Ok, now on to the wedding weekend. It started off with a wonderful rehearsal and dinner reuniting all of us friends who had been apart. I was able to connect with all the wives and eat as the boys cracked up at another table! Silly boys! Us girls put our heads together... well mainly followed Sheena's beautiful idea of going to the Flea Market the next day since the wedding wasn't til 6:30. Therefore we did! We not only enjoyed munching on blackberries and walking the streets of downtown Greensville, but we also enjoyed getting to know one another deeper! It was a beautiful time!
The wedding night was gorgeous. The weather was perfect with no cloud in the sky. It made it a hot evening, but well worth every drop of sweat! She had found a reasonable venue looking across the Blue Ridge Mountains, and they were married under a tree, it was breath taking.
She used her creative mind to pull together an eclectic yet seemingly reasonable wedding. I love her style and her ability to see beyond what others would normally see. I appreciate this about her and am so glad to use it in my post today!
First of all, the venue. For my husband and myself we found a venue that not only was beautiful, but one that resembled what we love: the lake and the mountains. You may think it near impossible to find a venue in the Smoky Mountains that would be reasonable in the Fall, but praise the good Lord, we did. Check out Lake Junaluska's Conference center if you are looking for a location... that is cheap!
On the other hand, Vanessa found a gorgeous site that was also reasonable in Greenville, SC. Check out the ViewPoint at Buckhorn here. Keep in mind how much time you will need and if they can suite your every need!
Secondly, the Dress. Yes, this could potentially be the most costly thing. For me on the other hand, it was the cheapest! I wore my moms's, I had a friend do a few alterations, but overall it was kept the same! Now, I know several people who have found them on discount or from other brides. You can always make someone else's dress become your own, I did!
Thirdly, The Food. While Vanessa had very nice caterers, she did not have a full service meal. She had meal items that we walked through a buffet line to receive. I love how she also used a collection of eclectic plates from Goodwill as her dineware. I am sure not having a full serviced meal kept the cost down. We also did the same thing!
The Decor: If you chose a beautiful venue or location, keep the decorations simple! I kept mine simple and they probably could have been more simple! She used a collection of old bottles and placed them on the sides of where they would be standing and placed different colored wild flowers in them. It was stunning and assumably cheap! She also draped burlap to the back of the tree with a large antique picture frame with paper colored like fans inside. This was beautiful! She used the same decor for the table, bottles and flowers! For the entryway and random places she used large rope with different colored fabric tied to it. Loved it!
That's all for now... I hope you received a few ideas of how to keep your wedding simple, cheap, and yet stunning! Vanessa and Billy sure did! We Love You Guys and are so excited for you!
OH and I absolutely LOVED how they used spirit fingers rather than spending money on something that would not last!
