Wed4Less Northwest

{Real Wedding} $8K Eclectic (AKA my wedding!), part I

2012-08-09T14:21:00.001-07:00

Ok. I finally got all the photos organized, and managed to decide which ones I wanted to share. With no further ado, I give you MY WEDDING! :)

As you may know from my previous post on our wedding budget, Stephen and I got married at Riverfront Park in Spokane. We were so happy when we saw how beautifully Erika Ellis Photography captured every special moment from our day.

We wanted our wedding to reflect our eclectic and fun personalities. I love all things vintage, and Stephen all things comic books. We wanted those loves to take part in the wedding, but not be center stage. And, finally, we still wanted it to feel like a wedding.

Yeah ... At this point I couldn't bend over, so my fantastic maid of honor had to put my shoes on me. :)

♥ {Saves} venue | desserts | flowers | photography | music | stationery

Our biggest save was probably our venue. By choosing a location that most people think of using for more casual events such as family BBQs--events that people generally don't expect to pay much to put on--we were able to score the locations for $500.

Add roughly $500 in decorations such as draperies to make the ambiance a little more formal, and we ended up spending just about $1000 on the location. Not too shabby. :)

♥ {Splurges} dress | shoes | photobooth | hotel rooms | rentals

The photobooth definitely comes in first as our craziest splurge. We got our income tax return and automatically decided to spend over half of it on a photobooth (it was roughly $700)!

That said, the photobooth turned out to be one of the best purchases for our wedding. Everyone loved it.

Follow us on Facebook

{Real Engagement} Biking in BC

2012-07-31T23:57:00.000-07:00

Don't you hate technical difficulties? Me. Too. Hate them. Why? Because I wanted to share this engagement shoot with you like two weeks ago. And then I wanted to share my wedding pictures with you that same week. And a ton of inspiration too. But I couldn't. Why? Technology sucks sometimes, that's why.

But I think we got it all figured out. Granted, I've said that a couple of times and it's turned out to be false, but this time I really really think that we've made the blog a beautiful creation once again. You tell me.

Anyway, this super cute engagement was shared with us by Taliah Leigh Photography, and I'm simply smitten with how adorable this couple is!

All photos in this post copyright Taliah Leigh Photography
and submitted via Two Bright Lights.

Follow us on Facebook

{Real Engagement} On an Oregon Farm

2012-07-10T23:12:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty MIA lately, writing thank you cards, organizing my apartment, and just generally spending time as a newlywed. But I haven't forgot about all of you! This week, I get to share the following amazing engagement pictures, as well as MY WEDDING PHOTOS! (You'll probably get to see them on Friday.) :)

Anyway, I have this inexplicable attraction to cows. I just think they're incredibly adorable. When I got this engagement shoot, I almost died due to the intense cuteness of the cows and the sweetness of the couple.

Andrew & Sarah chose to have their engagement pictures in the Oregon countryside after meeting at OSU. Their engagement was gorgeously shot by Nakalan Buzza Photography.

All photos in this post copyright Nakalan Buzza Photography
and submitted via Two Bright Lights.

Follow us on Facebook

{Advice} Cutting money, not people

2012-06-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last week, I talked about the number one piece of advice that budget brides and grooms hear: Cut your guest list. And then I talked about how Stephen and I ignored that piece of advice.

How did we ignore that advice? By budgeting. By choosing to have a Friday wedding, when we could save on the venue. For that matter, by choosing a park for a venue. By opting for a dessert buffet instead of a full meal for food.

Let's look at the key pieces of our budget.

Our ceremony at Riverfront Park's Canada Island. Photo courtesy Todd Wagner.

The Venue & Rentals

We spent a total of $500 on the ceremony and reception locations at Riverfront Park in Spokane. How did we find a venue this inexpensive? By looking at non-"wedding" designated places, like public parks and community halls.

I had always dreamed of having an outdoor wedding, so these locations were perfect. Add in rentals that many venues will have (chairs, dance floor), and our grand total in this category was $1175.

Our dessert buffet by Couple of Chefs Catering. Photo courtesy Couple of Chefs.

Food, Drink, Service & Food Rentals

We definitely helped our budget by having a dessert buffet from Couple of Chefs Catering instead of a full meal. It gave us a budget-friendly edge in two ways: first, desserts are a lot less expensive than full meals (duh); second, we didn't have to get a cake. And our guests raved about the food!

