It may have rained for their outdoor ceremony but Ashley & Mark didn’t care. They grabbed some umbrellas and ran with it! The September wedding was held at Ashley’s mother’s house and had a subtle Autumn theme full of personal touches.
“My favorite part of our wedding was how easy and genuine it all felt!, began the bride. “I loved that it began to sprinkle during our vows (I love rain) and the lanterns we all sent off at the end of the evening was a beautiful memory.”
“Our vision for our wedding was all about authenticity and the details; I wanted to do it myself and bring to life all the things I love most. For Mark, his interests were keeping within budget and being true to our desires for our special day, whether they agree with tradition or not. Art is in my bones so I knew I could find ways to be budget savvy and with my limitless creativity I could bring to life anything I had imagined for our ‘best day ever!'”
“We knew we wanted to have the wedding in my mom’s back yard on the river. Mark and I are very fortunate to have a close relationship with our family and consider their house our weekend vacation home, complete with a Tiki Bar! Mark first met my mom and stepdad at their house where my mom said, ‘he is the one,’ and so this location is very meaningful to us as a family.”
The couple spent just $5000 on their dream wedding. While they splashed on things like the food and tent hire, they saved by having the wedding at the bride’s mother’s house and on her dress. “My mom and I stopped in an antique store that we love one day and realized they had a new formal wear section of previously owned and some never worn dresses”, Ashley continued. “The dress i chose was $200 and a steal! I had tried loads of other dresses on but it just didn’t feel right to spend thousands of dollars on something that I’d wear for one day. I loved the challenge of finding something special that wasn’t priced as special, but rather something that I’d have to discover along the way and in the end, that something found me.”
“My advice to future brides and grooms would be this:”, she concluded “the planning can be overwhelming but remember to breathe and enjoy the day that it all leads up to! I remember my mom coming up to me throughout the day, putting her hand on my arm and saying, ‘Ash, don’t forget to stop and take it all in!” That I did and I can wholeheartedly say, it was one of the most memorable days of my life that was truly authentic to both who we are as a couple and as individuals.”
