Tag Archives: Budget Weddings

Christine & Tyler’s Eco-friendly Autumn Wedding

The gorgeous hues of purple and green from this Autumn wedding sent over from Ashleigh Taylor Photography, made for a beautiful eco-chic celebration. Conservation was a very important theme for the couple, Christine and Tyler so they chose to have their wedding at the beautiful Temescal Gateway Park in Pacific Palisades, CA. Temescal park happens to be one of our favorite places in Los Angeles for hiking and enjoying nature and panoramic views of the city. It’s truly beautiful!

All the profits from Christine and Tyler’s wedding went back into funding for the park and conserving the surrounding environment. What an impressive and generous idea! We love this couple’s sustainable values, and the gorgeous wedding that reflected their unique personalities.

The different hues of purples and blues were stunning against her chic white dress.

The ceremony was intimate and naturally decorated by the beauty of the Park.

The couple used baby pictures and simple flower arrangements as their center pieces.

Growing more popular, and taller!, are the tiers of cupcakes and small deserts in place of a cake.

Bethany & Bryan’s $2,500 Ultimate DIY Wedding

This chic outdoor wedding, sent from our friends at Sarah Christine Photography, shows how a wedding with a small budget can be beautiful in big ways. Bethany and Bryan designed their special day for just $2,500 with help from friends, family, some ingenuity, and Craigslist! The wedding was held at Hudson Gardens, the food came from Safeway, and the dress was passed down (we love that!)

See how this creative couple made their budget work, and get inspired!

Bethany’s dress was handed down from a cousin, keeping it special in the family, and her jewelry was vintage chic.

The couple chose a venue that was already very green and provided a great background for guests and photographs.

Their arrangements featured a few eye catching flowers and made the most of lots of green foliage.

All the flowers were provided by a local florist, Santa Fe Floweral, and cost only $150!

Minimal designs and fonts kept things classic and low cost.

The centerpieces were simple, but the use of white table cloths and chairs made things look bright and clean.

Carrie & Drew’s Backyard Spring Wedding

Carrie and Drew met on eHarmony, where after a slight miscommunication that led them to think they stood each other up, they fell madly in love! A short while later, they were married at her parent’s house, set against the beautiful backdrop of the Colorado mountains. With lots of help from Carrie’s family, and her father’s green thumb, this DIY wedding was everything the couple wanted. The festive tulips came from Sam’s Club and Carrie’s father grew the grass for their chic centerpieces.

As beautiful as the tulips that made her boquet, these photos captured by Sarah Christine Photography show it all!

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Caitlin & Justin’s DIY Owl-Themed Wedding

This super-creative wedding was sent to us by the incredibly talented photographer Jennifer Jasso, who’s a good friend of the bride and groom, Caitlin and Justin. Caitlin is a textile artist who constructed all of the unique details you see below, including the bride and groom owl dolls, candy centerpieces, invitations, photo props and cake topper.

Even Caitlin’s rhinestone owl hair clip coordinated with the day’s theme and color scheme.

The beautiful patterned fabric that decorated the outdoor ceremony area later doubled as the backdrop for a fun photo booth!

Caitlin hand-decorated the centerpiece vases with peppermint candy and Twizzlers. So creative!

DIY photo booth fun!

Katie & Justin’s Beautiful Backyard DIY Wedding

Dazzling DIY details make for a gorgeous garden party on a budget

Katie and Justin’s wedding, which they hosted in the backyard of their own home, was all about love, personality, and…bikes! Their wedding theme was based on the classic bicycles they love, and they used fun bicycle iconography to create table names, wedding favors, and uniquely whimsical decor. Photographed by Simply Knot Photography (who are currently hosting this awesome wedding photography giveaway), this sweet and stylish homemade celebration will warm your heart.

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Katie wore brilliant yellow linen flats, perfect for walking on grass, dancing, and matching the wedding’s bright yellow color scheme. Wedding favors were homemade mix CDs of the couple’s favorite music.

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Justin built the chuppah (a traditional Jewish wedding canopy) himself. A groom DIY project — how sweet!

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Recycled mason jars for drinks cut down on waste and look vintage chic.

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Every table was named after a type of bicycle. The children’s table was even called “Training Wheels”!

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The red velvet cake came from one of the couple’s favorite restaurants, and was the hit of the party.

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A Jeapordy-like game entertained guests, with Katie and Justin as MCs! Guests were encouraged to leave cards and keepsake notes on a ribbon display.

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Thanks so much to Simply Knot Photography for sharing these fabulous photos with us!

