Laura, Web producer & andrew, distribution sales
SUM-UP OF THE WEDDING VIBE: Unicorn-haired bride marries the man of her dreams, surrounded by their family and friends.
PLANNED BUDGET: $10,000
ACTUAL BUDGET: $13,300
NUMBER OF GUESTS: 170

Where we allocated the most funds:

Photography. We wanted pictures that captured our day in a way that was natural and not posed, if that makes sense. I think Amanda did an incredible job of capturing the love and joy that was happening with this wedding.

Food. Andrew and I absolutely love food. And we wanted to share that with our families. We also didn’t want it to be this super stuffy same old wedding meal, so we went with barbecue sliders and tacos. We wanted it to feel like food truck food at a music festival, which is exactly what Elegantly Southern delivered. They brought our food dreams to life, and it was the best food we’ve ever had. Our family and friends still talk about it.

Where we allocated the least funds:

DEcor. The majority of the decoration (table numbers, escort cards, wedding signs, etc.) were all things that we upcycled and things that we handmade. We used the APW backdrop tutorial to make our photo backdrop. The records used as table numbers all previously belonged to Andrew’s mom, which she so graciously let us spray paint.

Florals. We used a company called Bloominous, and they were amazing. They help you come up with a floral design that fits your wedding theme. I only wanted flowers for the bouquets since we were having an outdoor ceremony. The girls at Bloominous worked with our budget and provided the best floral design. What I liked about it is that they delivered everything we needed to assemble the bouquets ourselves and provided video guides.

What was totally worth it:

Asking the pastor of my church growing up to officiate. It was really awesome having someone who knew me when I was younger and who got to meet Andrew when we started dating to officiate.

Writing our own vows. Andrew totally surprised me and said his first half in Spanish. It was amazing. My side of the family loved it and raves about it to this day.

What was totally NOT worth it:

Stressing out over the little things, like place cards. I hand-cut and hand painted all of the place cards and stressed myself out over very small details. In the end, all that really mattered was that Andrew became my husband and that we got to share that with our family and friends.

A few things that helped us along the way:

Andrew. He was my person all through the planning. I am sort of insane when it comes to detail and planning things, and he was very patient and loving through this process. There were some hiccups of course. We aren’t perfect. But it all worked out in the end.

WRITE. EVERYTHING. DOWN. Seriously. I kept a physical planner and also one in my phone. I kept track of everything and that helped immensely.

My sister and best friends. They kept me sane.

A Day-of Coordinator. Stephanie of Carolyn A. Events and her staff were a Godsend. I suggest to anyone getting married to get a day-of coordinator.

APW! Y’all helped me plan my wedding. I used it all. I bought Meg’s book. Heck, I used one of APW’s DIYs for my photo booth backdrop.

Favorite thing about the wedding:

Other than marrying Andrew, I would have to say my dance with my dad. Halfway through “The Way You Look Tonight” the DJ switched it to Elvis Crespo and we danced merengue the rest of our dance. Oh and the cake. My mom made torta negra (a Colombian cake) and it was the best darn cake ever. Also, Andrew’s dance with his mom. They danced to this amazing song that means a lot to their family, and I cried the entire time.