My Perfect (DIY) Wedding

Introduction

One great benefit of blogging for a wedding site like Say Anything Design is the great wedding stories we hear from you. Special thanks to C. Smith for sharing the following story with us. If you have a story about your romantic meet up, a special date, creative proposal, or meaningful ceremony, or memorable reception, please comment below or message us on Facebook. Let us know which of our unique wedding products you used and how it added to your special day. We love hearing from you.

My Perfect (DIY) Wedding

The fairy tale story of my courtship and wedding is proof that sometimes things that seem too good to be true actually are. As a little girl, I dreamed of a handsome Prince Charming riding up on his white steed to whisk me away to the land of happily ever after. Little did I know that my PC would use a real PC (instead of a horse) to sweep me off my feet. I met my husband online and he won my heart through a series of chats, emails, phone calls, and a very magical and romantic first date. My happily ever after dreams came true and the rest as they say is history.

No Clue

After eight months, he proposed and I accepted. It wasn’t long until that OMG moment when I realized I had no idea what I was doing. We had a wedding date, a budget, a bride, and a groom but I no clue about how to plan a wedding.

Crying Bride

They say when all else fails, make a list so I made one. It was clear that I was in over my head – dress, cake, flowers, guest list, invitations, bridesmaids, groomsmen, dresses, tuxedos, food, music, minister, photographer, and a limited budget. I looked at my list and was completely overwhelmed so I decided to sit down and have a good cry.

Game Plan

I dried my tears and created a plan of attack with my soon-to-be-husband. He would run interference on the venue, ceremony, officiant, groomsmen, programs, and invitations while I would start with the dress, cake, hairdresser and photographer. We put everything else on the back burner.

Good Friends

Within two weeks, I had lined up a friend of a friend to do my cake and a hairdresser friend from church to do hair and makeup. Another friend offered her photography services as a wedding gift. Everyone loves a wedding and we enlisted the help of a number of friends and family members (and people they knew) with the skills, talent, experience, and desire to be part of my fairy tale wedding.

Great Progress

By week six, we had crossed a number of items off our checklist and momentum was building. Our church (and venue) would provide tables, chairs, tablecloths, punch bowl, place settings, and a catering staff to serve at the reception. Sandwiches and salads were ordered from a local deli. The minister and florist were good to go and most of the decorations had been purchased. The big pieces were in place and we were down to the final touches – like a ring pillow, a unity sand ceremony set, and a thumbprint guest book.

No Gown

But I still didn’t have a bridal gown and money was running low. With my $200 in hand, we went to Goodwill to see if we could get lucky. We were about ready to leave when I spotted the designer gown of my dreams – an exquisitely perfect bridal confection of satin, lace, and pearls. It even had a train attached to it.

Big Score

Ignoring the $300 price tag, I asked to speak with the manager and somewhere between my tears of passion and two small lipstick smudges, I walked away with the perfect wedding dress for $100 (plus $100 to a friend who had it cleaned for me).

Priceless

The church was packed, the groom was handsome, I felt beautiful, and could not have been more pleased. A few months later, I came across a picture of the exact gown that I had purchased for $100. The retail catalog asking price was $5,000.

Perfect Ending

My DIY wedding was perfect, thanks to the generosity and talent of friends and family members, some successful bargain hunting activity, and a good dose of creative thinking. The best part of my perfect DIY wedding story is that I’m still living happily ever with my Prince Charming.

Thanks again to C. Smith for letting us share your story with our soon-to-be-married followers in the Say Anything Design blogosphere.

See you next time…