Botanic Gardens at Chatfield we knew this was where we would be married. This location is a working farm located on the outskirts of Denver in Deer Creek Canyon. Lush scenery, walking trails, an old red barn, a turn-of-the century farm house with wrap-around porch, and the vista of the Rocky Mountain foothills are just a few of the perks we took advantage of on our special day.
The inspiration for our wedding day is a map print on our wall that reads, “Let’s run away to a beautiful place.” I had purchased it a year prior to remind us to always keep travel at the top of our bucket list. We have singly and collectively been all over the world; our mutual love of travel is one of the many reasons we fell in love. To signify this we used vintage travel themed items such as globes, suitcases and cameras, and mini flag printed pinwheels as decorations. A map’s colors of orange, blue, yellow, brown, pink and white provided the color palate.
It was important to us to keep our wedding small and intimate. Our 26 guests included immediate family and close friends. Most of our family members participated in the ceremony as we chose not to have attendants. Instead, two of our nephews carried a burlap sign that read “Uncle Tom, Here Comes Your Bride” and another two walked our sweet dog, Bea, down the aisle. During the ceremony our older niece and nephew read Taylor Mali’s poem, “How Owning a Dog is like Falling in Love.” Our mothers were both included as well; mine offering the opening prayer and Tom’s presenting our rings. Tom’s brother-in-law, Scott, officiated.
An amazing highlight of our day was the acoustic trio that played during the ceremony and for our reception dance. The bass player for HomeSlice, Peter, has been my friend for over 10 years and I have been going to listen to the band for just as long. We asked the trio to sing non-traditional songs like Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” and, The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey.”
My gift to my husband? “His and Hers” Oregon State Beavers cake toppers. Tom played football at OSU in his college years and is still a big supporter of the team. He was excited to have this important part of him included in our day. To make it even more special for him, I asked the designer to include a football with #71, his team number.
Planning a budget friendly wedding can be challenging, but also rewarding in many ways. My favorite purchase was my dress that I found in the very back corner of a bridal consignment store! With the help of a very talented seamstress, we were able to add Italian lace to one shoulder and the result was simple, breathtaking and unique. A pair of favorite teal shoes right out of my closet added a pop of color at the hem. I stayed under my $500 budget and had money left over to spend on other areas. Other ways we saved money:
-By having a morning wedding with a champagne brunch reception we were able to save on the costs of our venue.
-The invitations we loved were found on Etsy, but the price was too high. We contacted the designer who sold us the pdf file for an affordable price and our invitations were printed at a local print shop.
-My mother loaned us her cake stands and glass trays to add interest to our cake table – perfect for our budget-cutting decision to skip the usual expensive cupcakes and instead serving mini-bundt cakes and French macaroons as desserts.
-We used our own collection of vintage globes, suitcases, tins, and vases for decorations.
-As a wedding gift to us, my very talented friend crafted both the burlap and wood signs that we used in our ceremony.
-In lieu of using a caterer, we arranged for Udi’s (a local deli) to deliver artisan sandwiches and sides.
-I made the tissue paper napkin rings and our dog’s flower halo.
-The burlap overlays (on white table linens) were borrowed from a coworker who had recently married.
-Because we were married on a Friday morning, our photographer’s prices were lower than they would be for a weekend wedding.
-Two girlfriends and my two sisters helped with the set-up and decorating.
-Small glass vases and mason jars filled with mixed cut flowers served as decorations and favors for our guests.
Although we were on a tight budget, we didn’t have to skimp on any of the details that were important to us. It may take a little more planning to save money, but if you open your mind to different ideas and ways of doing things you can still have the wedding of your dreams! Because Tom and I stayed within our budget, we were able to spend the first three weeks as husband and wife traveling through Europe!
Photography: Two One Photography - Casey Wigotow | Floral Design: Kimball Floral | Wedding Dress: Eco Bridal Gowns | Shoes: Designer Shoe Warehouse | Jewelry: Anthropologie | Catering: Udi's | Hair: Larriena Hill | Grooms Attire: Dillard's | Wedding Venue: Denver Botanic Gardens At Chatfield | Bridal Makeup: Brooke Jones With MAC | Bundt Cakes: Nothing Bundt Cakes | Cake Topper: Etsy-The Pink Koala | French Macarons: Happy Cakes Bakeshop | Invitation PDF: Etsy-Deer Daisy | Invitation Printer: Minuteman Press-DTC | Kid's Ties: Etsy-Tangled Ties | Music: Homeslice | Veil: Little White Dress Bridal Shop | Wedding Dress Alterations And Design: Sophie Melich