In addition, we were able to pack in having the caterers service the buffet for the entire reception, San Pellegrino limonatas as well as the fruit waters that the caterers brought to drink, plates, water goblets, and a couple other miscellaneous things for just under $1750.

US! :) Photo courtesy Erika Ellis Photography. (PS: This is a sneak peek of our pro pics!)

Attire

With my dress from Marcella's Bridal coming in at about $860 with alterations, my shoes at $100 (splurges, okay?), my undergarments at another $110, and Stephen's shoes at $20, we spent just over $1000 on attire for us. Then, add in the ties for the groomsmen, on which we spent roughly $40 and the jewelry for the bridesmaids, on which we spent roughly $60, we got ourselves a $1130 bill.

Then there was the headpiece. First, I spent about $5 at the fabric store buying the necessary items to make myself a birdcage veil. When I was done, though, I didn't like how it sat on my head. I thought it was a DIY fail.

When I saw a brand new (in the packaging) polka dot birdcage veil on the classifieds section of Project Wedding, I had to have it. At a cost of $30. Scroll up to the photo of our ceremony really quick. Do you see a birdcage veil on me? No. Because, lo and behold, I didn't like how it sat on my head either. My solution? Cut it up and make a cute fascinator from it, as seen on my head. :) So $35 spent on me trying to make up my mind. That brings our total to $1225.

I'll make a confession. I have no idea what Stephen's outfit cost since he and my dad went shopping without me for a male bonding experience, and my dad covered the bill. BUT I know a similar look can be done easily for less than $30.

Bouquets from Special Touch Florist. Photo courtesy Todd Wagner.

Flowers & Decor

Aesthetics were big for me for our wedding. We had the personal flowers from Special Touch Florist, the loose stems from Fred Meyer that we made into centerpieces the night before the wedding, drapes, tissue poms, and a few other details. This all came to roughly $1200.

Dancing at our reception, thanks to the awesome music! Photo courtesy Todd Wagner.

Music, Photography & Entertainment

Due to some really fantastic friends, one DJ and one musician extraordinaire, we got our music as gifts. This included the DJ-ing during the reception, and the amp from which we played our iPod playlists for the ceremony. This also included another friend going through his whole music library to find the music we needed for the ceremony and reception. :)

So, for our music, photography, and entertainment budget, we must consider the price of photography from Erika Ellis Photography (which was REALLY great), the price of the photobooth from Seattle Wedding Photo Booth (which was one of the best wedding-related decisions we made), and the sound rentals from Inland Audio Visual so our DJ could work his magic. This came to a total of $1750.

Stationery

I DIY-ed all of the invitations, RSVPs, and inserts on InDesign and had them printed at CatPrint, a printing company based in New York with amazing prices. I tied them up with pretty ribbon, stuffed them in kraft paper envelopes from EnvelopeMall, and sent them off!

I also created guides for our wedding party to aid them in picking their attire for the day, and I printed these at my local Staples. These projects, including postage, came to a total of $260.

Miscellaneous

Our miscellaneous budget, which included hotel rooms, gifts for the attendants, our coordinator, our license, and a couple other things, came to just about $700.

That's a total of under $8000!

(PS: I know that if you add up all of the figures above it comes to more than $8000, but that's because I rounded all of them up. Our actual total was just at $7906.)

Follow us on Facebook

{Real Wedding} $3K Bohemian in Washington

2012-06-26T23:13:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you plan a wedding in Olympia for $3,100? This gorgeous bohemian wedding, photographed by Creatrix Photography.

Cassy & Josh wed at a private residence in Washington's capitol, and by DIY-ing everything, they were able to keep their budget super low.

♥ {Saves} venue | desserts | favors | food
From the bride:

In all honesty, we saved a lot on our venue. Prior to finding the Showalters, I had tried booking three different places for the wedding and all had fallen through. Luckily my mother-in-law knew someone with the perfect place who only does events for close friends and family, so we really did luck out.

♥ {Splurges} photography

From the bride:

Having pictures was really important to me because as a little girl I drolled over my great-great-grandparents' wedding pictures and only hope that one day my great-great-grandchildren will do the same. I also really can't explain my love for pictures, so it was only natural to go all-out there.

