THE MAKING OF OUR WEDDING

10 minutes ago

10 min read

One thing my friends, family and co-workers know about me is that I get joy from planning - events, trips, parties, experiences, etc. So when it was time for me to finally plan my own wedding, it really only took me about a weekend to have the full structure of it done. And, being a creative-type, making everything myself wasn't something that would be overwhelming for me. We didn't have much of a budget - wanted to try and keep everything to around $12k for the entire wedding (venue, food, entertainment, dress, suit, decor, etc) which we were pretty close to all said and done. So, here are all the details of all the items we purchased for our wedding with links. I will do a different post on my top 10 tips for wedding planning, so stay tuned!

Invitation, Save the Dates

Having experience in graphic design and website creation, I felt comfortable with designing my own wedding invitation suite, programs and website. I will create graphic elements or download and alter vector graphic elements from Vecteezy and will do layouts and production files using Adobe Illustrator. For less advanced creators, I highly suggest creating in Canva or utilizing the invitation websites with easy built-in design templates and tools like Minted, Love Bird or Zazzle.

Our save-the-dates featured a variety of photos from our engagement shoot. And, the invitation suit included the invitation card, rsvp card, details bookmark and welcome party invitation. All were done in a subtle 1920s theme using our color scheme of dark green, navy, dusty blue and gold. I found dusty blue envelopes (save the dates) and dark green & gold envelopes (invitations) on Amazon and addressed them by hand using a gold metallic pen. They turned out beautifully! For signage and seating chart for the wedding, I designed them myself using Illustrator and had them printed at my local Walgreens.

Envelopes - Amazon Dark Green for invites, Dusty Blue for save the dates

Adhesive Wax Seals - Amazon

Belly Bands - Amazon

Gold gel pens - Amazon

Gold metallic stamp pad - Amazon

Custom address stamp - Purchased on Etsy from StampedwithLoveXOXO

CedarHouse printing - invitations & save the dates

Graphic elements from Vecteezy

Seating Chart & Posters - printed at Walgreens

Wedding Website & Guestbook Management

As soon as we were engaged, I registered with The Knot to have manage our guest list, our honeymoon fund, and wedding website. There, we were able to integrate all three needs through The Knot. It's very user friendly and offers a wide variety of planning support & tools, wedding resources, suggested vendors & suppliers, etc. Normally I would have built my website through Wix which is what I use for my personal website and other professional websites, but with The Knot's integrations across all planning needs, it was an easy decision to make it all come together there.

Cartoon/Program/Koozies

For our wedding program, I wanted to create an activity book that guests could also take home and enjoy, or entertain themselves while at the wedding reception. I designed a cartoon of us dancing for the cover, and then did a hand-drawn "find the differences" game with our wedding venue in the background. I also put in lots of personal touches and fun games that matched our theme and event. They were a hit! For our Welcome Party & Rehearsal, we did a very casual gather over pizza, carousel rides and family fun. I had designed custom artwork for our keepsake can koozies that guests could take home as well.

Illustrated by hand in Procreate on my iPad, Layout completed in Adobe Illustrator

Printed program/activity booklets from Vistaprint

Custom can koozies from Custom Lanyards

Favors & Place cards

I wanted to create something for my guests that they would enjoy keeping for themselves and not toss in the trash or leave behind while acting as a place card for their seating assignment. It seemed to be a common piece of advice from various brides across the social platforms, that their regret was spending too much money and time invested in party favors that were left behind or found in the trash. I came across a ton of ideas for party favors and kept finding that there was no real purpose to those items beyond the day, and very rarely do people want the name of the bride & groom and their special date on something that they have to look at every day. So, I decided that a personalized journal made by the bride would be a great memento and the clear bookmark with their name on it acted as the place card. They came out great and were a hit with the guests!