Colleen and Jason’s Green New York City Wedding

An eco-chic couple takes Brooklyn with a local and sustainable celebration

Sophisticated urban style? Check. Local artisanal food and vegan sweets? Check. Sustainable stationery and favors? Check check. Colleen and Jason’s celebration had all of the elements of a dream green wedding. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from Jason, the founder of one of my fave websites, MindBodyGreen.com. Mind Body Green is a great resource for everything from green celebrity news and interviews to beginner yoga tips to understanding your energy chakras. And his beautiful bride writes for the site, too!

Their wedding ceremony was held on a Friday, with just a few close family members. The next evening, a fun-filled reception for all of their friends featured a ceremony slideshow with artful photos by JP Wedding Photography. I love this wedding’s eco-chic appeal, and the fact that they were able to create a beautiful, sophisticated event without spending on lavish floral arrangements and fussy “extras”. This is true sustainable style!

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Colleen walked to the ceremony with her sister, who performed the ceremony, and her mom. In lieu of a bouquet, she carried a single bright fuschia flower that matches the one in her hair.

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After the intimate ceremony, Colleen and Jason strolled around the area and took pictures in Dumbo and Vinegar Hill.

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On Saturday night, it was time to party!! The reception was held at Smack Mellon, a gallery that supports women artists, just a few blocks away from their home in Dumbo. The industrial space looks so chic with delicate, minimalist white table settings.

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Since Colleen and Jason had doughnuts on their first date, they decided to serve them at their wedding! These yummy treats from the famous Doughnut Plant in NYC are vegan, too.

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The menu was designed on Etsy and printed on 100% recycled paper from GreenerPrinter.com, using the same design from their postcard invites. That’s right — there were no envelopes for their invites. Guests received a postcard and rsvpd via email, saving paper and postage!

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The couple went “Old School” and local on the beer and had a keg of Brooklyn Lager, whose brewery is just a few miles away in Williamsburg. Parting gifts were Jacques Torres artisanal chocolate bars, made just down the street from the reception venue.

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Colleen and Jason handed out tickets as their guests came in, for a surprise later on in the evening.

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The surprise for the tickets? An ice cream truck!

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A fancy limo or tricked out hotel suite to end the evening? Not for this couple. They walked home to their apartment hand in hand from the celebration, then caught a flight to Miami the next day for a mini-moon.

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Thanks to Jason and Colleen for sharing this special sustainable wedding with us, and don’t forget to check out Mind Body Green!

Carrie and Jon’s DIY Carnival Wedding

Cotton candy and carnival games make a stylish vintage amusement park event unforgettable

Falling in love can make you feel like a kid again, so a wedding reception held in the bumper car pavillion at Glen Echo Park amusement park felt like the perfect way for fun-loving couple Carrie and Jon to kick off their life as a married couple. Their unique wedding, full of fun vintage and DIY details, was the result of a creative collaboration between the bride, her crafty matron of honor, and the brilliant Maryland-based event planner Janice Carnevale of Bellwether Events. Stephanie Ascari from Cleverly Candid took the beautiful photos.

{*What’s Wedding Porn Wednesday?}

Carrie switched between her white satin bridal shoes, a comfortable pair of pumps for the reception, and cool cowboy boots for dancing. Her talented Matron of Honor made the paper flower bouquets, the ribbon boutonierres, and all of the wedding stationery.

If only all matrons of honor were this crafty! Check out the gorgeous, intricate paper flower arrangement.

In keeping with the amusement park theme, all the wedding stationery had a vintage ticket-booth look. Bright red and turquoise throughout created a festive feeling.

Carrie purchased a lot of things online, including the vintage gumball machine and the clear drink buckets that were filled with colorful Jones sodas and used as table centerpieces. The details from this wedding prove that you can be fabulous on any budget. This smart couple avoided spending on flowers, and held their reception in the afternoon, which typically cuts the bar tab in half. Below, cupcakes are adorned with the couple’s wedding logo.

Bags of cotton candy were customized with a cartoon rendering of the bride and groom, and served to guests on a cart with fresh popcorn and bags of peanuts.

Instead of traditional table centerpieces, Carrie and Jon used buckets of Jones soda and jars filled with nostalgia-inspiring candy like Mary Janes, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Sugar Daddys and rock candy.

A variety of carnival games provided entertainment for guests, including a peach basket toss, coke bottle ring toss, and ball roll.

Carrie is an avid swing dancer, so she chose the Blue Sky Five to play swingin’ tunes, and everybody got a dance lesson after a barbecue lunch was served.

For more fabulous weddings like this one, check out Bellwether Events. Thanks to Janice, the adorable couple (who recently welcomed a daughter!), and Cleverly Candid photography for sharing these fun pics.