From the bride:

Josh and I decided to keep a few traditions in our wedding, like not seeing each other before the ceremony and writing our own vows. Well, Josh is the type of man who's gifted with words, so his vows were destined to make me cry, and I was anxious to see if mine would match up. They did. (: So our vows were the most special moment of our day for me.

♥ {DIYs} Invitations | Decor | Guest "Book" Canvas | Programs | Flowers | Desserts | Garter

From the bride:

My husband Josh and I really wanted everything about our wedding to be "us," so we did just that. The first project I worked on was our invites and RSVP's. I created everything in InDesign, printed them out on my home printer, hand stamped them, and off in the mail they went.

I also made my own bouquet and made each of my bridesmaids their baby's breath bouquets. My mom helped me make my garter out of lace from her old wedding gown, which was also my grandmother's wedding gown too. We attached Austrian crystals and silver beads to it for accents.

All photos in this post copyright Creatrix Photography
and submitted via Two Bright Lights.

♥ {Vendors} Photographer: Creatrix Photography | Venue: Private Barn (Showalter's) | Dress Designer: ASOS | Caterer: Mike Showalter of Smoke'n

Follow us on Facebook

{Advice} It's about the people

2012-06-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

When Stephen and I first started planning our wedding, we knew we were going to be on a budget. We spent hours googling phrases like, "how to plan a wedding on a budget" or "how to plan a wedding for less." We kept running into this piece of advice: Cut your guest list.

We were only willing to go so far with this. We cut out high school friends who we didn't regularly talk to or spend time with anymore (since we met in high school). We cut adult cousins. We cut college acquaintances.

Me, my cousins, my little sister, and my little sister in law all looking ridiculous dancing the cha cha slide.
Taken by Todd Wagner.

But we weren't willing to cut more than that. The friends who we spend our time with, for example, were important to us. Our family (including aunts and uncles, etc.) were important to us. Why? Because weddings are really about the people. So we invited 200 guests, hoping we'd get somewhere between 100-150 to RSVP.

Me and Stephen forming a dance circle with our family and friends.
Taken by Todd Wagner.

LEFT: My dad and my aunt dancing. Taken by Tammy G. RIGHT: Me dancing with my little brother in law and Stephen dancing with my little cousin. Taken by Todd Wagner.

Our guests were mostly out of towners (in fact, 95% were at least a 3-hour drive from the wedding, and 90% were out of state), and we ended up with 100 RSVPs. It was perfect.

And none of the wedding would have been the same without those 100 people. Every one of them contributed to the joy and care-free nature of that day. Every one of them lowered my stress level by a bit.

LEFT: Me and my best friend/maid of honor #1 Willa. RIGHT: Me and my other best friend/maid of honor #2 Chelsie. Taken by Seattle Wedding Photo Booth.

There are so many other ways to cut down on your budget that won't diminish the joy of your day, and that won't diminish what weddings are really about: celebrating love. In tomorrow's post, I'll talk a little more about the ways Stephen and I cut our budget without cutting guests.

Follow us on Facebook

{Real Engagement} Hunting in California

2012-06-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

I'm SO sorry I was MIA this week. I meant to post this engagement yesterday, but then a shooting happened near my house, and my entire neighborhood was blocked off ... with my computer in my house. No going home for me, folks!

But, trust me, this engagement from RobinsonPortraits is worth the wait! I love the outdoorsy feeling of this engagement and the hunting themes! How very northwest.

All images in this post are copyright RobinsonPortraits
and submitted via Two Bright Lights.

Follow us on Facebook

{Real Engagement} Spring in Montana

2012-06-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

The pure mix of nature and deep romance in this shoot by Jacilyn M Photography are simply gawk-worthy. I love the inescapable green around the couple and the casual look they chose. Perfect.

From the photographer:

Lauren and Kolten are madly in love with each other, which is so evident in these photos. They are getting married this summer up on Flathead Lake. We wanted a fun engagement/couples session that really showed some true emotion and would tie in well with their wedding location and such. It was a gloomy, rainy, spring day and running out into the woods gave us some perfect cover from the rain. Love how they turned out and the feeling you get just looking at them.

All images in this post copyright Jacilyn M Photography
and submitted via Two Bright Lights.

Follow us on Facebook

{Advice} Three must-have mindsets for planning a wedding on a budget

2012-06-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to have Dana from Spokane Bride Blog here to guest post for me while I get my home put together. Let me tell you, weddings are fun, but the boxes and boxes of wedding decor and gifts and such that pile up in your living room while you're on your honeymoon? Not so fun.

