Anna is a fellow knottie and I watched as her wedding came from an inspiration to a reality. She did a holiday wedding and it was absolutely gorgeous. I love weddings around Christmas time!
What was your budget? I did not want to spend more than $5000. In my rural area, it just seems ridiculous to spend the "recommended budget" of $16,000 that so many websites claimed our wedding HAD to cost in Sioux Falls.
Budget Breakdown
Church (venue, pastor, mandatory classes) $380
Reception venue - $500
Rehearsal Dinner - A gift from Cory's parents.
Dress - A gift from my mother $270 at a trunk show
Centerpieces - $16 for 20. I was a yard sale fiend
Invites & other paper - $70. Brides.com DIY invites from Michaels
Flowers - $260 I didn't mind the price since they're silks and will last forever.
Food cost - $2,000 for an open, limited bar; passed mini mac & cheese and soup shooters; a mashed potato bar; and a carving station.
Cake - $320
Harpist - $150
Jazz Band - $500
Photographer - $500
What personal aspects did you include in the wedding? Although they weren't seen much, I love my vintage snake skin heels that I wore. My necklace was my Great Grandma Anna's from the late 1920's. Our cake was a design I sketched for our baker and she recreated my image to perfection.
What was the main thing you did to save money? Every time I came across a fabulous inspiration item, I would sit down and write out a plan for how I could do it for lower cost. I would then scour the internet for ways to make it a reality without the $$$ pricetag that is often associated with weddings.
What advice would you give to other brides planning a wedding? Don't compromise on the things that are important to you. I used a low-cost, "newer" wedding photographer and had to edit the pictures myself like crazy. Thank goodness for photoshop skills! (however minor they may be) I really wish we would have budgeted more towards a photographer that was more experienced.
What was your biggest splurge? It wasn't a huge expense but I refused to compromise on our cake. I love cake. I love it so much that I'm considering going to bridal shows just so I can have free cake. Chef April made a custom butterscotch-buttercream filling just for us.
What was your favorite aspect? Getting married of course! The best moment was walking down the aisle towards Cory with my father at my side. Due to my father being quite ill, we didn't even know if he would make the ceremony until fifteen minutes before. It was perfect! All my worries and anxiety vanished as soon as I could see Cory waiting at the front of the church for us.
What was your favorite DIY project? I had SO much fun making our centerpieces! I went to yard sales all last summer in search or identically sized, clear vases (25 cents each) and ended up finding mini wedding bells, my votive holders, ornaments, and a whole bunch of other things that I didn't even know I needed until I found them.
Vendors
Ceremony - First Lutheran Church; Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Reception - Old Courthouse Museum; Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Caterer - Holiday Inn City Center
Florist - Jean's Abitome, Sioux Falls
Hair - Innovations Hair Salon
Dress - Alfred Angelo
Rings - Kay Jewelers
Cake - Chef April of CJ Callaway's
What was your budget? I did not want to spend more than $5000. In my rural area, it just seems ridiculous to spend the "recommended budget" of $16,000 that so many websites claimed our wedding HAD to cost in Sioux Falls.
Budget Breakdown
Church (venue, pastor, mandatory classes) $380
Reception venue - $500
Rehearsal Dinner - A gift from Cory's parents.
Dress - A gift from my mother $270 at a trunk show
Centerpieces - $16 for 20. I was a yard sale fiend
Invites & other paper - $70. Brides.com DIY invites from Michaels
Flowers - $260 I didn't mind the price since they're silks and will last forever.
Food cost - $2,000 for an open, limited bar; passed mini mac & cheese and soup shooters; a mashed potato bar; and a carving station.
Cake - $320
Harpist - $150
Jazz Band - $500
Photographer - $500
What personal aspects did you include in the wedding? Although they weren't seen much, I love my vintage snake skin heels that I wore. My necklace was my Great Grandma Anna's from the late 1920's. Our cake was a design I sketched for our baker and she recreated my image to perfection.
What was the main thing you did to save money? Every time I came across a fabulous inspiration item, I would sit down and write out a plan for how I could do it for lower cost. I would then scour the internet for ways to make it a reality without the $$$ pricetag that is often associated with weddings.
What advice would you give to other brides planning a wedding? Don't compromise on the things that are important to you. I used a low-cost, "newer" wedding photographer and had to edit the pictures myself like crazy. Thank goodness for photoshop skills! (however minor they may be) I really wish we would have budgeted more towards a photographer that was more experienced.
What was your biggest splurge? It wasn't a huge expense but I refused to compromise on our cake. I love cake. I love it so much that I'm considering going to bridal shows just so I can have free cake. Chef April made a custom butterscotch-buttercream filling just for us.
What was your favorite aspect? Getting married of course! The best moment was walking down the aisle towards Cory with my father at my side. Due to my father being quite ill, we didn't even know if he would make the ceremony until fifteen minutes before. It was perfect! All my worries and anxiety vanished as soon as I could see Cory waiting at the front of the church for us.
What was your favorite DIY project? I had SO much fun making our centerpieces! I went to yard sales all last summer in search or identically sized, clear vases (25 cents each) and ended up finding mini wedding bells, my votive holders, ornaments, and a whole bunch of other things that I didn't even know I needed until I found them.
Vendors
Ceremony - First Lutheran Church; Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Reception - Old Courthouse Museum; Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Caterer - Holiday Inn City Center
Florist - Jean's Abitome, Sioux Falls
Hair - Innovations Hair Salon
Dress - Alfred Angelo
Rings - Kay Jewelers
Cake - Chef April of CJ Callaway's
