Lovely Wedding In The Woods
Both Keaton and Kimberly had small details they had previously imagined and hoped would be a part of their day; for Keaton it was their first dance “Perfect Day”, by Lou Reed, and for Kimberly it was to somehow incorporate a Grimm’s Fairy Tales feel subtly into the whole day.
When they started planning their wedding, they were very lucky to discover that their visions totally aligned! Their lovely wedding in the woods was fun, simple, reflective of the place they live and love, Portland, Oregon, and creative. See all of the little details in the full gallery here, photographed by Terra Lange.
What If A Videographer Is Not In The Budget?
Overall, I was so pleased and happy with our wedding day so there is nothing significant that I would have changed. There are a couple of small things I would suggest to a future bride. We tried to be as budget friendly as possible so we quickly decided that a professional videographer was not affordable with our plan. If I were to do it all over again I would ask a friend to film the ceremony (even with an iPhone) so that I could go back and watch us exchange vows later. Fortunately, one of my family members filmed a portion of the ceremony so I was able to see that!
Plan The Wedding You Want
The only other advice that I would offer would be to plan your wedding. Don't plan the wedding you think your family, friends, magazines or anyone else tells you is "normal", expected, or proper. The day is about you and your future husband. It is hard not to get caught up in all of the ideas and expectations that are surrounding you from the moment you get engaged. We are so glad that we planned our dream wedding, and it was not extravagant, and...we stuck to our budget! It was the best day!
Get Thrifty To Decorate Your Day
I spent our 8 month engagement shopping a variety of vintage stores, boutiques, online shops, and the ever faithful Goodwill to find unique decorations that had the “feel” we were looking for. We had a lot of support and help from our friends and family that made our vision a reality. While I am very excited for the mini pies, woodland inspired decorations, my all lace dress, and seeing how all of the details come together, it is most exciting that we get to celebrate our love and starting this adventure together.
Read on to see how much this lovely wedding in the woods 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.
In total, our wedding cost us just under $10,000, which was our goal! We prioritized what was most important to us, and what we were willing to "cut" so that we would have the wedding we wanted with out having to go in debt for anything, and still have a beautiful day. We did not have a large savings when we started planning our wedding, but the little we did helped. We made a month by month schedule to pay for everything in full by the day of the wedding. It took diligence, family support, and sacrificing of some of our normal fun spending habits, but we are so glad we did it! We did DIY to the max. I shopped at goodwill and other thrift shops for decorations, and got creative when it came to putting crafts together.
Marriage License: $60.00
Reception Location- Bad Habit Room (including appetizers): $651.00
Beverages (Mimosas): $300.00
Dessert (Mini pies): $500.00
Sound Equipment/Music: 150.00
On-site Wedding Coordinator: $500.00
Wedding Night Hotel (Hotel Rose): $160.00
Save the Date Cards (Plus Postage): $175.00
Wedding invitations and enclosure (Plus Postage): $225.00
Rings- His: $200
Rings- Hers: $60.00
Wedding Gown: $1250.00
Shoes (Bride and Groom): $100.00
Lingerie/Hosiery: $50.00
Tuxedo for Groom: $400.00
Shirt for Groom: $40.00
Bridesmaid and Grooms Attire: Purchased by wedding party Hair Stylist: $150.00
Makeup Artist: $200.00
Ceremony Flowers: $130.00
Brides Bouquet: $50.00
Photographer: $2,160.00
Ceremony and reception Decor: $300.00
Unexpected expenses/other: $200.00
Total: $8,010
Honeymoon (Vancouver Island Canada for 9 days). We traveled by train and stayed in a small coastal town, Sooke. The total cost with everything included was about $2,500.00. My husband’s parents gifted us our lodging and some spending money for our honeymoon.
- Fashion: Mojo Moxy
- Flowers: New Seasons Market
- Groom & His Men: Nordstrom
- Health & Beauty: Kirstie Wight Makeup Artist
- Jewelry: Larson Jewelers
- Jewelry: Shane Co.
- Paper Goods & Calligraphy: Elan Merten Graphic Design
- Venues & Officiants: Mt. Tabor Park