Anyway, Dana is just an amazing person, and she's pretty wedding savvy! She planned her whole wedding in 3 months for $3500. She deserves some serious props. I'm also pretty sure that this is the wise woman who told me that bed sheets make perfect tablecloths. That's the truth.

Hello lovelies! Dana here from Spokane Bride Blog! So honored to be guest posting for Lindsie while she is enjoying her first few days of wedded bliss.

I'd like to share with you three essential mindsets that helped my fiance and I save big bucks on our own wedding in 2007. With a budget of $3500, we managed to pull together a beautiful country-themed wedding AND in a matter of only three months.

1. Be flexible: Simply being flexible can help you save a lot of money when you're planning your big day. When it came down to a choice between a pot-luck meal or no meal at all, Ryan and I decided on a compromise: a buffet centered around supermarket fried chicken. Well, why not?

We were getting married on a farm and having our reception in a barn and my family is from Louisiana. What could be more fitting? By using beautiful serving ware and adding our own version of the Olive Garden green salad, several potato salads and rolls, sweet tea and huckleberry lemonade, we fed our 170 guests for just $2.35 per person.

Although supermarket fried chicken hadn't EVER been a part of my dream wedding, being flexible helped me embrace the casual setting and made it the perfect thing to serve our guests.

2. Think outside the box: At over $400, renting seating for our ceremony and reception was going to be a much larger expense than we realized. We brainstormed and decided on hay bales purchased on Craigslist for $200. They were absolutely perfect for our barn wedding and the owners of the farm were thrilled to keep and use the hay after the wedding.

Considering your alternatives is a great way to bring down costs. Purchasing my wedding gown is another good example. After looking at every single dress and trying on quite a few, I found my gown in a back sales room of the boutique. It was four sizes too big. My dress-maker worked sheer magic, and she had it fitting me like a glove in no time. The gown plus alterations came out at under $200.

3. No shame: Some of the best advice I've ever received is: 'Don't ever be afraid to ask! The worst they can do is say no.' I'd always wanted to get married in a barn on Green Bluff [north of Spokane], but the cost was just too much for us and there weren't many options available only three months in advance.

So, while taking a drive, my mom and I stopped at a farm (not a wedding venue, mind you) and simply asked the owners how they would feel about hosting a wedding. They chatted and quoted us a price of $500! SOLD!

As another example, I asked a neighbor for a few cuttings from her overgrown snowball bush for my floral arrangements. She was about to have the whole thing pulled out, so that paid off in several five gallon buckets full of huge white snowball blooms for my reception tables and bouquets. The moral? Swallow that pride because it really never hurts to ask!

Follow us on Facebook

{Inspiration} Whimsical bridal shoot

2012-06-12T09:28:00.001-07:00

Guess what y'all?! I'm MARRIED!!! That's right, this is Lindsie Trego talkin'. And since Facebook won't let me post this picture on the Wed4Less wall, and since I know you're all probably itching for a sneak preview, here's a shot from my wedding!

Photo courtesy Wagner Bros. Photography

We'll have more pictures later, when I get everything back from the photographer. :) For now, I'll entertain you with the sweetest little inspiration bridal shoot from Daydream Weddings.

All images in this post, unless otherwise noted in the caption,
are copyright Daydream Weddings and
submitted via Two Bright Lights.

Follow us on Facebook

{Advice} Enroll help

2012-05-31T14:36:00.002-07:00

I want to talk about relinquishing control. About giving up the traditional bridezilla "this-is-my-wedding-and-I-will-do-it" type control, and letting some friends and family help you.

Okay. Maybe I'm suffering a bad case of psychological projection. Maybe this is me, not you. Maybe I'm the control freak. I admit it.

But there is one person (aside from my smashing groom) whom I've whole-heartedly allowed to help me in the process of planning the wedding: My mom. And boy has she been amazing.

{Almost} all of the stuff my mom has made for my wedding (in 8 days!!!).

The first thing she made was a bunch of ties for the groomsmen, ushers, and my dad. I'm super anti-shiny things for my own wedding, and prefer the more organic looks of cotton and such. In order to avoid silk ties, my mom made them from cotton.

Next was the junior bridesmaid dresses. One of my junior bridesmaids is my sister, and my mom traditionally makes most of our special occasion dresses. Having her make my sister's dress was a no-brainer.

