If my happy place were a shoe (and not gonna lie, sometimes it is) then these shoes would surely be it. And so too would the fabulous emerald beauties that the lovely bride is sporting on her earlobes. But that’s not what this post is about. Instead we are focusing on the gorgeous wedding that this adorable couple (who happened to be dressed ever so chic) held on a shoestring budget while still managing to have a knock-it out of the park affair. And if you want to see the FULL day from pretty green shoe to pretty green park, then head over to the gallery that is stuffed with pretty green images from Levi Matthew Photography. Pretty and Green. You get the picture, right?
{click here for all the details and more!}
When Michael proposed in December, it wasn’t a complete surprise, as we had picked out the antique diamond engagement ring together a few weeks earlier. As soon as we were engaged and trying to decide when to get married, we knew we wanted a short engagement, so we settled on April and got busy! Michael wanted to be involved and he had to be, as we only had 3 months to plan. We both knew we didn’t have a huge budget, so we decided to do a lot of things ourselves, or with help from our friends and family. Also, I really wanted our wedding to be personal and meaningful, with small, simple touches that really reflected us as a couple. We were also able to save a lot of money by comparing what was best to rent vs. buy. Turns out we were able to save a lot of money by buying large flour sacks, then cutting them down into quarters and hemming the sides. Michael and I both became expert napkin hemmers over the course of those three months, sewing over 140 napkins!
We didn’t really have a “theme” persay, just an overall scheme of white with some neutral tones and a pop of green. The green really was only my shoes and earrings, but since we got married outside, there really was a ton of natural greenery around anyway. My dress was bought off the rack from a local boutique, and was the first dress I tried on and a perfect fit. It was really meant to be! My veil was handmade by Emily Rohm on Etsy, and my shoes were Moschino Cheap and Chic (found on ebay. Score!). I absolutely adored my dress and didn’t want to take it off! My bridesmaids chose various dresses (many were from J Crew) in shades of gray to wear with black accessories and lockets with their initials that I ordered on etsy as a gift to each of them. The flowers we also did ourselves with the exception of my bouquet which was made by a lovely woman named Linda at Country Essences. We also bought a lot of additional flowers from her to DIY the rest of the flower arrangements we needed. I made all the boutenieres, without really knowing what I was doing, and had family and friends help to make the bridesmaids bouquets and centerpieces. As soon as I was engaged, my family and I started saving jars of any shape and kind for the centerpieces. I wanted the flowers to look like they were thrown out onto the table, like at an outdoor dinner party in France. We used burlap as the table cloths, with a lace runner in the center, and flameless candles in jars as well (we had a TON of jars!). The flower wreath we used during the ceremony was put together by Michael at the last minute with about 150 carnations. I thought it turned out beautifully. Michael’s family and friends were very gracious to volunteer to make all the food and appetizers for the wedding, which really helped us out! We were able to afford an awesome photographer and go on an amazing honeymoon.
The night before our wedding it was pouring rain, and we had only planned on having the dancing and cake inside, not the ceremony or dinner. Needless to say, I was a bit panicked! Luckily, the next morning dawned and it was sunny although a bit cold (last minute tights for the bridesmaids, ended up looking great!). Everything went by in a surreal dream. I was so excited, happy and full of love and had such a blast! Like brides always say, you really do need to focus on enjoying the moment, because it truly does go by in a flash. Planning the wedding in such a short time period was perfect for us, as we had to make decisions and run with it. Our wedding was everything we ever wanted, and it turned out perfectly. Michael and I felt so loved, and we were so excited to start our new lives together surrounded by our friends and family.
Photographer: Levi Matthew / Flowers: DIY, Brides bouquet by Country Essences / Venue: Highlands Park, Ben Lomond, CA / Invitations: Paper Source / Shoes: Moschino Cheap and Chic via Ebay / Dress: Pronovias
