My Small DIY Wedding

 

 
     One month ago Bretty and I tied the knot. We had a very intimate, DIY wedding and we loved it! At first, I was a bit intimidated by wedding planning but when you've been thinking about your wedding for so long, it can make it a lot easier.
     When he proposed in July we decided to have an October wedding. We assumed it would be the following year but I had my hopes up to get married this year (Spoiler Alert: I got my wish!). We quickly realized that we could never afford to get married in the city. We wanted to spend as little money as possible, without it seeming cheap. The city is crazy expensive so we had to find an alternative.
     Suddenly, one day a light bulb came on. Candlewick Lake! The neighborhood that my parents live in has a club house. It's only a few years old, it's near both our parents and it's cheap. Bam, we could afford to have a wedding without waiting and saving for the next year. And who needs more than three months to plan a wedding?
     Blogs and such about DIY weddings made me a bit nervous. They all say things like, "... but it was worth it in the end." I was not excited about what came before the "but."  That being said, I do love crafts. Within a week or two of being engaged I had made my bouquet, before I even knew I was going to need it so soon.  I just did little projects every couple of days. I always had lists of what needed to be done along with my floor plan and menu/recipes on a clip board.
     I am super lucky to be one of those people who happens to know people. One of my oldest friends (thank you Steve!), happens to be a wedding DJ. And let me tell you, he is not just a DJ he is the life of the party. He does his job so well he was like a "day of" coordinator. He also officiated our wedding and it was awesome having a friend do that for us. He gave us an AMAZING deal. Our budget would of gone up significantly if we had paid full price but I really think having a DJ made the difference between our wedding being "nice" and being "AWESOME!" (which is what it was).

 
     Another friend was our photographer (thank you Marina!). She had never done a wedding before but I had complete faith in her and she did ridiculous. I love our photos and could not thank her enough. Brett is working on a painting for her as payment.
 

 
     The other big wedding expense is, of course, the food. I decided, long ago, that I would have a dessert wedding. No sit down dinner for us. We wanted it to be like a party. Have the ceremony, do the first dance, cut the cake, toasts and DANCING! I happen to make desserts for a living. So why not cater my own wedding? Plan ahead and keep it simple. I did and it worked.

 
     I knew what could be made ahead and frozen and what would keep and such so I just made a list and I paced myself. It really couldn't have gone any easier. A small cake for us to cut (which was in my freezer for a little over a week, whatever), simple cupcakes, brownies, cookies and tartlets were all that I made. A friend made opera cake to class up the table a bit and viola!

Bretty made our cake topper

 

     Like I said at the beginning, thinking about your wedding and planning it in your head can help. You have to be realistic though. I never had big dreams so it was easier, and definitely cheaper, to make my dreams come to life.
     I saw things I liked online and I stuck with it. I think when you have a lot more time to plan your wedding it's easier to get caught in the little things.  I saw chalkboards, I liked, I made. Brett bought two boards this size at the hardware store and cut the other one into three pieces. I wrote my favorite love quotes on the others. Do whatever grabs you, follow those impulses and your day will be all you.

 
     Centerpieces took me a little while to figure out. My sister sent me a link to a picture on pintrest that used coffee beans and I thought, finally! Yes! So simple. We had white tablecloths, burlap runners and votive candles in a glass bowl of coffee beans. So simple. Very us (we met working in a coffee shop).

    I wanted to keep flowers to a minimum. They are expensive and to me unnecessary. To each his own of course but I must say I don't regret it. We had one arrangement by the guestbook and three bridesmaids bouquets. That's all we needed.

Guest Count: 45ish

Venue:  $510
DJ:  $500
Decor: $612
Food/Bev: $300
Bride: $770
Groom:  $180
Flowers:  $108
Invitations:  $40

Total Cost: $3,020

What I Made:
Bouqet
Bracelet
Dessert
Signs (drinks, desserts, etc.)
Chalkboards
guestbook (of our engagement photos)
Brett Made:
Invitations
Cake Toppers

     My dress is from David's Bridal and I can not tell you how great that place is. Affordable dresses, quick alterations and great coupons I actually used. The bridal cost of $770 includes the dress, alterations, undergarments, shoes, hair clip and veil. I did my own hair and makeup with the help of my sisters.
     I'd also like to note that of the $300 food and beverage budget, only $77 of it went to the food portion. Super proud of that and we only ran out of one dessert, the delightful little sweet potato tartlets.
     And don't be afraid of the "multipurpose room." When you decorate your space it will feel completely different. Add some up lighting and suddenly nobody notices the giant American flag sitting in the corner.

Our Invitations

Brett happens to be a graphic designer... came in handy

Home

     I've been in the apartment for over a month now 

and I love it.  It's perfect. 

I worked about sixty hours the week that I moved... it was 

awesome timing but I managed to get everything done.  The 

commute to work is way better since I don't have to transfer 

or walk as far to the L.

Filbert and Oliver seem to like all the windows.  

I'm facing another building but there is a big enough 

gap for lots of natural light. 

I've gone to the beach a couple of times by myself after work. 

It is delightful.  I see the lake every day, the sun reflecting 

off of it in the morning is blinding in a most splendid way.

     This is how it looked the first couple of days. It was a bit sucky for a while there... and a little dangerous.  It gave me a whole new appreciation for hoarders.

Not too shabby for my first solo place.

Move Time!

This is the story of how I found my first solo apartment

     I've been looking at apartment listings online for about forever.  So when Brett was planning a visit he offered to go look with me.  I was a little worried about his response to seeing a studio, no matter what it looked like.  I don't think he's ever seen an apartment in the city let alone one I can afford.  

     As soon as we got off the el I knew I was in trouble. The area was super cute with children playing and people walking around everywhere, if the apartment sucked I was going to be very sad.  We walked the very manageable distance from the train to the building which is across the street from the lake.  Near the el and the lake and a Dominick's (that's a real grocery store!!).  Location, check.

     The maintenance guy was super nice and as soon as I walked into the apartment I was sold.  It had everything on my check list and my wish list. Nice.  I'm really happy and excited to move. Since I moved back into the parents house about three years ago some of my stuff has been in boxes.  I have things I haven't seen in years. Weird.  

     This will also be the first time I've ever lived alone.  

FREEDOM! 

     Also, Brett had to make a short video of himself (like a day in the life) for an internship application.  He decided to draw pictures for his video instead.  It's fantastic! 

A Day As Brett

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