My sister, Ramie, in her junior maid of honor dress.

This dress did start as 21 pieces of fabric, which my mom told me was an interesting adventure. :)

My mom making the dress for the other junior bridesmaid, my dear fiance's little sister, was a different kind of decision. It was another decision that came out of my frustration for the types of dresses available. I wanted yellow, and everything in yellow wasn't quite formal enough. So my mom made it.

Next was the boutonnieres for the dads and grandpas. We decided to cut costs and to give parents and grandparents a memento to take home by creating fabric flower boutonnieres and corsages instead of the traditional real-bud ones.

My mom, me and a few of my bridesmaids got together for a DIY day and created the buds themselves, then my mom crafted some into boutonnieres and I crafted the rest into corsages.

Boutonnieres and the lovely bow tie for the junior groomsman.

Then, my mom created my garters. This was super important to me because I knew I wanted my garters--especially the keepsake one-- to be made from remnants of my mother's wedding dress, which she made for her own 1990 wedding. This is my "something old." (It might only be 22, but it's older than I am, so I think I can consider it "old.")

My keepsake garter, above, and my toss garter, below. The white flowers on here are from my mom's dress.

My mom also made all of the tablecloths for the reception (again, to avoid a panic attack brought on by my extreme aversion for shiny things like the linens available from rental companies). And she crafted draperies to transform the ugly picnic shelter reception space into a gorgeous, ethereal wedding.

Lovely, non-shiny, tablecloths. Thank you, mom.

Could I have done all of this, plus hire vendors, plus do the DIY project that I've done, plus work and go to school alone? Absolutely not. So, here's the moral: Let people help you. And then say thank you. You'll thank yourself in the end.

Check back in later this week to see some of the DIY projects that I've done!

Follow us on Facebook

{Real Engagement} Washington in Autumn

2012-05-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

I love me a styled shoot, and I love me a styled engagement. And these reality-turned-editorials are all the rage these days.

But, as you can probably tell by many of the engagement shoots featured on Wed4Less, I also think really simple shoots--just the couple, no props--can be really beautiful too. Often, what occurs during these shoots is images of pure, unadulterated love. This is what happened for Kristin and Charlie's engagement, shot by Emily Schultz Photography.

All images in this post copyright Emily Schultz Photography

and submitted via Two Bright Lights.

Follow us on Facebook

{Inspiration} Picnic Engagement Styled Shoot

2012-05-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, I see a shoot that makes me want to go back and do my engagement shoot with my fiance again. It goes like this: Open TwoBrightLights (where I get many of the shoots that we publish here), click on a gallery, see the photos, gasp, then wonder why I can't be this creative.

Let me tell you, this need for creative people is why we have fantastic photographers like Kunio Photography in the world. I mean, picnic + camera + hydrangeas + guitar = pure romance.

All images in this post copyright Kunio Photography

and submitted via Two Bright Lights.

{Real Wedding} Missoula Indie & DIY Affair, Part II

2012-05-22T09:12:00.002-07:00

This is just one of those weddings that can't be edited down into just 10-15 images. It has so many details, that I couldn't bear keeping y'all from its complete DIY awesomeness.

If you missed Part I yesterday, this wedding by Jacilyn M Photography took place in Missoula for a $6000 budget. (And if you missed Part I, you really should go check it out.)

♥ {DIYs} Decor | Paper Goods

From the bride:

We had been admiring "1000 paper cranes" weddings and thought that folding the cranes would be a good challenge. If we couldn't fold 1000, we probably shouldn't be committing to a lifetime. So for 10 months, we folded 100 paper cranes [each month] until we had 1000. We used old magazines so each crane was very unique.

From the bride:

Patrick is a graphic designer, so he designed our announcements, invitations, programs, and other graphics we used. It was a great way for him to contribute to our wedding in a way that didn't seem to bore him too much!

From the bride:

Pat and I paid for our wedding by each contributing $250 each month to a joint savings account ($500 total per month) for 12 months. It was very rewarding! We also had support from friends and family.

♥ {Vendors} Photographer: Jacilyn M | Florist: Habitat Floral Studio | Ceremony Venue: St. Francis Xavier | Reception Venue: Stensrud Event Center | Dress Designer: Upoppy | Caterer: The Silk Road | Baker: Rosauers

All images in this post copyright Jacilyn M

and submitted via Two Bright Lights.