I hand-punched their first initial on a faux leather tab which I glued to the face of a paperback journal and finished with a gold inlay using a metallic pen. I then used acrylic markers to handwrite their first name onto a clear acrylic bookmark to peek at the top of the journal acting as the placecard at their seat. I had a custom stamp created with "made for you with love by kellen & carrie beth" to be stamped on the back of the journal as a little memory of who they came to celebrate on our day.

Journals - Amazon

Pens - Amazon

Leather Labels/Punch set - Amazon Leather tabs, leather stamping alphabet set

Bookmarks - Amazon

Tassels - Amazon

Acrylic Markers - Amazon

Dress/Accessories

At the time of our engagement, we had been trying for a baby for several months and were experiencing infertility. As part of our treatment plan with the fertility doctor, they suggested that I start taking a GLP1 to help with weight loss in hopes that would be a way to help my chances of conceiving. So, when I started to think about what my body was about to go through over the next several months/year, my anxiety went way up when I thought about the wedding dress. Being a plus-sized bride is already a challenge, but not know at all what shape or size my body would be when the wedding came was a whole other level of confusion. So, finding a dress that not only fit my larger body now, but could fit after weight loss or even pregnancy, as well as matched my style and the theme of our wedding, and wouldn't cost a fortune, all seemed like an impossibility.

I remembered that I had been following a designer that specialized in inclusive sizing and adjustable dresses that were mainly used for boudoir/maternity photoshoots. I popped back on her site and found a dress that was everything I had imagined! The style, the 1920s art deco fabric, the adjustability, and the cost... I couldn't believe it. I reached out to the designer, Sarah, and found that she was actually local to me. I reached out to her and she agreed meeting up to try on a sample and go over some customizations was the best for my situation. So, we met up at the same coffee shop Kellen & I met at and I was able to try on a sample and worked together to come up with some alterations she could make to create the perfect wedding dress for me.

A few months later and it was time for me to pick up the dress and it was perfection! Paired with my juliet cap veil and art deco styled crown, I couldn't wait to see it all come together. For my somthing blue, I had the elastic band on my garter made in baby blue. For my something old & borrowed, I wore my grandmother's earrings from the same era.

For my bouquet, I wanted something that matched the dried florals we used for the decorations, but also something that matched the bohemian-like setting of our 1920s theme. And, I wanted something that I could keep and it would last for ages. So, I decided on a dried floral bouquet from a designer on Etsy. I also purchased a small version of it to use as the bouqet to toss. In my bouquet, I tucked in a few flowers from my mom's veil to keep a piece of her with me on my special day. She has been battling colon cancer that has metasticised to her liver, so it was important to me and my husband to have my mom at our wedding, which we are grateful that she was able to make it.

Dress - SewRomantic

Veil - Purchased on Etsy from Satin and Tulle Co

Headpiece - Purchased on Etsy from Honey and Ember UK

Flowers - Bridal and Tossing Bouquet from from Fern and Sun Palm

Garters - Purchased on Etsy from RitzyBridal

Wedding Ring - Purchased on Etsy from GoldenEraGems

Fan - Amazon

1920s Headband - Amazon

Bride Slippers "Mrs P" - Amazon

Suit/Accessories/Get Ready Outfit

One thing that Kellen really wanted was a custom suit that he could invest in and wear again. I knew exactly who to go to. One of my former students from the Art Institute has been an established wedding dress, suit designer and tailor for several years - Vien To from Vouture. We chose a cut that he really liked and from there, we had fun picking out all the details from the suit fabric, jacket lining, vest lining, thread colors, buttons and more. She even surprised us with embroidering our names and wedding date on the inside of his jacket and on his handkerchief.

And, of course he also needed an outfit to get ready in. So, I surprised him with a personalized sweatsuit from Miss to Mrs Shop! They turned out great and are so comfy that he still wears them around the house regularly.

