Wedding Style

So, it's been a few months since we've tied the knot, and everything is starting to settle down, and I got my wedding photos back and I'm so excited to share them with you!

During our engagement everyone kept asking "what's the theme?" "what are your colors?" The answer was: I don't have any, or I don't have one. So, like most girls, I had a wedding Pinterest board since I was 18, and that thing had so many ideas and notions that I loved! So, when it came time to actually reference it and go forward with planning, I noticed my entire pin board was like a hoopla of styles, colors and themes. So, I chose not to have a theme or color scheme and I have to say, it made the planning so much fun, and SO much easier! I loved it because I was able to choose things without making sure it fit into certain parameters or a style. I knew I wanted the wedding to fit my personality and I wanted the environment to be fun, laid back and low stress. Too often, weddings turn into people's "worst nightmares" and I wanted to stay 1 million miles away from any feelings like that. Not just for me personally, but with everyone involved and everyone who helped me! If certain ideas didn't work out, I had the mindset from the very beginning that "it'll be ok." And it was. Everything was great. I loved our wedding so so much.

We did our wedding on a pretty slim budget (well, compared to today's caliber of wedding budgets) Altogether, I think we were right under $5000 for a wedding with about 230 people. There were times I'd stress and freak out, because I'm human and felt a lot of pressure for throwing a party that giant, but I knew it would all pan out! I found my dress on eBay for $250 with an additional fee of $75 for my alterations because I've got some junk in the trunk. My shoes were my favorite part and cost me $20 on Amazon of all places. I'm telling you this because maybe you're planning a wedding right now and feeling discouraged about your budget, and I just want to say "don't." It'll all work out, and it'll be beautiful.

When it came to my bridal party, I really wanted them to feel sexy and strong, because that's my favorite way to feel. For me, wearing black always exudes those feelings for me, so it was an easy option for me when choosing their outfits. I also tried to keep their pocketbooks in mind, and I know most girls have a little black dress in their closet. So, black dress and leather jackets girls, your choice of both! I love that because they can recycle and wear it again! And, they all looked smokin!

Throughout the planning process which most know can be incredibly grueling, it's so important to keep a good mindset and focal point. Every time I felt any sort of zilla emerging, I kept reminding myself- "it's just a big party. relax." Reminding myself of that works wonders. One time I started to feel bad for myself that I had to buy a wedding dress off eBay, but that was my dream dress, Who cares how or where I got it. Don't feel bad for doing things differently, embrace it.

I say all of this to inspire you to think outside of the box, get creative to save your money.

XO, Daryn

PS- Huge shoutout to our amazing photography team, video production, catering, and party rentals! Everyone was so amazing! Links below post for more info as well as a promo from our table/chair rental company which was fantastic to work with!