{Real Wedding} Missoula Indie & DIY Affair, Part I

2012-05-21T10:48:00.002-07:00

When I got this submission and looked at the first photo, this was my reaction: Omygosh. Her dress.

This dress (and this whole wedding) is soooooooooo indie-chic with tons of DIY, and I'm completely head over heels for it. And, guess what? $6000 budget. 'Nough said.

Candice and Patrick wed at St. Francis Xavier church in Missoula and followed the ceremony with an eclectic reception at the Stensrud Event Center. Jacilyn M had the pleasure of capturing the event.

♥ {Saves} music | decor | wedding gown
From the bride:

We bought my wedding dress of Etsy and couldn't have been happier! [It was] still made by hand to order, for a fraction of the cost of a bridal store, and [with] twice as much character!

♥ {Splurges} music | decor | wedding gown
From the bride:

We had a locally known restaurant cater our rehearsal and wedding dinners. They were great! [They] took care of flatware, stemware, tables, chairs, and rentals!

From the bride:

After our ceremony, we had the Rickshaw Bicycle Service pick us and our wedding party up to take us to the photography spot. I remember having strangers congratulate us and honk their horns.
After the pictures, we took the scenic reception. It was beautiful along the river, the sun dancing on our skin. All I have to do is close my eyes and I am back there sitting on Pat's lap, and I can feel his kisses on my shoulder.

We'll end Part I with the bride getting bustled, but be sure to check back tomorrow for the lovely reception. That's where a lot of the fun stuff comes in!

All images in this post copyright Jacilyn M

and submitted via Two Bright Lights.

Follow us on Facebook

{Real Engagement} BC Motorcycles

2012-05-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

This engagement session from Daydream Weddings is great because it truly shows who the couple really is. The couple expressed excitement to be able to ride their motorcycle in the shoot. Not just sit by it, but actually ride it.

All photos in this post copyright Daydream Weddings

and submitted via TwoBrightLights.

{Real Engagement} California coffee and candy

2012-05-14T18:55:00.001-07:00

First of all, a really great announcement: We're BACK!!! After dealing with a lot of health issues and trying to stay on top of school and work and my own wedding, I am finally 100% feeling better! I'm ready to get back on the ball.

Second, the countdown has begun. My wedding is in 25 days. Crazy.

Third, a lovely Roseville, CA engagement from RobinsonPortraits:

All photos copyright RobinsonPortraits

and submitted via TwoBrightLights.

{Advice} Budget bridal gown files

2012-04-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

I have a few go-to places where I look for budget bridal gowns for the $550 looks featured on here, and also when brides frantically email me looking for something to fit their budgets.

I decided it's not fair that I keep this information to myself, only divulging it when asked. So here it is: My budget bridal gown files.

{Via Lacey LaDuke Photography; Gown from Storybook Bridal in CDA}

{No. 1: Dolly Couture; Santa Anita dress pictured}

I love that Dolly has tons of dresses for under $600 and has custom options (including getting the dress made to fit your measurements, adding unique touches, and doing a completely custom dress). Also, Dolly Couture accepts returns, for extra security (though some restrictions apply).

Dolly Couture's wedding gowns are all vintage-inspired, which, as you probably know, makes my heart happy.

{No. 2: Ruche; Tiffany dress pictured}

I love Ruche's new bridal line! It comes complete with some of the most gorgeous ultra-budget friendly dresses I've ever seen! (Think under $100!) Also, Ruche accepts free returns (restrictions apply, check policy for details). Ruche has something to offer for everyone, from ballgowns to knee-length beauties like the one pictured.

The only drawback to Ruche's bridal line is the inability to customize. Since some of their dresses only come in small, medium, large, etc. sizes, this may be a deal breaker for brides with curvier bodies.

{No. 3: Ruffled Shop; Bonnie dress pictured}

Ruffled has been my favorite wedding blog for a long time, and when they launched their shop I nearly passed out with excitement. That said, this shop has kept its special place in my heart by continuing to offer reasonable prices, custom options (alterations, or totally custom dresses), and free returns (restrictions may apply). I also am in love, as usual, with the old-world elegance of these wedding dresses.

{No. 4: French Knot Couture; Daisy dress pictured}

First reason French Knot is fabulous: It's LOCAL! I love supporting local business, and this one is nestled right in the Seattle area. Beautiful. I also love the vintage-inspired gown designs and the low prices with all of the dresses being under $500.

