Tying The Knot Somewhere Nontraditional? Here’s What You Should Know
Finding the perfect location is very important for your big day. So what if you have set your heart on a space that isn't your typical wedding venue? Our next couple did just that at the brides family farm and they make a great case for why it meant so much to them; But it might not be as budget friendly as you might originally think. So you are tying the knot somewhere nontraditional? Here's what you should know!
Don't miss the brides budget breakdown and be sure to stop in to the full gallery to see even more fantastic photos from Stacey Lynn Photography. There are some beautiful details just waiting for you there. Enjoy!
Find The Dress & Divide The Tasks
From the Bride: My gown was two pieces, the bustier and the skirt. The bustier was latte colored underneath an ivory overlay with pewter stitching. The skirt had a horsehair trim which made the edges firm so the layering really stood out. I could have worn my dress forever- It filled me with confidence and grace.
If you have the ability to delegate tasks, delegate as much as you can. For example, my mom made all of the original appointments with the vendors, and as we got closer to the day, my sister took over managing the caterer and the beverages, and we sort of split up the DIY tasks among other friends and relatives that wanted to help.
Fun At The Family Farm
What made my wedding unique to me was that it was on my family farm. The wood inside the wedding barn was re-purposed from a barn built almost 100 years ago that was in poor condition. It was due to my parents creativity that we were able to accomplish turning our newer metal barn into a beautiful old wooden barn on the inside.
We also used a lot of my family farm produce and flowers in the decor. For example, we used our own apples for the escort cards, we spray-painted pumpkins silver to accent other white and green pumpkins, and we created a photo display using an old frame that showed Garrett and I from child-hood until now. Additionally, our barn has a large chalkboard that is normally used for price displays for the Christmas tree sales. We transformed it into a chalk-outline style drawing of Garrett and I, and wrote part of the poem he used to propose to me on it.
A Case For Cupcakes + Budget Advice
Garrett and I chose lemon for the cake flavor because we both love citrus. I knew I wanted to do a lot of little cupcakes because I love the way it looks displayed on a table, and I think guests like the ability to pick up a couple and try several different flavors. We had strawberry cupcakes with strawberry mousse filling and vanilla and chocolate mini-cupcakes. All of the cupcakes were decorated to look like roses.
Don't miss the budget breakdown! Find out some of the pros and cons of using a nontraditional wedding venue for your big day! Sarah breaks down what it took to turn her family's farm into this beautiful wedding you are seeing. Click to continue reading.
Many of the details at my wedding were diy and accomplished with the help of my cousin Jason Eppler who has experience with event staging. We were blessed to have the wedding at our farm, so there was not a venue rental cost. However, there was still a lot of expense that went along with having the wedding at a barn because pretty much everything else had to be rented.
We started with a 30x60 barn that was finished inside. We had to rent a 40x100 tent with sidewalls for guest seating (we had about 160 guests), and head tables, chairs, tables, fans, lighting, banquet tables, high tops, & a stage for the DJ for a cost of approximately $3800.00.
We also had to rent in deluxe bathrooms for additional cost of $1500. Because a lot of guests were coming from out of town, we rented a bus to transport them from hotel to venue and back to hotel for a cost of $1500. We also held a brunch for folks the day after which totaled about $1,200.
Then there are all the little purchases that really added up, including the honorariums for the church and the soloist, gifts for the bridal party and parents, favors, and any monogrammed or personalized "swag." Even so, I couldn't have pictured my wedding anywhere but the farm, and I couldn't have pictured the day turning out any better! It was so perfect.
- Bride's Dress: Lilla's Bridal
- Cakes & Catering: Farmhouse Cakes
- Cakes & Catering: Ginerbabies
- Flowers: Foster's Flower Shop
- Groom & His Men: Mens Wearhouse
- Health & Beauty: Salon Down Under
- Lighting & Entertainment: Mike Love Entertainment
- Paper Goods & Calligraphy: Elli
- Photographers: Stacey Lynn Photography
- Rentals: Barnes Farm Tables
- Venues & Officiants: Family Tree Farm
- Venues & Officiants: St. Mary's Immaculate Conception