How to plan a wedding on a budget!

I got a frantic text message this week from my sister in law saying, "my friend is trying to plan a wedding for $2000 and doesn't know where to start!"

So I decided to put together my list of "Budget Friendly" tip when it comes to planning a wedding!

1. The date: Choose a Thursday!!! Or any other day of the week if you plan on using an all inclusive venue. It will be WAY cheaper if you chose an off day or an off season!!! Don't get married March-May or August-October. This goes for rentals and vendors as well. You can get your amazing vendors that are always booked for way cheaper in the off seasons or on a week day.

2. Venue: If you are religious in any way, use your church! Usually ceremonies are free or you make a "donation" to the church. Also many have multi purpose rooms you can rent for free and decorate to look AWESOME! Or take your wedding outside! If you have family or friends with a beautiful backyard, give them a call! Or reserve a public park... I know this one sounds weird but trust me. Here in Las Vegas the county has over 100 parks! A lot of them are really beautiful and not just for playgrounds. If you are in Vegas looking for an outdoor venue, check out anthems plethora of parks. They are all hidden from the street so no car noise. All parks can be reserved online and all have electrical you can hook into! Which brings me to my next advice

3. Decor: Lighting, Lighting, Lighting! you know those white christmas lights everyone owns? send out a mass message to friends and family to keep out their lights as they take that tree down this year so you can borrow them. Or hit the after christmas sale for some. Lighting does wonders for an out door or indoor wedding! Tables - some churches have these you can borrow for free but i have a better idea! Ask around to borrow 6-8ft banquet tables. The linen rentals are cheaper for these tables anyways and you can usually fit more in one area!

4. Food: People offer to help all the time with weddings... this is a great place to accept this help. buy everything to cook the food but have others prepare it. You can do just a desert reception or a backyard BBQ this way. Have an uncle who is a grill master, ask him (as a wedding present) to man the grill for the night! ALSO!! Your favorite "fast food" resturants cater! Cafe Rio charges $7 pp... We used them for a 100 guest wedding and had TONES of food left over. and it was so yummy!!! They brought all their own chafers, plates, silverwear, and napkins too!

5. Cake: Same goes for cake. know someone who is a baking queen? I have had some REALLY good home baked wedding cakes before! Also my diamond in the rough is Albertsons. Skip the fancy bakeries and got to the grocery stores. My next wedding is getting an 8inch round red velvet cake with 7 doz cupcakes (red velvet and chocolate) for $70!!! We did a cake tasting for $6... aka I went and bought a variety of cupcakes to try... and they were a big hit!

6. Attire: If you are not crazy about a wedding dress there are lots of ways to get a beautiful dress to wear for cheep or FREE! First, think of all your awesome friends that have gotten married that are your same size and borrow theirs! I don't know many people that would decline you wearing their wedding dress. Picture shown is of my bride Jessica. This was her second marriage so she saw no point in buying another dress. So she borrowed this beauty from a friend that had been married for 5 years. If your moms is still in style, i'm sure it would thrill her if you wore that one. Check craigslist, Tradesy, or brovo bride. People here are selling or renting their dresses (some times DESIGNER) for next to nothing cause they need the closet space or need the money! Also in this economy there is usually a dress shop close that is closing. you can buy flora samples for 25-40% off! And dont forget good old Davids Bridal. They have their semi annual $99 gown sale! As for the groom, don't waist your money on a Tux rental... buy a suit if he needs an new one! mens wearhouse always has great deals! Or if you are doing a relaxed/casual wedding, let him buy a new colored shirt, suspenders, new tie, and pants.

7.  Photography:  You don't always need a photographer the whole night BUT YOU DO NEED A PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER!!!! Do NOT skimp on hiring a pro when it comes to your wedding. Most Photographers have 3 hr packages. You can have photos of your ceremony, a couple bridals and family and then the toasts and first dance... Those are the important shots anyways... You don't really need pics of your groomsmen streaking through your neighborhood drunk at midnight... Just saying! One of my great photographers Vanessa Fultcher at Visions by Vanessa has packages starting @ $400 for weddings!

8. Ceremony: So my new obsession!!! Is there someone you had to leave out of your bridal party? Funny Uncle that's really close? Best friend with no bridal party? Ask them to Marry you! Seriously! Ask them to officiate your wedding! Its really easy. They jump online and obtain a single use officiant permit for like $30. Thats it! This will also make your ceremony mean that much more to you! You can write your own ceremony/vows as well. Decor for ceremonies too can be done beautifully in a simplistic way! if you have a handy soon to be hubby, build something together for the backdrop. Or my Favorite, find a really big tree! You can drape fabric or tulle in it or string lights from it! And then flower petals!!! And lots of them!!! Its a great/ cheap way to bring color to the ceremony. you can get discounted flowers from grocery stores because the roses are on their last leg. these are excellent for aisle petals.

9. Floral: Did you know your local grocery store will make bouts and corsages? Or better yet, make them out of something non floral! The grooms men probably prefer this option! At Costco and Sams Club you can order Bulk roses! If you know someone who dabbles in floral design, ask them to do it as a wedding present! Don't pick flowers that are out of season! Be reasonable people! You can not get Peonies in Dec. End of story! Don't ask!! May through July, that's it! Don't do floral for the bridal party. Give the girls something else to haul down the Aisle like a fan!

10. DJ: Last but not least!!! If you have a party crowd then music is going to be very important. This might be where you want to stick some of that money. But ask around! Hire someone who has their own equipment but does if "for fun". They will have lots of music and will be able to keep your guests entertained. If its not totally important to you, put together a play list and hook up your ipod to some speakers and let it go! Have a friend run it for specialty dances... For my wedding I found a CD of classic Big Band love songs, Frank Sinatra, etc! That played through dinner then I had a "dance mix"! Throw it back to high school and pull out those mix tapes!