French Knot Couture also creates the dresses to your measurements, and accepts returns (again, read policy for details as restrictions may apply).

{Real Engagement} California city chic

2012-04-10T11:07:00.001-07:00

Urban/artsy/downtown engagements are some of my favorites. When Stephen and I did our engagement shoot, I really wanted a downtown-inspired shoot, but Stephen was hooked on the idea of a park shoot, which was more fitting since we're getting married in a park. We compromised and did a few images downtown, though. But there's still a special (and somewhat envious) place in my heart for shoots like this one.

Rhose and Mark had their engagement artistically captured by Robinson Portraits one lovely day in downtown Sacramento, one of their favorite locations. (And on my must-visit-someday list.)

Really, how could anyone resist something so gorgeous?!

Photos submitted via Two Bright Lights.

{Erin's I Do's} Using Craigslist

2012-04-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

I fully admit it. I'm a stalker. I check up on him first thing in the morning, first thing when I get home from work, and multiple times throughout the evening to see if there's anything new going on. I'm not in love ... obsessed maybe?

But Craig's been so good to me over the past few months. Ever since I got engaged, he's been such a huge help. I can always count on him to inspire me. he gave me ideas I didn't even know were possible.

For a DIY or budget bride, Craigslist is your best friend. By searching through "services," I found my DJ (only $600!), my photographer ($400!) and my florist ($400!). I waded through some not-so-great vendors, but the vendors that I ended up with are all amazing people who happen to run their businesses out of their homes.

Are you looking for a wedding dress? Craigslist has everything from $100 1980's puffy gowns to $2000 designer dresses. Some are a little frightening, to be honest. But there are others that have never been worn. I've even seen entire ensembles (dress, slip, veil, shoes, etc.) for less than $800!

I found almost all of my decorations through Craigslist. I've been able to purchase all my stemware, most of my dishes, signs, vases, over 100 mason jars (to be used for both drinking and decor), candles and more--all for significantly less than at the craft store or rental company. It's amazing the deals that can be found if you're willing to take the time to sift through the posts.

When you're looking on Craigslist, start out by searching "wedding." That'll give you gobs and gobs of ads. Once you know exactly what you're looking for, search for that. Every day, I search for "vintage lace," "wedding lace," "vintage wedding," "milk glass," etc. Think outside the box. Type in random words that just might have something to do with weddings: "June," "DIY," etc.

It may take quite a bit of time and patience to find exactly what you're looking for on Craigslist. Or you might find your entire dream wedding all in one post. I can guarantee that, if you find one essential item for your wedding on Craigslist, you'll soon find yourself in stalker mode as well.

Does anyone else have any suggestions for Craigslist? Or do you have some amazing finds that you just want to share? Post them in the comments! Happy stalking!

{Real Engagement} Tri-Cities Engagement Among Trees

2012-04-02T23:50:00.001-07:00

Andrea and Ben's engagement photos, shot by Photography by Lee Ann, are lovely in their simplicity.

The photos among very northwest trees and grasses, not to mention the lovely brick backgrounds, were shot in the Tri-Cities, Wash.

Awww, how in love!

{Advice} When illness pops in

2012-04-02T12:35:00.001-07:00

You might have noticed that I haven't been posting for the last couple of weeks. Two weeks ago, I was on vacation. Being my silly self, I forgot to let y'all know.

Last week, though, it was a different story. I got sick for the sixth time since January. Now, it wasn't anything life-threatening. It was just your average fever and delirium type of cold, but it still stopped me from really being able to think straight, and therefore from getting any work done.

I realized, though, that I'm really struggling with my health. I'm not sure why (still trying to get in with my doctor), but I know that being sick every other week is not normal, nor is it okay.

We'll resume posting as usual today with a great engagement, and keep up the content all week with some inspiration, advice, and a post from Erin! Yay!

Thank you all for being understanding and continuing to support me and Wed4Less through all of our ups and downs!

{Real Wedding} $10K California ranch wedding

2012-03-16T15:29:00.002-07:00

This wedding is a little different from what you're probably used to seeing on Wed4Less. We often have DIY and budget-friendly weddings, but they are usually still pretty traditional. Not this time.

