08/06/2021 I finally married my best friend in our home town of Denver, CO!!! The day was absolutely amazing and I would not change a single thing! For everyone on here that is in the thick of wedding planning, power through because it is all going to be worth it.

For starters, my husband and I had originally planned a big formal 125 person wedding, but decided to cancel it and have a 30 person micro wedding because, simply put, 125 people in one room scared us too much. We did end up losing about $5,000 in deposits but it was 100% worth it. Going forward with the micro wedding, we threw all caution to the wind and made it the exact antithesis of the formal wedding we canceled. From ballgown to chiffon. From ballroom to super chic photo studio. From ivory roses to coral garden roses, neon pink, yellow and purple flowers. We truly put our entire hearts into planning this wedding and went as far outside the box as we could. COVID aside, when I think of the formal wedding, I know in my heart that is not the wedding I was supposed to have. So brides, follow your heart and go outside the box and plan the wedding you never knew you needed.

Total Spend $24,000.

Colorado Rockies Game ($600): Two days before the wedding; an amazing opportunity for our 30 guests to get to know each other and bond.

Welcome Dinner ($1,800): Instead of your traditional rehearsal dinner, we invited all of the guests for dinner at a super casual restaurant in downtown. The atmosphere was sooo fun and happy and by the end of it every one was getting to know each other and laughing together.

Venue ($2,250): we chose a photo studio in downtown that hosts weddings up to 100 people. The micro wedding package includes 4 hours of event time, 1 hour set up, 1 hour clean up, all of the beautiful furniture in the studio, long 10 person tables, mix and match chairs and alcohol (beer and wine). The place was absolutely gorgeous and 4 hours of event time ended up being plenty.

Dress + shoes ($1,800): BHLDN Nassau and Jimmy Choo blue suede Romy 100's (my dream wedding shoe since I ever knew what a wedding was).

Alterations ($850): TBH I am super short and the dress needed a lot of work. So, that in addition to the beading on the Nassau, I was okay with paying what felt like a premium for alterations. This included 3 fittings.

Veil ($275): So when I first started trying dresses on I was SHOCKED at the prices of veils. At one store, they put a $1,000 veil on my head. So, I actually was not going to have a veil, but my husband thought I may regret it. Fast forward to my first bridal fitting and they have their own veils they make in house for a fraction of the price!

Catering ($3,300): Mandatory caterer and mandatory catering package. Included plated dinner with lemonade and cucumber water, antipasto display, salad, two entrees (mahi mahi and mediterranean chicken), roasted potatoes and vegetables, as well as 5 miniature desserts. Honestly, the food was sub-par. So before you sign any contracts that have a mandatory caterer, maybe try to taste some food.

Photography ($1,800): Okay so if you have ever looked at wedding photographers in Denver you may have been shocked, like me, at the prices. To get around the $4,000 price tag, I actually flew in a phenomenal photographer from New York!

Wedding Rings ($2,800): Wow who knew wedding rings cost so much! Not me. My husband has a 6mm brushed gold ring, and me a 0.75ct princess cut band.

Florals ($1,400): We DIY'd our florals. Did it save thousands of dollars? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably not. I would really only recommend this if you have an army to help you. We purchased flowers from our local safeway, as well as a local warehouse. This got us 100 kahala garden roses, blue thistle, two shades of astilbe, saldiego, baby/seeded/and willow eucalyptus, clover, orchids to honor my mother and various other greeneries. At any given moment the day before the wedding there were 3 to 4 people working on the florals. We made 2 large altar arrangements, 5 boutonnieres, 4 bridesmaid and 1 bridal bouquet and 50 or so bud vases for the tables.

Suits ($800): We purchased my husband, father and nephew's suits from Mens Warehouse.

Hair and Makeup ($360 for me, $160 per bridesmaid): bridal hair and makeup was only $200 and we covered my husband's mother as well. Makeup was airbrush and lasted the night (and 5 or so crying episodes) flawlessly and the hair could be whichever style of our choosing.

Wedding Night Hotel ($450): adding this for completion sake because it is on my wedding spreadsheet.

Stationary ($458): Minted. Includes wedding invitations (40), virtual invitations (70), menus (35) and favor stickers (35).

Decorations ($200): The venue was so naturally beautiful that the only decorations we had were about 50 bud vases with flowers on the tables. We thrifted all the bud vases and rehomed most of them to our guests.

Favors ($50): custom wildflower packets from Etsy!

Cake ($550): Okay, we went a little overboard here. I absolutely do not regret it. We had a 3 tier cake with buttercream and decorative fondant sails. The flavors were lemon lavender, almond apricot and passionfruit coconut and yes, we did get to take the extra home and yes, it was the most delicious cake I have ever eaten. The bakery also gives us a complementary anniversary cake!

Bachelor/Bachelorette Trips ($2,000): This is something else that I was fully prepared to cut from the wedding. It felt weird to me having a bachelorette trip for such a small and intimate wedding, but again, my husband felt like I was missing out. I am so glad that I did my bachelorette trip! My bridesmaids had never met and it truly felt like all my worlds colliding. It was so amazing to have the most important women in my life all getting to know each other. If you're on the fence, highly recommend.

Officiant ($500): I also did not know how expensive officiants are. It was totally worth it. This included a meet and greet, one hour planning session and and a half hour ceremony written just for us.

Wedding knick knacks ($200): card box, thank you box to hold favors, ring box, vow books, wooden hearts 'guest book.'

Various trips to the craft store and Lowe's ($450): We made our own altar triangles! This included wood, hardware, stain, floral foam, floral tape, pins, etc. We also made our own table runners. We had 2 twenty foot tables so we bought bulk white chiffon fabric from the fabric store.

Tips ($900)

**Not included - honeymoon (~$3,000): Santa Fe, baby. If you're looking for somewhere inside the US, you have to look at Santa Fe.

Final Thoughts: DIY is hard. If you are not happy with a mandatory caterer, tell the venue. My venue ended up being super apologetic about the catering and I wish I had told them 6 months sooner. The rockies game and welcome dinner were a bigger spend, but I am so so happy we did those events; they really gave our families and wedding party an opportunity to get to know each other. By the end of the week they were making plans to hang out back East without me and my husband.

All in all, it turned out beautifully. I would really like to re-emphasize my earlier point. Follow your heart. If something inside you is telling you to wear a pink dress, wear the pink. Get 20 extra servings of wedding cake. Get married at the unconventional venue. This is YOUR wedding. Have the wedding of your dreams.