It was a blast. It went so fast. I’m still in LOVE with all of the decisions we made. I can’t wait to share more about our day. Side note – I haven’t bothered to add everything up but – we did keep close to budget. No more than 15K. So – no wedding debt for us. YAY!
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Just in case you were wondering if the rumors were true, wonder no longer – 12k wedding is now listed on Alltop!
Of course we’re listed in the Weddings section with all the other fabulous blogs helping you navigate your wedding planning escapades.
Spread the word!
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I talked before about using baby’s breath for your flowers because their inexpensive and look nice in bunches. But I really like these carnations too. They always seem to get treated like the bad apple of of the bunch, but really they’re not bad. Just like baby’s breath, if used in deliberate ways instead of just afterthoughts, carnations can look just as nice as any other flower. And since they come in a bunch of different colors, they’re way more versatile than the baby’s breath.
Watch and observe:
Source: Weddingbee.com
Source: Jupiter Images
Source: Weddingbee.com
Source: IntimateWeddings.com
Source: Weddingbee.com
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Let me just say upfront that I can not take credit for this list. I found it at About.com and thought that it would be worth sharing. Not everyone will agree with every item, but you can probably take away at least one thing. So without further ado:
Wedding favors can be a thoughtful way of saying thank you to your guests. But far too often they’re a meaningless knickknack. Your guests don’t need a candy dish, or a little silver bell. Don’t think their cute place card holder doubles as a favor; what are they going to do with one place card? And do you really want a plastic Frisbee with your friends’ wedding date on it?
You’re going to spend a lot of money on things that will just collect dust, or end up in the trash. I think it’s far better to not give favors, or to make a donation to a charity. But cute favors include ones that are personal to the bride and groom. You might give food favors from the city you live in, or a box of your very favorite chocolates.
One of my favorite ideas is a breakfast bag. Send guests home with some beautiful muffins, a couple of good quality tea bags, and perhaps a little pot of jam or honey. The next morning they’ll be sure to enjoy your treat as they reminisce about everything that happened.
Money Saving Tip: Some of the most thoughtful wedding favors can be handmade. Put together a booklet of family recipes, or create a CD with an insert explaining why you chose each song.
It may be fun to have a pair of track pants that say “Bride” across your butt, but how long are you really going to wear them? You certainly don’t need to own multiple pieces of clothing that say “bride” or “groom” because they’ve got a limited shelf-life. And, you do have an identity beyond that of a bride. You don’t own a sweatshirt that trumpets your profession, do you? So why would you want people out in public to see you first and foremost as a bride?
Perhaps the biggest money waster of all is giving your bridal party “bridesmaid” and “groomsman” gear. Do you really think that groomsman is ever going to wear that tacky hat ever again? Do you think he’ll even enjoy wearing it the first time?
Money Saving Tip Buy a pair of pajama pants or underwear that says “bride” or “groom.” Rather than feeling embarrassed about wearing a bride sweatshirt out in public, clothing meant for the home will remind the two of you of your wedding day. Leave the other bridal swag at the store.
Some couples only invite 50 guests, but they still order a cake that serves 300. With cakes going for $2-$15 a slice, that extra size adds up quickly. While a large cake looks impressive, a small cake can be charming. If height is a priority, consider asking your baker to use a separator set, and adding fresh flowers between the layers. Or, use a large cake topper, such as this tiered floral centerpiece.
Money Saving Tip If you are having more than 100 guests, ask for a display cake that only feeds 100 people. Use inexpensive sheet cakes in the back to feed the extra guests. No one will know the difference!
Read More: Questions to Ask Your Wedding Cake Designer
The wedding industry loves to sell you goods by promising they will be keepsakes you can pass down to your children. Having mementos of your special day is a good thing, but you don’t need very many. Put together a wedding album, and perhaps preserve your wedding dress. But deeply consider every other item. Do you really need a personalized pen to sign the guest book? Is preserving your bouquet worth the money and the space in your home? You don’t need to have a wedding video, unless you will really watch it and enjoy it regularly. And not every toasting glass, picture frame, and photo album needs to be monogrammed with your wedding date.
Rather than filling up your house with tons of wedding mementos, leave room for creating new memories.
Money Saving Tip If an album is not included in your wedding photography package, consider doing it for yourself! That way, you can include the shots that are most important to you, as well as any mementos like your wedding program.
Read More: Capture those memories on film with a Wedding Photography Shot Checklist
Have you ever seen a wedding with more than a dozen attendants? It starts to look like a wedding army. Of course, if you are inviting lots of guests, it makes sense to have a large wedding party. But before you start adding your friend who you haven’t seen since high school, and all of your cousins, consider what the role of the wedding party should be.