Suit - from Vien To at Vouture

Shoes - Amazon

Sweatsuit - Purchased on Etsy from Miss to Mrs Shop

Socks - Amazon

Bride & Groom Socks - Amazon

Groomsmen Boxes & Suit Details

For the gents, I had put together curated gift boxes with everything they'd need for the wedding and as keepsakes. Inside a vintage cigar box they found personalized suspenders, cufflinks, tumbler and toiletry bag, along with a cigar, cutter & lighter, whisky, newsboy cap, tie/bowtie, boutonniere and handkerchief. For their suits, we opted for a more casual look with rented dress shirts, trousers and shoes from Mens Warehouse and used their accessories to tie to the theme.

Suspenders - find similar items on Etsy

Cufflinks - Purchased on Etsy from BowlesDesigns

Tumblers - find similar items on Etsy

Cigar cutter/lighter - Amazon

Ties - Amazon Ties & Bowties

Hat - Amazon

Hangers - Purchased on Etsy from PersonalizationLab

Toiletry Bags - Purchased on Etsy from BowlesDesigns

Boutonnieres - Amazon

Bridesmaid Dresses, Accessories & Boxes

I'm an easy-going gal and wanted my wedding to not be a stressor on our family and friends to be a part of - weddings are stressful enough! To make it easy on my bridal party, I suggested that everyone just pick a flapper/1920s styled dress from Amazon in emerald green. They all worked together to ensure they each picked a different style that fit their personality, style and body type. And, they did so great! I surprised my bridesmaids, flower girls, officiant, mother and mother-in-law to be with a curated box of gifts for them to enjoy ahead of the wedding and at the wedding. To go with our theme, I used vintage cigar boxes for the base, and then inside I gifted them with personalized items purchased on Etsy, Amazon and local shops. Once special gift inside was handmade jewelry from a small shop at the coast in emerald green to match their dresses. I wrote a personal note to each one of them and we enjoyed tears and laughter together as they unwrapped their boxes. Upon arrival to the Airbnb to get ready for the day, I had custom hangers made for them to hang their dresses on as we got ready.

Dresses - Amazon Babeyond Store

Hangers - Purchased on Etsy from

EngravingKings

Fans - Amazon

Bubble Wands - Amazon

In stead of bouquets for each of the bridesmaids to walk down with, I wanted something different and tied to the theme. So, I found feather fans from Babeyond on Amazon and they were just perfect! I even picked one for myself to use for a change in look for the reception. And for the flower girls, we opted for flower-shaped bubble wands instead of leaving a trail of flower petals and they were so much fun!

Boxes:

Slippers - Purchased on Etsy from PeasPinkMemory

Tumblers - Purchased on Esty from UrsulaWoodShopx

Scrunchies/Sunglasses - Amazon

Mirrors - Purchased on Etsy from YogetGift

Candles - Purchased on Etsy from TheDancingWick

Mini Dried Floral Bouquets - Purchased on Etsy from PurpleSmallBear

Toiletry Bag - Purchased on Etsy from DownRiverStore

Altar

For our altar, I wanted something that we could re-purpose as a memento from our day. I had a vision for a rustic and bohemian styled altar that still tied in well with our theme. I loved the idea of combining drapery sheers with a macrame wall hanging and flower arrangements. So, I pieced together these items to create our gorgeous altar. We now use the macrame wall hanging above our headboard in our bedroom.

Altar Frame - Amazon

Macrame Wall Hanging - Amazon

Sheer Draperies - Amazon Green Sheers, Dusty Blue Shimmer Sheers, Lace Sheers

Floral Arrangements - Amazon

Center pieces & table decor

For all of our center pieces, I wanted a rustic but curated feeling. So, in the gold frames I printed photos of Kellen and I as kids with the table number. Then, I stacked cigar boxes using the top one to keep open with succulents, dried flowers and candles to balance. The, surrounding the base I used vintage brown glass jugs and small brown glass bottles (salvaged from kambucha beverages) filled with dried flowers and pampas grass for height. Then, set a few candles around them. For all candles (votives and pillars), I used battery/remote controlled ones to make it easy (and safer). The venue provided linens and napkins, but we added lace table runners to tie to the theme. It all was perfect for our theme, the rustic barn venue and our personal style.