Hello There! Welcome to my blog, where I hope to bring you all the tips, design inspo and guidance throughout your wedding planning journey!
I've been a wedding planner and coordinator in the industry for a few years... always a planner, never a bride! Until October of 2022! I finally became a bride myself and planned my own wedding while also planning about 30 other weddings and events.
Was it hard? A little! Stressful? Of course! My wedding planning journey was far from easy, even from a wedding planner's side. It's always stressful putting events together. So much detail, time (which there is never enough of!) and money goes into things. Like many other couples out there, my partner was not as involved in planning the details like choosing flowers, color palettes and design but he was involved in the food selection, the bar menu, the invitations and the music.
The easiest part of wedding planning for me was choosing my vendors. After years of being in the industry, I went with the vendors I trust the most and also what was most cost effective...
Our overall budget was 10k.. I know that's not a typical budget but we were both paying for it ourselves and wanted something small. Being that I work with small budgets and "do it yourself" weddings, I knew I could take this on my own. While we didn't exactly stay at 10k, we weren't far. After everything was done we came close to 16k. Which is still not bad for 115 people.
OUR SPLURGE
We spent most of our budget on experiences and food. Which is what's most memorable and really leaves guests happy. We hired Lucilles BBQ for catering, they have budget friendly options from drop off service to full service all within a $2000 to $4000 price range. (Your tasting is free and its amazing!!) I also splurged on a caricature artist, @jamhaven, THE BEST IN THE INDUSTRY. This was my splurge which was not even close to being expensive. We paid close to $600 for 4 hours of drawings and they captured almost all my guests. Everyone left home with memories from our wedding and We were given a color photo framed of us!
CUT BACK ON
We opted to cut back on florals and use candles instead, since I already have so much in inventory.
We also kept our rentals super simple and the only upgrade we did were the Cross Back chairs that I just could not go without. My lovely and amazing rentals @onecalleventrentals custom made a bar for my wedding and I couldn't be more grateful for them. We also opted out of having any unnecessary signage. We made a welcome sign, seating chart and bar sign by one of my amazing past brides @catherinejoydesigns . She also gifted us our menus and table numbers. The BEST!
Sh%T Happens!
What went wrong? Well, it decided to rain on us... YEEEP, at our Garden theme, outdoor venue with absolutely no indoor space, during the BUSIEST wedding season of the year.. Two nights before the wedding I told my fiance that it was due to rain! Immediately, I began calling locations and NOT ONE PLACE had tents for us. Finally the day before I managed to find a rental company but they didn't have a full size, so we took what they had!
What Made up for it?
My cake and pie vendors! Because food always brings comfort... but also seeing our friends and family dancing in the rain and my vendors coming together to make sure our day was perfect.
So, let go. Enjoy it. What's done is done and look at back your photos and remember the good.
Huge Thank YOU to the team that made it possible.
Please check them all out and give them a follow:
Hair and Make Up @lizbeth_belovedhairandmakeup
Photography @veetaylorphoto
Videography @danielgarciafilms
DJ & Officiant @iamdavidnewton
Rentals @onecalleventrentals
Stationary & Signage @catheringjoydesigns
Bar @liquidcourage
Florals @roseandpeonies
Cake @twintreats
Caricature @jamhaven
Dress @Davidsbridal
Suits @friartux
Venue Rancho Buena Vista Adobe
All planning, design and decor rentals by me @knotsandbelles