• Real Weddings

Ever think about booking your wedding venue through AirBnB? Genius right?! And that's not the only great idea Jenny and Todd had for their spunky rooftop wedding. Keep reading to get some great tips from Jenny and see their teeny, tiny budget breakdown. You'll be amazed at how much they spent! Oh and don't forget to check out the full gallery here with all of their images captured by Priyanca Rao Photography.

How the bride and groom saved money

When my husband and I wed, we knew we wanted more of a celebration than a wedding. We decided to plan everything ourselves on a small budget and focus the bulk of our money where it mattered. I ended up booking a large artist space with a rooftop in South Brooklyn through AirBnB that my family and friends helped set up. We saved a lot by DIYing decorations such as tissue paper pom poms, coasters for wedding favors, and spray painted bottles with flowers as the centerpieces.

Obviously, when planning our wedding we had to include our dog Whoopi. She was definitely the mascot of the party that everyone wanted to take a picture with.

With about 100 people, we knew catering would be an expensive nightmare. We were so lucky that our friend offered to cater the wedding and another offered to do the desserts. We had our friend focus on entrees and some special h'orderves and we also ordered a few appetizers and sides from Whole Foods. Our other friend prepared vegan, gluten free and regular cupcakes for our guests. Plus, we got fruit and 60+ french macarons from Trader Joes!

To round out the night, two of our friends dj'ed the reception and tables were pushed out of the way to make a bigger dance floor. It ended up being the best wedding we never knew we wanted!

Have a Doritos Bar

The biggest hit was the Doritos Bar (my husband’s idea) and the scotch and cigar bar (my idea). Our guests went crazy looking at all the different Doritios flavors we had. Our friend who made the cupcakes, Kristin, surprised us with marshmallows, custom printed with Instagram photos from Boomf. The guests were wowed by them and loved taking bites out of our photos.

Tips from the Bride:
Here are a few tips and the breakdown of the cost. Some don't have prices because we got huge discounts...it turns out our friends were as excited about us getting married as we were!
Big tip:
I reached out to the people at Frito Lay and told a representative about our idea for a wedding Dortios Bar. She ended up sending me 15 coupon vouchers that pretty much paid for the whole thing.
Big Tip: Sneak off and cuddle!
After you get married, everything goes so fast talking to family and friends. Someone gave us advice that after the ceremony we should break away and spend 20 minutes together. We actually went up on (or sneaked into) the rooftop of the building next door with our photographer and just bouncing around on cloud nine. That alone time was so memorable and needed before we went down to speak with all the guest.
Big Tip: If you can honeymoon after...do it.
Three days after our wedding I was back at work but still felt euphoric. We were able to take a small trip upstate for a long weekend but really regret not leaving right after to have a romantic honeymoon. I am happy to say that we just booked our honeymoon and are heading to India in December for a whole month!
Budget Breakdown:
Photography: $2400
Videographer: Taking the Plunge Films Venue: $1160 for three days Dessert: Kristin Ratcliffe Catering: Carlos Varella DJ: Love Russell Custom Wedding Bands: Collin and Jessica Stark (price varies on design)
Dress: $288
Brides Shoes: Converse (mine)
Earrings and Bracelet: $60 total Suit: $725
Grooms Shoes $80
Rentals: $860
Serving ware: $260
Total: About $6000

• Bridesmaid Dresses: Reformation
• Bridesmaid Dresses: ASOS
• Cinematography: Taking the Plunge Films
• Groomsmen Shoes: Converse
• Groom’s attire: My Suit
• Instagram Marshmallows: Boomf
• Jewelry: Collin and Jessica Stark | Cake: Kristin Ratcliffe | Caterer: Carlos Vallera
• Photography: Priyanca Rao Photography
• Venue: AirBnB