• Real Weddings

Ben and Lindsay did an amazing job putting together their unique vintage wedding, while keeping their strict budget in mind. They pulled this off by executing the majority of the details themselves and carefully selecting each of their vendors. All of their hard work created a relaxed event full of nostalgia and personal touches. Read on to hear so much more from Lindsay about their special day, especially their full budget breakdown.
Their is so much more to see from this sentimental spring wedding in the full gallery here, winsomely photographed by Athena Pelton.

From the Bride:When I was looking at inspiration for our wedding, I was really gravitating towards things that would make it authentically ours. (I say 'I' because Ben only cared about what he wore and what he ate that day!). I wasn't impressed with the glitzy and overly traditional weddings I was seeing in magazines. The other thing that played a role was budget. Ben and I had a very specific budget that we didn't want to stray from. That meant that we needed to make a lot of things and hire just the right vendors to make it our own.

My dress was made specifically for me by Joynoelle, a local dress maker in the Twin Cities. The whole process was fantastic! I began by showing her pictures of dresses or elements of dresses that I liked. From there we started to play around and refine it each time I went in. She was able to make the bodice with some antique lace she had bought from an estate sale, which fit in with the whole shabby-chic, vintage inspired wedding perfectly. Having a dress made for me from scratch gave me the opportunity to incorporate elements from my mom's wedding dress, such as the lace trim on the peplum and the organza "flower" under the broach. My mom also appliqued a small heart made from a piece of her dress on the inside of the bodice. It fit me to a 'T' and I never felt more pretty!!

My favorite cost savings was the photo booth. The traveling photo booths are wonderful, but expensive. I found a self-service photo booth application called SparkBooth for $60. We set it up in the screened porch and all the guest had to do was press a button and position themselves. It was great entertainment — both taking the photos and viewing them!

I put finishing touches on the decorating by choosing a guest book that was unique. I've yet to find a married couple that knows where their guest book actually is! Because we both love to ride motorcycles, we chose a coffee table book called 100 Years in Motorcycling. Guests were asked to choose a page and write some well wishes. It's currently sitting on our coffee table to enjoy everyday!

I also found the perfect vintage furniture rental vendor, On Solid Ground Vintage Rentals, that provided the barn wood bookshelf (among other items) that held old photos of our families and ourselves. We referred to it as the "heritage hutch"! Instead of the tired old video montage, we wanted to have our pictures and childhood toys displayed. It was much more personal that way.

I love to craft so making the cake toppers, programs, flag garland and whatever else I could think of was a no-brainer. I love color so I wanted to incorporate lots of it. I did that by reusing old blue glass mason jars as vessels for the center pieces and filling them with beautiful flowers which were mostly warm colors. My friends and family helped style the entire thing. It was a blast to set things up the day before and actually get to see it come together.

Things the bride would have done differently:Have a receiving line. We thought we could get away with visiting everyone during the reception and that was just silly! Hindsight is 20/20. If we were to do it over, we would have placed ourselves at the bar during our cocktail hour and handed everyone their drink. That's where everyone was anyway!Take a few photos of the bride and groom posed, straight-on like the olden days! Another thing I never would have thought of. The older generations - grandparents and such - really like a posed picture of the bride and groom with smiles on their faces.

We also had our vintage Honda motorcycles on display since we love them so much and they're as much a part of the family as the dog is!!  All in all, the day was a success. I only wished we could have taken in every single second of it. But as most wedded couples say, the day went by in a blur. I'm so thankful that Athena was able to capture the details of the day in such a gorgeous way. In all honesty, looking at those pictures are sometimes the only way to remember things that may have otherwise slipped our minds.

Photographer: Athena Pelton Venue: Minnetonka Orchards Makeup: Priscilla Magalee from Creative Beaute Agency Cake: Sweet Retreat Caterer: Catering by Dani Dress Designer: Joynoelle Flowers: Sassafrass Gardens Groom's Attire: Atmosfere | (vest) J.Crew Prop or Furniture Rentals: On Solid Ground Vintage Rentals Bridesmaids: (blue) BHLDN | (grey) ZaraPhotobooth: SparkBooth Hair: Katie Pierce Read on to see how much this vintage 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.

It was really fun to plan and craft and see things come to life. I wouldn't change a thing about how the day went or what it looked like. It was a dream wedding in my mind!!

• venue (included party tent, bonfire area, screened porch and ceremony site) - $3400
• catering (included silverware, plates, water glasses, cocktail hour appetizers and main course) - $4600 (175 guests)
• rentals (chairs, tables, linens and sound equipment) - $1600
• vintage furniture rental (hutch, sofa, chair, end table and large escort table) - $700
• flowers (5 arrangements, 3 bouquets, 16 corsage/boutts and loose bunches (they gave us 16 bunches to create centerpieces ourselves) - $1100
• bartenders (x2) - $400
• alcohol - $500
• cake - $275
• photographer (included engagement session and all our photos on disc) - $3200 (we received a friend discount which I won't divulge!)
• Minister - free (friend of ours)
• Musicians - free (family)
• Centerpieces - ? (mostly bought at auction, thrift store or online)
• Decorations - $200