Rustic Blue & Orange Wedding: A Memorable Celebration at Trails West YMCA Camp
These high school sweethearts wanted a venue that was significantly memorable and made their large wedding of 300 guests feel like small, intimate event. The Trails West YMCA Camp was the perfect setting with a rustic feel and view overlooking the Monument trails where they would often take walks.
Using simple rustic decor and a color palette of navy and orange, Tyler and Ashten's special day was more about relaxing and celebrating with their friends and family than worrying about the details of a formal affair. View more of this rustic blue and orange wedding in the full gallery here, all amazingly captured by Brad & Chyla Photography.
From the Bride:Since we both grew up in Gering, Nebraska, we wanted our outdoor wedding to reflect some of the landmarks and places that we had come to know and love. We picked the Trails West location, which included a full view of the Platte Valley River as well as the Scotts Bluff National Monument.
We started dating in high school, living just three blocks apart, we often met to go for walks on the Monument trails, which made this landmark especially memorable for us. We chose to release doves at the end of the ceremony to symbolize our love and faithfulness to one another. We thought this was fitting since doves are one of the rare species of birds that chose one mate for life.
It was very important for our wedding reception to feel like a celebration rather than a ceremony or formal event. We decided to have live music from my dad’s local band and also included things like a popcorn machine, and homemade sugar cookies to make our guests feel welcome. I aimed for a country antique style wedding which included burlap, empty wine bottles, homemade jelly party favors, old crates, trunks, and barrels. I wanted our friends and family to feel comfortable and relaxed as they celebrated our marriage with us.
Our cake topper included two turtles, dressed as a bride and groom. Just after our senior year in high school, Tyler rescued a turtle from the middle of the highway. He gave it to me as a pet, and it is still living with us to this day! We felt that incorporating the turtles gave our wedding a more personal, sentimental touch, especially for those who knew the story behind it.
One thing we would do differently is designate a time to greet our guests. The day goes by so quickly and things are happening so fast that by the end of the night, we felt that we didn't get a chance to say hello to all of our friends and family that came to celebrate with us.
Another thing to consider is that our reception venue required a large amount of cleanup, including vacuuming and scrubbing the floors. Looking back we would have preferred somewhere that provided their own heavy cleaning.
Read on to see how much this rustic blue and orange 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.
As for the budget, I'm not sure how applicable it will be to other brides due to the fact that we borrowed many of our decorations. That being said, I'll try to give as much info as possible!
Wedding Venue: $1,300 (this included a block of rooms for family/guests to stay in)
Chair Covers: $200
Photography: $2,500
Reception Venue: $1,500
Food: $11 per plate Wedding Dress: $1000
Cake: Made by groom's grandmother Favors: Jam made by bride's grandmother, homemade sugar cookies made by mother of the bride Reception decorations: $1,000 (many of the antique trunks, crates and barrels at the reception were borrowed from a family friend and we got the wine bottles used and then cleaned them up ourselves)
Flowers: $700
Stationary (save the dates, invitations, programs): $700
Flower girl baskets: bought $3 baskets at hobby lobby and decorated with fabric flowers and ribbon Bridal party jewelry: $50 per bridesmaid (given as a gift)
Music at reception: $500 (father of the bride is a band member so we got a discount)
- Band: Loaded Dice
- Bouquets: Boesen
- Cake: Kadee's Kakes
- Caterer: Sam and Louie's
- Dress Designer: Sophia Tolli
- Flowers: Prairie Floral
- Groom's Attire: Bridal Affair
- Hair & Makeup: Salon MohVi
- Jewelry: Rogers Jewelers
- Paper Lanterns: Paper Lantern Store
- Photographer: Brad & Chyla Photography
- Venue: Trails West YMCA Camp