$2,000 San Diego Backyard Wedding

Nobody should be surprised that I loved this wedding. And you should definitely click that link to see more pictures. It just doesn't feel like a $2k wedding, despite the Urban Outfitters bridesmaid dresses, three-buck-Chuck, and biodegradable bowls, napkins, cutlery and coffee cups.

Here are some elements I think we could definitely incorporate:

• The bride and groom asked select friends and family to make desserts that were signature or special to them. People loved being a part of our wedding this way! They labeled each dessert individually. The bride downloaded a font online for all the little signs and printed them on cardstock left over from their handmade invitations.
  
• They cut prices again by ordering bulk biodegradable bowls, napkins, cutlery, and coffee cups online. Knowing that alcohol would be one of the major expenses of their day, they chose to stick to just wine. They bought enough Charles Shaw for everyone from Trader Joe’s – $2 a bottle.
• Sharon had her dress made by Chris Gennaro. He is an incredible freelance designer that works out of his home, even with six kids running around! The bride wanted the J. Crew Sascha dress, which at $2000 would have put them over their entire budget. Chris copied the dress for her, but made it extremely flattering to her body. She ordered a custom silk flower and her vintage shoes on Etsy.com. It was perfect.

And, of course, my favorite part:

• The major theme of their wedding was community. According to the Bride, “That’s how a wedding should be- a network of the people that you love and that love you coming together and joining family and friends from both sides to celebrate marriage.”