allie, Nonprofit fundraising & jim, moving company manager

Sum-up of the wedding vibe: Community-built party weekend in the middle of nowhere.

Planned budget: $15,000
Actual budget: $16,000
Number of guests: 75
LOCATION: Annapolis, California

Where we allocated the most funds:

Photography, food and drink, and venue. Having amazing photos to remember the weekend by was number one in my book! We are so grateful to our friends at Love + Wolves Co. for capturing the day with spirit. Knowing that most of our friends and family would be traveling out from the East Coast, we prioritized finding the perfect venue that could stand on its own without much decoration and display the best that Northern California has to offer—preferably a mix of Redwoods, rugged ocean views (nearby), and wine country. We also wanted to make sure that everyone could kick back and relax once they arrived, so we stocked up on our favorite food and booze!

Where we allocated the least funds:

Video (a gift from a friend), music (DIY), and flowers. My friend who does the beauty for Love + Wolves Co. added to her list of many talents and ended up putting together the bouquets for the wedding. We picked up the flowers from our town farmer’s market (incredibly budget friendly), and she whipped up the most beautiful arrangements I’ve ever seen! And Jim’s talented friends built and stained our beautiful wood altar the morning of the wedding… best wedding gift ever.

What was totally worth it:

I had hoped to spend next to nothing on my dress, but I ended up being so happy with the gorgeous (and still inexpensive, comparatively) dress from Kite + Butterfly. It was so comfortable, and fun, and me.

What was totally not worth it:

We got so excited about all of our friends and family being out in nature with us for a whole weekend, that we started shopping as if we were going on a two-week camping trip. For example, we bought enough pancakes and eggs to feed an army, and enough lawn games to outfit a moderately sized summer camp. It’s not the worst thing that we ended up with leftover vats of maple syrup and four whiffle ball sets, but next time I’d try to relax and focus on the priorities!