Hi everyone! I wanted to do something a little bit different, giving my past brides a chance to share their experiences with you! I’m still trying to think of a clever name for this series, so I’m definitely accepting ideas. First up: AMY, who was married in the summer of 2017. Amy is one amazing girl! She made a stunning bride, and is an even more beautiful person– and I’m so happy to have her as the first bride to write about her wedding tips! She’s here to share all of her suggestions for “Planning a Wedding on a Budget.” Keep reading for more of her words…

From Amy:

“1. Dream big! Start by getting on Pinterest. Google what you think you might like. The biggest thing here is to be flexible and know that some of these might just be desires that won’t happen. The more you are okay with things not going perfectly according to plan, the less stressed you will feel about planning on a budget.

2. Set a budget. My husband and I started off small, initially thinking that we could do it for 3k. Once we started dreaming, though, and figuring out prices, we were quickly forced into changing our number. This is not to say it can’t be done for 3k, but we wanted a lot of people there and that just wasn’t possible. What are your priorities? Number of guests, venue, dress, food, etc.? Pick a few priorities of things you really want, and work around those. For us, it was to have a lot of people (my family is huge)!

3. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help! One of the best things is connections! This is where it comes in handy to know people in many walks of life. My mother-in-law owns a printing company, so she helped with the save-the-dates, invitations, etc. When my sister got married we got pre-made invitations and save-the-dates, and printed them ourselves (it’s time-consuming but budget friendly!) My uncle helped with landscaping (doing the things that we needed machinery for) while we did all of the things like weed wacking and planting and cleaning up. These are just a few examples.

4. BE FLEXIBLE! I can’t stress this enough. Remember why you are getting married in the first place. I hope it’s because you love one another and want to spend the rest of your lives together. Always remember that, because when your dad mows the wrong part of the field two days before the wedding, you will want to scream– until you sit back and think, “I’m here to marry my best friend, not to be concerned about the small things.” Things may not go according to plan, but being okay with this will make the process even more enjoyable.

5. Ask. One of the things that helped was to ask. That saying, “You never know until you ask,” is so true. We got our taco truck by asking the man and his wife if they would be willing to do what we wanted. They had never catered a big event like that but were willing to. Be okay with hearing “no,” and be willing to compromise, but don’t be afraid to ask.

6. Have fun. Have fun with things. Be willing to try things. If you aren’t crafty that’s okay, but be willing to ask friends that may be. Enjoy the process. It’s hard work planning a wedding, and even harder work planning a wedding on a budget… but if you have fun with it, then you will look back and think, “I did it! I made it happen!”

We were able to pay around 10k for our wedding. We had 200 guests on my parents’ property, overlooking their pond. Friends helped make and set up the finger foods. A taco truck served everyone food. A friend starting her own ice cream company had a few people serve ice cream out of an ice cream cart. A friend and old boss helped us with the drinks. With the help of friends, we made the table decorations (paper flowers in jars with burlap runners). I made everyone in the party dried lavender bouquets or boutonnieres, and hand-picked wild flowers for my own bouquet.

These are only a few of the things you can do if you set your mind to it. Remember why you are doing all of it, ask for help, be flexible and enjoy the process!”