• Real Weddings

Katie and Luke wanted a wedding that balanced vintage elegance with a laid back, northwest autumn feel.  As you will soon see their entire wedding was absolutely gorgeous and truly awe-inspiring.
They planned their wedding on a budget, so there were plenty of "do-it-yourself" elements thrown in along the way. Katie goes into more detail on the entire day, and as always there are ton more photos to see in the full gallery here. All beautifully photographed by Bryce Covey. Bryce also happens to be part of our Hand-Picked Collection, you can learn more about him and see more of his work here.

From The Bride:Our venue location was Lord Hill Farms in Snohomish, Washington farm country. We chose Lord HIll because of its delicious in-house catering, its stunning views, and its rustic elegance. Pro tip: get married on a Sunday...it's typically a less expensive way to enjoy the high-quality services of sought-after venues.

Tip From The Bride:Our photographer was Bryce Covey who did an absolutely phenomenal job. He took amazing photos and everyone was comfortable in front of his camera. Another pro tip: never skimp on the photographer for your wedding. You can cut corners in a lot of places, but photography is not a corner you want to cut.

In short, we chose to spend the large portion of our budget on a high-quality venue, catering, and photographer and found that we were able to get thrifty nearly everywhere else (invitations, alcohol, music, dessert, etc.). We had friends and family pitch in to help wherever we could, and we focused our energies on having a meaningful ceremony with a fun party to look forward to afterwards. I've been to a lot of weddings in the last two years and I'm constantly reminded that the most "successful" weddings are authentic celebrations of loving relationships, not weddings with the most coordinated decoration

 It's a small thing, but I wish I would have made my own veil.  I spent $60 on a veil that I wore for 20 minutes, and I believe I could have stitched some fabric onto a hair comb and been just as pleased -- if not more pleased -- with the look and value. Also, we might have pushed our ceremony forward or backward in the start time to avoid having it take place directly in the setting sun.  It was a nice idea, but the direction of our ceremony site afforded squinty eyes and sweaty foreheads instead of romantic lighting.  Finally, we overbought on our alcohol for a Sunday evening wedding.  We ended up with several cases of wine and part of a keg left over since guests weren't drinking as much as they would usually on a Friday or Saturday.

Our flowers were done on the cheap. My husband and I bought 30 centerpiece bouquets of fresh dalia's from Pike Place Market in Seattle for about $150 dollars, and I bought all of the bark-covered vases in bulk from save-on-crafts.com. The boutonnieres, bridesmaid bouquets, and bridal bouquet I assembled myself using fresh flowers and greenery purchased at a supermarket the day before. Makeup and hair were done by friends of mine, and our videographer was also a friend.

Photographer: Bryce Covey

Venue: Lord Hill Farms Groom's Attire: Suit Supply Dress: Allure Bridals Shoes: Bakers | Hair: Tiffany Thain | Makeup: Lindsay Buckles | Coordinator: Katie Clark

From the bride on her budget:
Basic Outline for $18,000 Budget:
Dress & Shoes & Accessories (including alterations): 1,200
Groom's suit, shirt, tie, and shoes: 800
Flowers (arranged by me/Pike Place Market): 300
Decorations: 500
Venue & Catering & Alcohol: 11,000
Hair & Makeup: 100 (friends)
Sound/Music: 200
Officiant/Ceremony: 300
Bridal Party Gifts: 300
Invitations/Save the Dates: 300
Party Favors: 300
Dessert: Free (family and friends brought things potluck style)
Wedding License & Misc: 700
Our budget was a few thousand dollars lower below the national average but I know plenty of people that have to plan with a tighter budget than 18,000.