Please share your wedding stories

[cmj_fla]

Congratulations Mrshvo. You look beautiful! Your dress looked amazing and so did your invitations.

I eloped and sort of regret it sometimes although my family was there but it was a spur of the moment type wedding. We had a reception 2 months after the wedding but it still was not the same. I hope you have great memories to take from your special day. Congrats again!

[Mrs. H]

*I had my wedding in the early spring, last March 3, 2007 in the afternoon. I chose a beautiful apple red and white for my colors. I've always enjoyed dark colors.

*DJ...but I also got one of those everything included but the photographer packages. Came out to about $10K for everything including the photographer, whom was a professional and a family friend.

*I went with a lovely white dress by designer Maggie Sotero but got it for about $800. I looked at 10 different dresses before that one.

*I found a good discount on my wedding invitations, labeled them myself and used Evites for my save-the-dates.

[poconoproud]

We were married on family property, in a gazebo built for our special day by our best man. We had a horse and carriage for us, and a hay wagon from our neighbors farm for our wedding party. Then we had a raucus pig roast at the American Legion. Our entire wedding, from engagement ring to honeymoon was $5,000, in 1992.

[MonaLisaVito]

Those are gorgeous photos in this thread!! Makes my photos look boring! LOL

Mrshvo, I LOVE the blue in your dress, so pretty!!

I had a traditional italian wedding I guess. My husband and I paid for everything except the reception food, which my father paid for and the alcohol and drinks at the reception, which my father-in-law paid for. Total cost was around $20,000 I believe. We saved up for it and to us it was worth every penny and we had the time of our lives.

I had a wedding in the fall, and like someone else said, it was around 80 degrees that day. I had a DJ (who happened to be an old boyfriend, so he gave my husband and I a great price) I wore a fitted white dress with a HUGE train. I do LOVE the untraditional dresses though, I would definitely go for it!! Also, I let all my girls that stood up (5 of them) pick out their own dresses, I told them to just get something black. They all wore a different dress which worked out great because everyone loved their dress. Some of them I didn't even know what they were wearing until my wedding day! LOL

I also had my dress made, which saved me thousands of dollars, I took 3 different photos of wedding dresses and had it combined into 1 dress.

I love your idea on the beach with 10-20 people!

[Leana76]

Well, I had just gotten out of basic training and AIT training, when I met my husband. We had dated a lot and on the 3rd month, of knowing him, I moved in with him (I was still 19 years old; 1995). Then in February of 1996 we decided to get married. So, we went to Phoenix and picked out rings at a Zales Jewelry Store. Then got my mom and dad to go with us (on February 13) to Las Vegas. We got married there (on the 14th). It only took a few minutes (and a few minutes to get the marriage license too!). We honeymooned there, had a great dinner, and left on the 15th to go home. It was great. Short, simple, and very sweet.

Oh, I had a short white mini-dress, white pearl earrings, white pearl necklace, white barrettes in my hair, and white high heels. I looked gorgeous.

[collected_eve]

After many different wedding plans, we decided:

Only the closest of close were invited, the ceremony was more about us than showing off to others, total of 12 guests.

Simple decorations, I made my own (with help of mother-in-law). Made my bouquet, made groom's flower, made ribbon to put on seats, put together food platters (helps that mother-in-law & I are good cooks). It really helped that our church is beautiful.

Bought shoes from second hand store, they were really pretty!

We spent a total of $500 on our wedding. And we were more focused on each other than entertaining others, partying afterwards & making sure everything went right.

We didn't even reherse. It was simple & lovely!

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by mariatherese

I would like to hear some wedding stories!

I will be getting married within a year or two- the date hasn't been set yet, we were waiting until I finished school. Now that I'm done, I'ts time for me to start thinking about it.

I am not sure what I want to do- we both have very large families and very small budgets (we will be paying for it ourselves). We have discussed eloping, which I would do. Also a small wedding on the beach (10-20 people). Or, perhaps I could get away with the big one I really want... but as my fiance says, I have "wine taste on a beer budget." I am very picky. Also a bit eccentric and untraditional.

Has anyone ever had a wedding in the fall? Or some time other than summer? I would love to do one in the fall.

Did you have a band? a DJ? I would love to have an old swing band at my wedding; I adore music from the 30's & 40's!

What about untraditional dresses? Before the Victorian Age, I believe, it was custom to wear brightly colored wedding gowns. I would like to do that!

Any tips on how to save money? What about decorating ideas?

Oh the more I think about it, the more I realize its not going to happen the way I picture it. If having a big wedding means it will be really low budget and distasteful, then I'm not going to have one. Besides, why spend so much money on one day? I just can't justify it to myself. But, I like nice things (see- wine taste on a beer budget). Maybe I will just do it tastefully, but small... the beach idea.

OK sorry for the rambling

Even if your wedding story doesn't relate to one of my questions, I would love for you to share it! So, what was your special day like?

I think you mean champagne taste on a beer budget!

I saw one of those bridal shows on TV with some Indian people getting married and she had the most beautiful brightly colored gowns I had ever seen, so if you like bright colors - go for it!

My own wedding day was kinda neato for me. All of my husband's relatives are from the San Francisco, CA area and are not really used to hot weather. We live in the Palm Springs, CA area and had an outdoor wedding in June. Of course all the relatives were dying, but it was good for them! LOL. It was at 6:00 p.m., so for us it wasn't that hot, but it was still in the 90's I believe.

The reception was indoors, but we also had a huge patio (it was at a country club) if people wanted to go outside. We had a 15 piece orchestra playing all kinds of music for dancing (We are ballroom dancers) and it was so much fun!

My favorite colors are red and black, so I nixed the whole idea that you have to have pastels at your wedding. My attendants wore black gowns with red bouquets. The guys word black tuxedos with red vests and red bow ties. My centerpieces were red and white flowers, my cake was red and white and my bouquet was red and white.

Here's something funny - Since my colors were red, black and white, I wanted the mothers to be in red and black. My MIL was fine with that. My own mother decides to go out and buy some yellow fabric and then tells me she's going to make a dress out of this yellow fabric and wear it to my wedding because she "feels washed out in red and/or black". I had to get on her about that! I booked an appointment with a makeup artist for her so she could see that she doesn't have to be washed out in those colors. See, my mom is still stuck in the very light eyeshadow and pink lipstick era. Plus she bleaches her hair blond. Fortunately, I didn't have to choose this battle to fight, as she gave into my wishes for my one special day.