Jessica and W.T. got married in Boonville, California on the groom's ranch, and the entire day reflected the couple's ranch lifestyle. The bridal party wore boots, the food was barbeque, and the guests walked away with horse shoe favors.

But we like to remind you that weddings don't have to be traditional to be beautiful, and the photos from this wedding, taken by Larsen's Photography, prove that.

♥ {DIYs} Favors | Arbor | Flowers | Food

From the bride:

We took 150 used horseshoes from W.T.'s father's horseshoeing business and cleaned them up and spray painted them. Our favors cost us a total of $50, including the paint, the custom tags I ordered from a local print shop, and the twine to tie the tags on.

♥ {Saves} favors | flowers | table cloths | tents | set-up/tear-down crew

From the bride:

We utilized the local boy scout group for a small donation, as well as many local people who were not close friends to take care of many things during the wedding so we didn't have to worry.

♥ {Splurges} photography | wedding gown
From the bride:

From the bride:

From the day we met, we considered ourselves "lucky in love." We used that as our theme, bringing in horseshoes everywhere. We used horseshoes as favors, tablecloth weights (which didn't keep the 40 mph winds from taking out all the table decorations), to having them on my jewelry.

♥ {Vendors} Photographer: Larsen's Photography | Florist: Mother of the bride | Venue: Groom's ranch | Dress Designer: Oleg Cassini {David's Bridal} | Baker: Raley's Supermarket

All images in this post copyright Larsen's Photography

and submitted via Two Bright Lights.

{Inspiration} Winter warm-up in Spokane

2012-03-14T10:59:00.001-07:00

In continuation of the Wed4Less first birthday celebration, I get to share with you our second inspiration shoot, which was done in Spokane at the Montvale Hotel. (If you missed our first shoot from Portland, click here to check it out!)

For this shoot, we wanted to bring a little bit of joyful color into the drab winter that we've all been facing here in the Pacific Northwest. Like the Portland shoot, we also wanted to make sure to keep some very northwest elements in this one. What better than coffee for a Washington shoot?

I am so excited with how the colorful winter images, captured by Lacey LaDuke Photography, came out!

Soiree Event Design had a huge hand in making the shoot beautiful. We worked together on design concepts, and then they were a big part in making the whole thing a reality. (Jessica from Soiree even lent us her husband to act as a "groom" for a few shots.) I really couldn't have done it without them!

Dawn from Allen & Green Floral created this lovely natural bouquet for us, to which we added a few bright colored poms to keep everything bright and warm.

The food delights were created by Couple of Chefs Catering. They did an awesome job of keeping everything within our cheerful yellow, pink and teal color scheme. (And, let me tell you, it was all very tasty.)

This gorgeous (and, might I add, under $1000) dress was provided by Storybook Bridal in CDA, which is a great source of many low-cost bridal gowns, with most of their gowns being under $1200. The dress fit our model, Jenaye Adams, perfectly, and Jenaye had the personality to pull the whole thing off.

The jewelry was all thanks to Veda Lux, a boutique that sells unique and creative funky jewelry. The look was pulled together with hair by Heather Washburn and makeup by Shasta Hankins.

The absolutely lovely and whimsical invitations and paper goods were designed by Caili of Casala Studio. I just love how she plays with typefaces to get the funky look!

Blowing out the birthday candle! That's one year, my dearies!

♥ {Vendors} Photographers: Lacey LaDuke Photography | Florist: Dawn at Allen & Green | Venue: Montvale Hotel | Paper Goods: Casala Studio | Desserts: Couple of Chefs Catering | Styling & Coordination: Soiree Event Design | Dress: Storybook Bridal | Jewelry: Veda Lux Boutique | Hair: Heather Washburn | Makeup: Shasta Hankins | Production: Wed4Less Northwest

{Giveaway} Hairpiece advice winner

2012-03-14T10:24:00.001-07:00

I want to announce the winner of the hairpiece contest from a few weeks ago. I got so caught up first with inspiration shoots (which you'll see soon!), then with technical difficulties (thank God our website is back up and running!), that I forgot to reveal the winner!

The winner, my lovelies, is Stephanie. She suggested these gorgeous hair flowers from etsy shop My Handmade Crafts as well as adding a bandeau veil. I'm looking to either purchase or create some very similar flowers for my big day!

Stephanie will receive a free copy of my absolute favorite wedding book, Handmade Weddings.

Stephanie, email me at lindsie@wed4lessnw.com to claim your prize!