I have a special treat for you today. You remember that lovely green wedding in the Sierra foothills I posted last month? You know, the one with the bright Kelly green accents sprinkled with snowflakes, as in snowflake earrings, snowflake escort cards and a snowflake cake. The one that was a little bit DIY and a lot mountain style? Yeah, well Bianca, the bride, is here today to share her best hindsight advice. Including tips like start saving early, and stick to your guns when family and friends try to convince you to do things you may not want to do.
About Their Wedding:
My husband and I love the outdoors so our inspiration for the wedding came from that. We wanted everything to be rustic and woodsy and try as best as possible to use things that were either from nature (sticks, leaves, wood) that would be naturally recycled or things that could be reused like mason jars and buckets. We incorporated snowflakes since we were having a winter wedding in the mountains and were hoping for some snow.
The three things we wish we had done:
- started saving more before the wedding so we could have had a photobooth
- given ourselves more time between the wedding ceremony and the reception for pictures
- been more assertive with handling our family.
The thing we wish we had not done:
- which was not spent so much money on flowers they were beautiful but there were ways to DIY cheaper I was just too pressed for time to do it. At least the bridesmaids bouquets and boutonniere's because they were very simple.
Something we wish we had not worried about:
- The weather. If it rained we were still getting married and that was the important thing. Other than that we did not focus on any one thing too much.
Best Hindsight Advice:
- Do not push your budget there is always another less expensive alternative that is just as beautiful if not more so, use blogs and Google because DIY can save you hundreds of dollars. We did the invitations ourselves for less than $400 and they looked better than many invitation companies. The centerpieces were about $5 per table and we only had 14 tables.
- Second stick to your guns if you want something and have a pushy mom or friend don't tell them no you already have that picked, that seems like you are not listening to their ideas. Instead say you like that idea and you have a few others you are considering and you could use their input. More often than not they will like what you has picked and it prevents hurt feelings.
- Last do a candy bar for the favor, if you choose to have favors, it was by far the best thing we did. People weren't stuck taking home coasters or a candle holder they will never use and we were not stuck with dozens of extras that didn't get taken. We set up two dozen different types of candy that you can buy in bulk by weight, a sign that said make yourself a favor and put out bags for them to create their own concoction of candy. The whole night guests kept saying how much they loved the bar. We put it between the bar and the reception hall so people could grab a piece as they walked by or stop and fill up a whole bag.
Wedding Professionals:
- Photographer: Lily Rose Photography
- Hair Stylist: Anderson Hair Design
- Reception Venue: Forest House Lodge
- Invitation Designer: Paper Presentation
- Dress Store: Alfred Angelo, Lynnette's Bridal
- Cake Designer: Gayle's Bakery
- Ceremony Location: Forest House Lodge
- Jewelry: Shane Co.
Submitted through Two Bright Lights