Today's budget-savvy couple, Caroline and Chris, created a lovely day to celebrate their marriage! They kept their guest list small, which enabled them to create dinner party reception to celebrate with their friends after their ceremony! I love all of the beautiful details, from the mismatched wedding dresses to the DIY florals. Enjoy this beautiful dinner party wedding and reception! xoxo, Jessica

Caroline + Chris

July 15, 2017

Athens, GA | LRG Provisions

What was your budget?

Photography: $1,300 ; included a 1 hr engagement shoot and 7 hours of photography day of (in actuality it was more like 8)

Bride’s Attire: $1,410 ; $500 for dress, $200 for shoes, $290 for alterations & $95 for accessories, $325 hair & makeup

Catering: $2,775 ; $1,800 for food & $700 for alcohol + tax

Cake: $165 ; had a 2 tier cake that served 40 plus an additional smaller cake

Favors: $150

Venue: $1,470 ; $800 for 4 hr space rental + staff fees

Flowers: $305

Decor: $200 ; $100 for custom chalkboard

Groom’s attire: $470 ; $300 for suit jacket and pants, $80 for shoes, $50 for dress shirt, $40 for belt

Bridal Party Gifts: $915

Food for Bridal Party Day of: $155

Hotel night before wedding: $180

Officiant: $200

Rings: $790

Invitations & Postage: $230

Micellaneous – $770 – includes tips to vendors ($570 – hair & makeup, restaurant staff, restaurant event coordinator, officiant, cake delivery) plus other unaccounted for smaller purchases

How many guests did you have?

We had 31 guests.

What creative or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

Chris and I love going to restaurants and the whole fine dining experience, so we wanted to be able to incorporate that on our wedding day. When we decided to minimize the guest list, a dinner party reception seemed like the perfect fit for us. We also really wanted to honor the marriages that make up our families and my favorite decorations were pictures of our parents, grandparents, and married siblings on their wedding day. Lastly and probably my most favorite personal aspect of our wedding was our guestbook. We had our guests sign the matte around a commissioned painting of Chris and I and our 3 pets.

Did you do any DIY projects or create any handmade items for your weddings?

Lots! The favors were custom Athens themed agate sliced Christmas Ornaments handmade by me. The place cards for the dinner table were stained wood slices made by Chris and I. Then my parents contributed a lot in the DIY department – doing all the floral arrangements, making the groomsmen's ties, and designing and building the altarpiece.

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

First off, we cut the guest list WAY down. At 31 people, only our closest friends and immediate family were included. Secondly, we saved a lot of money with all the help from my parents and their DIY contributions plus Chris’ parents gifting him his wardrobe for the day. We also saved a ton of money by buying our florals in bulk versus paying a florist to make all our arrangements. Then having our ceremony and reception in the same space also helped with the budget because we only had to rent one space and they provided a lot in the way of decorations.

What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?

Don’t sweat the small stuff. I could have gone crazy buying and planning all the minute details and decorations but at the end of the day, everyone is too busy paying attention to the bride and groom to notice that kind of stuff. Also, don’t be afraid to buck tradition for what you really want in a wedding.

What was your biggest splurge?

Even though it wasn’t a huge expense, we decided to splurge on having a custom chalkboard designed for us at the venue. It was definitely a detail we could have done without, especially since it wasn’t something we could keep after the wedding, but it was still very much a special addition to our venue.

What was your favorite detail?

Our guestbook. The painting was commissioned for us by my parents from my mom’s cousin, artist Ann DeLorge. It captured so many details of our lives and was such a special thing to share with our guests.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Our first look. It was just a perfect moment all to ourselves after spending all day preparing and getting ready in anticipation of seeing each other for the first time.