Happy Planning!!

Shane & Chelsey

I know I owe you a post on Brian and Therese's Reception but my camera was failing me that day.... I am currently waiting on photos from their photographer. The place turned out AWESOME though!

But I have major exciting news!!!! My best friend in the whole wide world got engaged on New Years Eve!!! It was on the news and everything! I'm excited for shane and chelsey to finally tie the knot!

Chelsey and I have been best Friends since High School but have known each other since the 3rd grade. We have been through a lot! And of course I have been secretly/not secretly planning her wedding for years.

Because she lives in Reno, NV she flew in to Vegas for the Bridal Spectacular. Its a convention where all the best of the best in the wedding business here in vegas showcase what they have. Thousands of brides come looking for their wedding vendors! Its lots of fun! This weekend we found her wedding venue and THE dress!!

Her wedding is set for April 11, 2015 so we have plenty of time to plan! I'll update later about this wedding and my role as wedding planner and Matron of Honor!!!

You will see lots of this too come!

The day has come!

Yesterday we had a long awaited event happen in our family. My sweet Aunt Therese was married in the Las Vegas LDS Temple to her sweetheart Brian Procell. It was wonderful and I cried of course.... I have cried at many weddings but didn't at mine.... go figure. So here are a few shots from yesterday. The reception is in 2 weeks so there is more to come!!

all the family (minus my parents)

The brides brothers and mom!

Her flowers turned out great. We used calla lilies, roses, tulips, dahlias, and snow berries. 

The bride's father died in April this year so I wanted to make sure he was close by on her special day!

my favorite picture of the day! Mother/daughter. These two are so sweet and such great friends.

From Australia to Las Vegas

I was thrilled the day I got an email from this sweet bride. She found my blog and was coming all the way to Vegas from Melbourne, Australia to get married and she wanted me to do her flowers! I was truly honored!

Stephanie and Micah "eloped" on August 21, 2013. We did a simple and lovely bouquet of daises to match her unique wedding dress! Are you not just in love with this dress?

Their photographer was the talented Gaby J with Gabyjphotography.

They stayed at the Encore so I took some photos at their beautiful hotel!

Thanks for letting me be a part of your big day!

Inspiration : Pink and Gray

Need some inspiration? Pink for a pop of color and gray as a base....

Photography Tips

Photography is a HUGE part of the wedding. I tell every couple this because i don't know one bride who doesn't regret getting photos of her big day.... Recently i talked to a handful of couples about their weddings. One Couple told me they just came to Vegas and eloped. Nothing special. No dress, bouquet or photos and the biggest thing the bride regrets is not one photo of them to remember that day. Another couple told me they were on a really tight budget so they let a "friend" take their photos for free..... And they got what they paid (or didn't pay) for. NO photos for 9 months. When they got the photos, they brides name was wrong on the photo release, the quality was bad, and the main family pictures were useless...

So here are my top ten tips when planning your photography...

1.Do your research and hire a Professional. There are so many styles of photography now that it is important to see MANY examples of a companies work. Make sure their work is consistent. Some websites will just post their favorite shots. Ask to see an entire wedding collection to make sure their work is true.

2. Hire your photographer first. They don't need to know where your wedding is, just the date. As soon as you know that, BOOK THEM! Photographers get booked up fast. To get the one you want, you need plenty of time. So make it a priority!

3. Take bridals/ formal pictures a week or 2 BEFORE the wedding. Do your first look then too! This will relieve half of the stress of your wedding. Get them out of the way so you can enjoy your day with family and friends. Also you can have your prints done early and use them for decor at the wedding! It will cost a little more for the extra hair / makeup, flowers and photographer time but it is worth it! This will also allow you to have plenty of time to go to several locations. Save the family photos for the day of.

4. Make sure your package includes a second shooter. A second shooter is there to capture candids.... Some of my most prized photos are candids of happy guests and us acting goofy. Your main photographer can be shooting the family and main shots while your second shooter catches the decor, guests arriving, and guests oogling your cake!

5. Take your wedding planner/ friend to your bridals. She/he can be a second pair of eyes to make sure you look your best. They will watch the clock and make sure you stay on time. They can also carry all your stuff!

6. Give your photographer a list of important photos to capture. This will keep you from missing any important shots like a 3/4 generation photo. Also give the list to a bridesmaid and grooms man and make them in charge of rounding up people for photos. They will know your family better then your photographer.

7. Stick to your budget. If you find a photographer who is more expensive but your in love with their work, just ask.... If your wedding is in the off season chances are they will put together a custom package in your price range.

8. ALWAYS get the print rights to your photos. Don't higher anyone if you have to pay per print every time you want a photo of your wedding. Buying prints 11x14 or larger should be done with your photographer cause It will be the best quality. But if you want a hand full of 5x7s or 4x6s, there is no reason you should pay 5$ a piece when you can get them at walmart for change.

9. Book your engagements with your wedding photographer. Usually you can get a smashing deal by booking both with the same photographer. Plus your styles will stay constant in your photos. The photographer will know you well and what you like. Getting to know your wedding photographer during engagements is great cause it will make your wedding photos go faster and more efficient.

10. Relax! You have hired a professional. They will take care of everything. If you are stressed, you will looked stressed. Have fun and smile!



Below is a list of some of my favorite local wedding photographers:

Vanessa Fulcher @ Visions By Vanessa
Joe Kenemore @  Once Source Photography
Kandylane Photography
Andrew Estey @ AE Photography
Trevon Angulo @ Canico Studios

More from Jessica's wedding

I wanted to share a few more photos from Mr. & Mrs. Catledge's wedding. Their fabulous photographer was Kandylane Photograph. Check out her fabulous work and think of her for your next photography needs!