Can’t Do Classy Wedding Ideas
We sure love a Bride with a creative side, and we were not disappointed by Stacey and her "can't do classy" wedding ideas. When trying to stick to a small budget she not only made every last fabric flower at her wedding but tons of the other cute details you'll see! Catch it all in the full gallery filled with gorgeous images captured by Salty Peanut Photography.
Handmade Flowers
From the Bride: Since we had a pretty tight budget I decided not to spend money on fresh flower bouquets and made fabric bouquets for my 5 bridesmaids and I instead. I probably stitched together over 70 fabric flowers, not including the ones I made for the corsages and boutonnieres! I also DIY-ed all of the décor, including the wine bottle centerpieces, cupcake toppers, the birdie wedding cake toppers, the leaf garland, the thumbprint guest book, and all of the signage.
Super Smart!
After the wedding I was able to sell most of our wedding decorations on Craigslist for a $500 profit! If you've put a lot of hard work into creating beautiful decorations for your big day, why not sell them to another bride who could also get enjoyment out of them?
If Formal Feels Fake
The two of us have always joked that we “can’t do classy”, so we had our ceremony and reception at Century Barn – a unique and beautiful venue that allowed us to bring our own alcohol and use whatever vendors we wanted. And boy did we take advantage of that! We had BBQ for dinner, served cupcakes from a small, local bakery and had one of our favorite live bands play for the dance portion of our reception.
BBQ Survival Kit
First off having a BBQ at your wedding is not only delicious, but also brilliant. There are many options that you can put in our own BBQ survival kit bags from utensils, wet wipes, plastic bibs, paper napkins, tooth picks, mini salt and peppers, corn on the cob holders all the way to mini butters for those baked potatoes. Great idea ... right?
See the romance in action in the film below, captured by Palette of Light.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLGaBrjxfEY
Read on to see how much this can't do classy wedding cost. Please note that costs change as the years go by, and prices are subject to change. This is just one couple’s breakdown to give you a rough estimate on how much a wedding like this may cost you.
Music Choices:
Processional: “Chasing Cars” (Snow Patrol)
Bride’s entrance: “I’ll Follow You” (Jon McLaughlin)
Recessional: “Love Somebody Like You” (Keith Urban)
Entrance at reception: “Top of the World” (Imagine Dragons)
First dance: “Love is a Verb” (John Mayer)
Father daughter dance: “Landslide” (Fleetwood Mac)
Mother son dance: “My Wish” (Rascal Flatts)
Budget:
Total money spent on EVERYTHING for our wedding (from rings and attire to our vendors and decorations): around $20,000
Breakdown:
Venue: $3,250
Caterer: $4,300 (for 180 people)
Live band for reception: $2,250
Rentals (tent, tables, chairs, etc.): $2,100
Alcohol: $1,000
Invites/Save-the-Dates: $200 (cost was mostly envelopes and postage- both were designed by a co-worker and printed for free)
Tablecloths (bought from Craigslist – huge $ saver!), decorations and misc. supplies: $1,050
Shuttle service to hotels for guests: $250
Photographer (which included our engagement session): $2,500
Videographer: $700
Bride’s dress: $750 (Price includes alterations! I handmade the flowers on the belt and straps were added)
Suit: $325 (he wore his own shirt, tie, and shoes)
Wedding rings: $900
Wedding favors: $100
Wedding party gifts: $300
Marriage license: $110
- Cake: Quality Bakery
- Cinematography: Palette of Light
- Dress shop: Stone Manor Bridal
- Entertainment: Element 13
- Hair: Rachell Balge of The Musical Chair
- Photography: The Salty Peanut Photography
- Stationery: Kelsey Barnowsky
- Veil: the Bride's mothers | Bridesmaid Dresses: Wore their own | Flowers: Made by the Bride
- Venue: Century Barn
- Wedding Dresses: Justin Alexander