Dwayne and Lili planned their wedding in just three months and for less than €10k. The ceremony was held on The Peniche Fargo, a river boat in Lyon. They skipped the formal reception and dinner set up, instead hiring one of their favourite local coffee shops to hang out with their loved ones post-ceremony.
They served mini veggie burgers, tiny sandwiches and homemade cocktails. They skipped pretty much all the decor in order to keep the costs low but the bride did buy second-hand chairs and benches and painted them in bright colours. Their invitations were homemade too.
Lili wore a two piece which she designed herself and had made by a friend and her bouquet was bought by her mum as a surprise on the day. Dwayne’s suit came from The Kooples. They opted not to have bridesmaids or groomsmen but their best friends all wore brightly coloured outfits in the bride’s favourite colours – yellow, pink and mint.
“We had a very limited time and budget to plan the wedding”, Lili told us. “It was Dwayne’s family’s first trip to France and our parents didn’t speak the same language so everything was translated in French and in English. We were just happy that everything happened so smoothly after all the stressful administrative process we had to go through!”
“Our ceremony was officiated by Amelie, who was one of my roommate in Brooklyn (where I was living when we met). I asked her if she would agree to write a text for our ceremony that would tell our story and she accepted. She was able to write it in French and in English so it was great. Then Dwayne and I both wrote our own vows that we read in front of everybody. It was very emotional for both of us.”
In the end, their wedding was perfect for them, and they also plan to have a second celebration in New jersey so all of Dwayne’s family and friends can party with them too! “There’s not much I’d change”, Lili concluded. “Maybe a few small details of my dress but I had a tiny budget and chose a very expensive fabric so I was limited with the options. I also wish I had tried all the food. When the party was over I realised I hadn’t eaten anything! My advice for other couples is to not spent too much money. It’s only one day in your life and it goes really really fast so don’t put the bar too high. I also wish I had known about Rock n Roll Bride sooner! I felt really lonely every time I was trying to break all the wedding rules!”
