Weddings can be super expensive (I know I’m preaching to the choir here!) but with some creativity and a little bit of elbow grease, you can find ways to cut some dollars here and there. Drawing inspiration from the beach and place cards from the sea (literally!) this couple created the wedding of their dreams on a very tight budget. Printing her paper goodies, using found clam shells as table numbers and arranging her own florals, this bride wrote the book on DIY style! Dip your toes in the full gallery by Forevercandid Photography.
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From the Bride… My name is Amy Partridge, and my husband’s name is Scott. The beach has always been one of my favorite places on earth, so it seemed only right to have a beach themed wedding. I find that its the small details that make a wedding, so that is what I focused a lot of my attention on. As both my husband and I were right out of college, we were on a strict, tight budget. And with me being so obsessed with all the small details, I figured I’d do a lot of it myself to save money. I’ve always been somewhat of a crafty person, so I did a lot of these crafts myself, some with the help of family and friends.
I did all the paper stuff myself. I purchased cardstock in bulk and used that to create my invitations, programs, menu cards, favor tags, and then I used leftover scraps for thank you cards. We saved a huge chunk of change by doing that ourselves. Another idea I had was for my “escort cards.” I assigned my family members to collect medium-sized clam shells anytime they went to the beach. When I had enough, I cleaned them off, painted them with a pearl colored paint from Michael’s and then wrote each name and table number on a shell. This was essentially free — I just had to pay for the paint marker and the pearl paint. The table numbers were very similar idea. I had large clam shells cleaned, painted with the same pearl paint, and painted table numbers on them. Again, this was essentially free since I found the shells on the beach.
My older sister Lori has a natural talent with floral arrangements. With her background experience with this, we purchased flowers through Stop & Shop and Shaw’s floral departments and did our own bouquets. We spent the afternoon before the wedding putting them together. I am still obsessed with the way they turned out — they were perfect! My husband and I are so happy with the way our wedding turned out. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing! I am so happy I was able to do so much DIY and save so much money. A lot of people think that they can’t have a nice wedding on a small budget, but I believe that I’m proof that it can be done!
Wedding Photography: Forevercandid Photography / Ceremony: First Baptist Church of Pocasset in Pocasset, Massachusetts / Reception: The Flying Bridge Restaurant in Falmouth, Massachusetts / Centerpiece Floral Design: Just For You Florist & Gifts / Bouquets: The Bride’s Sister, Lori Hannon, with Flowers via Stop & Shop + Shaw’s / Wedding Invitations + Paper Goods: DIY by the Bride with Cardstock via Paper and More / Escort Cards + Table Numbers: DIY by the Bride / Favors: Grandma LuLu’s Cookies / Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: DSW