Even if you’re not paying for the wedding party’s attire, each of those attendants requires a bouquet or boutonniere, a thank you gift, and an invitation to the rehearsal dinner and other parties. Tack on just a few unnecessary bridesmaids or groomsmen and you’re potentially talking about hundreds of dollars.
Money Saving Tip Give some of your friends and loved ones different roles in the wedding. Consider asking them to read during the ceremony or give them a special role at the reception. You might even just thank them in the program for helping to support you during the wedding planning process.
Read More: How Many Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Should You Have?
What’s missing from the list? What, in your opinion is a waste of money and could just be eliminated?
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Wedding Photographer. Check!
I know we just got our venue, but I’ve been so ready to get to the other stuff, I already some of the other vendors waiting in the wings.
I’ve been looking at wedding photographers for a while now. I secretly love good photography and there couldn’t be a better excuse to pore over photographers websites. Of course, I primarily looked at Michigan wedding photographers so I could avoid the travel fee, but I definitely had my eye on a few out of towners.
Even after looking at probably hundreds of photographers, I still came back to the person I figured I would go with from the start. He’s both talented and economical and I’m very happy with our choice.
Our wedding will be photographed by Elton Anderson of (get this) Elton Anderson Photography. Elton and I have known each other for about 12 or 13 years now (whew!) and not only is a really good photographer, but he’s also a really nice guy.
Elton Anderson Blog – Weddings
Elton is based in Florida, so I was super excited when he said he’d come hear to shoot our wedding. I’m not sure how long he’s been shooting he’s only started shooting professionally within the past few years, but I’ve watched his work go from good to really good really quickly. What can I say – he’s a natural 
Since this is still a 12k Wedding (in theory, at least), cost was very important. Now – I won’t call Elton a cheap wedding photographer. That would imply that his work is sub-par and chintzy. That it is not. It is simply really good photography at an even better price. All of the other photographers I looked at seemed to start at around $2500. Elton has wedding photo packages starting at about half of that. Big difference.
No matter where you’re located, if you’re interested in using Elton as your wedding photographer, check him out and make sure you tell him you saw him on 12k Wedding.
Elton will be doing an engagement session with us in a few weeks. I’ll be sure let you all know how it goes!
*Both photos courtesy of Elton Anderson Photography
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I truly believe that many brides lose site of the end product/consequences of their wedding. I’ve seen one bride need counseling immediately following the wedding for this very thing. She lost site of how the wedding would change her life. The marriage that follows the one-day wedding is meant to last a lifetime.
In planning this wedding, I’ve found that there’s a lot of hype surrounding the wedding industry. And have you seen what average wedding budgets look like? The statistics are off the charts crazy.
Don’t get me wrong. I like a flower and dress as much as the next person, but in many cases, the wedding industry preys on a person’s hyped up emotions. Decisions that you wouldn’t think twice about pre-engagement are discovered and exploited by the industry and budgets end up blown.
And there will be certain things you don’t want to budge on. I get that. I don’t want to budge on finding a venue in downtown Detroit. Choose your battles and keep in mind that every time you insist on not budging, it’s probably gonna end up hitting you in the pocket.
Sure history and tradition will dictate some parts of your wedding, but history is made every day and traditions are created every day. It’s okay to be your own bride.
I don’t mean to come off as a Debbie Downer here, but I do mean to encourage everyone to think twice before insisting that your wedding has to be the biggest, most extravagant affair anyone has ever experienced.
Let me know if you agree, think I’m totally wrong, or if I’m somewhere in between. I’d like to hear what you think.
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So it looks like the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is in a bit of a conundrum. According to the Detroit Free Press, their money seems to be dwindling.
I looked at the DIA as a possible location. Although the beautiful grand entry hall would have been beautiful, they wanted an arm, a leg, and our first born child for it. They did have another room that could accommodate our guests and would have been very nice, but because we’d have to use their single approved caterer, the costs ended up being about 30k total for venue and food. And that’s just for the reception, because they don’t allow any sort of ceremonies on their premises.
I wonder if they should re-evaluate their cost structure and policy on ceremonies. Maybe they’d have a few more interested parties, including me.
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You know that saying, “Use what you have to get what you want”?
Well in the case of this wedding and this budget, that may be loosely translated to, “Figure out some kind of way to use what you already have to avoid buying what you really want”.
Heh – imagine that.
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I like these escort cards seen over at The Bride’s Cafe. They seem like they’d pretty inexpensive but still kinda stylish. And I think they’d be easy to diy. I imagine it would go something like this.
You could a nice cardstock and black ink with a nice font. Very easy diy.
Whaddya think?
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Mrs. 12k - The newlywed with lots of wedding tips and ideas for the bride on a budget. 
DetroitGyrl - I'm on an 18 month crash course to plan the best "PARTY to KICK off a MARRIAGE" you've ever seen.
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